Canon EOS 630: The Perfect Camera for Everyday Life

The Canon EOS 630 SLR was the ancestor of Canon's digital EOS cameras. Since inheriting the camera from my father, I’ve been won over by the multitude of easy-to-use functions it possesses (like the ability to do multiple exposures), as well as the greater amount of control and precision it offers.

When initially starting out, I very much enjoyed taking photographs with toy cameras such as the Fisheye and Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim. However, the simplistic build of these cameras sometimes restricted the conditions I could use them under. Furthermore, their fixed shutter speed and lack of different options meant that although I was often able to get a few good shots per roll, many others came out under or overexposed. As a student with a limited budget, I was on the lookout for a camera with more ‘bang for the buck’, one that would give me greater control and a higher yield of correctly exposed photographs.

Enter the Canon EOS 630, an old camera that used to belong to my father. After unearthing it out of his dry box and searching for its manual online, I found that it had an EF lens mount, which meant that I would be able to use my 50 mm f/1.8 Canon lens (which was attached to my DSLR). Not knowing what to expect (because the camera has not been used for so long), I bought the 2CR5 lithium battery that the camera required to function and decided to give it a shot.

Although my first few rolls did not turn out as expected, this was due to a problem with the camera called sticky-shutter assembly. Fortunately, the problem was repairable. After fixing my camera, I decided to shoot a few more rolls, and promptly fell in love with the results!

The camera felt sturdy in my hand and was very easy to operate. After loading the film, simply close the lid and set the dial on the left-hand side to ‘A’, and the camera will automatically read the ISO speed from the film canister! There are a few different modes that the camera can operate under; Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Program mode, and Manual Mode. On normal days (especially outdoors), I set the camera to Program mode, which means that the camera will automatically decide the right combination of aperture and shutter speed to use. When I’m indoors, however, I normally use Aperture Priority mode, setting the aperture to f/1.8 (as large as my lens' aperture will go), so that I can get a fairly fast shutter speed to prevent my images from coming out blurry. With the aperture wide open, the camera produces soft, dreamy images that I absolutely love.

Color Negative Film

I am now completely addicted to this camera and have shot more than 30 rolls with it to date. Every type of 35 mm film imaginable has been through it — negatives, slide film, black and white film, you name it! All have yielded extremely impressive results.

A feature worth taking note of is the fact that the camera can do multiple exposures easily. Just press the ‘Mode’ and ‘ME’ buttons on the top left corner simultaneously and select the number of exposures you want per frame!

Slide Film

Overall, what I love most about the camera is the security it offers me. I know with certainty that each roll I've shot is going to yield pictures that will turn out just as I imagined them to be. I no longer feel like I am wasting my money bringing a roll of film to the lab because I know I will not be getting back dark and underexposed shots. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my little Lomographic cameras dearly but for a student on a tight budget, this camera proves to be the more economical option.

Black and White Film

Although no longer in production, the EOS 630 can easily be found on eBay today for a relatively cheap price. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an easy-to-use camera to document their everyday adventures.

Happy shooting! :)

This is a review submitted by Community Member muddymire.

geschrieben von muddymire am 2011-07-15 in #Ausrüstung #Menschen #analog #35mm #review #multiple-exposure #lomography #film-camera #slr-camera #user-review #canon-eos-630