What's In My Bag: Film Gear - Elan iie
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Hi, friends! I’m glad you’ve decided to join me again! Today, I’m letting you have a peek inside my gear bag- specifically my film gear! I chose to start with this content because film photography still doesn’t get as much exposure as it should in the wedding photography world. We are in an age where people still think of grainy, dark, harsh flash, underexposed skin tones, and forever-long wait times when they hear the word film. So I thought I would shed some light on both my gear and some misconceptions about film photography in the wedding/portrait industry. Let’s go!
The Camera
I don’t plan to get too technical with you, only to talk about this camera and my experience with it. The Canon EOS Elan iie is a wonderful camera for beginning film photographers and experienced photogs alike! I would rank it third or fourth in the range of popular film cameras for photographers, only because of a few little nuances. (1st Canon EOS 1V, 2nd Canon EOS 3, and 3rd maybe the Canon EOS Elan 7) Despite it’s ranking in the wedding world, I would put it at the top of my list because what makes it lower on the list for others is what puts it at the top of the list for me! The first thing being it’s age. This camera was released in 1995, making it the oldest out of the list. But, I think it’s the perfect mixture of an advanced camera system with a tiny bit of old school flair. The sensor on my camera is absolutely pristine, so at it’s best, this camera is pretty darn good. The second downfall is that there are only three autofocus points, which for someone like me who has vision impairments, it’s hard to get spontaneous, unorthodox composure. But on the flipside, I prefer fixed autofocus points because it helps me compose and focus faster as opposed to a higher autofocus number.
The Work
When shooting weddings, I usually mount the 24-105 on the camera and use it for more wide shots, location shots, and anything at a distance. But the dream team is this camera mounted with a 50mm 1.2 L lens. It’s so gorgeous, y’all! That shallow depth of feild from the f1.2 translates so beautifully into the sensor. So far, I’ve shot mainly Portra 400, because not only do I love Portra, it pairs really well with this camera. when I first started film, my OG was Portra in this camera! I haven’t been very impressed with FujiPro 400h in this camera yet, maybe because Fuji is so very neutral and 35mm is a small sensor, so the full impact of the film coloring/style just isn’t there. Only two of the photos you see below are Fuji, and the rest are Portra. If I shoot more Fuji in the future, I may do a Part B to this post and show this camera paired with 35mm. Finally, below, you’ll find some examples of my favorite shots with this camera! Enjoy!
