Welcome to This Old Camera, I’m your host Azriel Knight and today I’m showing you
the world’s first camera with eye controlled focus.
The Canon EOS 5, or A2 & A2e in North America, was a 35mm SLR released in November 1992 and
marketed to the advanced amateur. It has many of the features that DSLR users take for granted
today, like exposure compensation, bracketing, and custom functions.
Popular Photography said they could hardly believe the rumours and Canon themselves boasted
that you’d have “power like never before”
Perhaps strangest of all is that the A2e and EOS 5 in particular detected eye movement
by emitting infrared light.
The technology here is actually the same used by fighter pilots in acquiring their targets.
All you do is look at which focus point you want and half press your shutter.
Presidential Photographer Bob McNeely did a field test for American Photo, and praised
how well the eye controlled focus worked claiming it as a time saver.
“Eye Controlled Focus spares you the dreary business of entering the thing you want sharp,
holding down the shutter button and recomposing before you take the shot, an operation that
can cost you the best photograph.”
The question is “Why don’t all cameras have this? I mean, in today's age of forty
five focus point this thing would be a game changer.
The feature is amazing, but not without its flaws. The a2e and EOS 5 sacrifice a bit to
have eye control. The focus points are slightly smaller, there’s no diopter, and It doesn’t
work when shooting in vertical mode.
In 1998 The EOS 3 was released and that was the beginning of the end of this camera's
production life.
But in 1999, a couple of directors named the Wachowski’s were making a little flick called
The Matrix. And when they were looking for a certain type of shot, they brought in 120
Canon EOS A2’s and positioned them around and linking them to a timer.
"...final frame of film all that is uh, taking into account the net effect the total effect
of the move, that is the camera coming up to speed, moving at a speed, and off of speed."
The result is some of the most iconic imagery in movie history.
Smith: You're empty
Neo: So are you.
From here, we’ll go over some basics of its operation, then I’ll put it through
tests to make sure it’s working, after that I’ll go out and shoot with it and finally
i’ll share some thoughts and tell you where you can get one, how much it will set you
back and if it’s worth it.
Battery: The battery compartment is located inside the hand grip. Lift this tab, and rotate
to unlock. Place the battery inside and reverse the process.
Lens Mount: EF lenses go on by matching the dots and rotating clockwise. To release the
lens, push this safety lock, and rotate counter clockwise.
Film Loading: To load a roll of 35mm film, ensure the camera is on. Open the back by
pushing this button down, and place the film inside, drag the film across, and close. The
film will advance automatically.
Metering: To select one of three metering modes, press the meter button on the back,
and use the dial to select your desired setting.
ISO: If your film is DX coded, your ISO will be set. If you want to view or change your
ISO use the bottom function button at the back. Press until displayed, and use the main
dial if you want to change it.
Command Dial: Before you shoot you may want to customize the camera to your tastes. Change
your command dial to CF for custom functions. Each function will indicate zero for off or
one for on. There are sixteen custom functions and I wont go over them all but here are a
few examples.
CF2 leaves a little film outside the canister when you rewind for easier darkroom loading.
CF4 lets you move your auto focus from the half press to the AE button on the back,
and CF12 locks the mirror on self timer mode.
Eye Controlled Focus: To calibrate the camera to detect your eye, turn the command dial
to "Cal," Then, use the main dial to select a profile from 1 to 5. You will then be prompted
to look into the viewfinder at the right focus point. Half press the shutter until you hear
a beep and repeat with the left focus point. Once you have your camera just the way you
want you can choose your shooting mode and begin taking pictures.
Exposure Compensation: While in shutter or aperture priority mode if you want to compensate
your meters exposure ensure the quick control dial is on, and adjust up to 2 f stops under
or over your reading.
Bracketing: You can do a three exposure bracket by pressing the function button until displayed
and dialing your desired setting.
Popup Flash: To activate the popup flash press here. You can also press the same button while
the flash is open and use the dial for flash exposure compensation.
Film Rewind: When the roll is complete it will automatically rewind. If you want to
complete the roll early you can push this film rewind button here.
I was unable to test the shutter on this camera as it doesn’t activate properly when the
back door is open. A bit disappointing but in this case I’ve already put a half a dozen
rolls through and I know for the most part I’m getting good exposures.
I tested the spot meter on my A2e and compared it to that of my handheld Sekonic meter and
got nearly the same results.
I shot and developed using all Kodak Products including Kodak TMAX 100 for film, HC-110
for developer, an indicator stop bath, a hardening fixer, Hypo Clear and photo flo-200
To test the camera I went outside of town and into rural Alberta. I used an EF 24-105mm
f4 L series lens. It’s hard to take a bad picture out here. At one point I came across
a bunch of horses just grazing out in the open. This is one situation where I’m happy
to have had auto focus, and aperture priority. I also came across what seems to be an ancient
form of text message.
Lets talk about some pros and cons.
Not surprisingly it feels very much like the Canon DSLR’s of today, the 5D series in
particular.
If you have a crop sensor EOS, here’s an easy way to go full frame. Just remember,
this is not an EF-s compatible camera.
I don't always use the eye controlled focus, but it works surprisingly well, and in a few
minutes, you've already adapted to this unique way of shooting.
The North American version of the camera will only give you a simple + or - over or under
exposure indication when in manual mode, rather than by how many f stops like when displaying
exposure compensation.
The PC sync is located near the film door release, not really a great idea in my opinion.
A couple features like high speed shooting don't do much but waste money in this day
and age.
If you're in the market for one of these SLR’s be careful when shopping for one online, as
I noticed a trend of listing the A2 and A2e as if they are the same model. If you want
the eye controlled focus, avoid the A2.
A2e's on eBay run anywhere between $30 and $150 after shipping. There are enough listings
to have your pic of bundle or body only.
There are enough listings to have your pick of bundle or body only.
Kijiji produced a single result for a reasonably priced A2e with a 28-105mm lens.
If you're getting rid of one, you might have to be a little patient. While it's not as
common as some cameras, it's by no means rare.
So do you want this camera? You have to keep in mind, that with all these extra features,
you can still only shoot 36 frames.
As an example, if you had a revolver and a machine gun, but both could take the same
amount of bullets, which one would be better? The answer is it depends on what you're shooting.
The appeal for me is how quickly I can arrive at my settings and being able to use L series
glass.
That wraps up another episode, please remember to like and subscribe and let me know which
camera you think I should review in the comments below.
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And until next time, stay classic!