The EOS 5 is quite heavy compared to newer cameras, but I honestly don’t mind it’s weight. It feels like a good solid camera, and performs very well for me. It has an interesting eye-controlled auto-focus feature, which will automatically auto-focus on an object based on where in the viewfinder the user is looking. The feature only works when the camera is being used in it’s horizontal position, and really, it seems to be somewhat hit and miss. After calibrating it, I have found that it can drift quite a lot simply by moving my eye position sightly on the viewfinder. For this reason, I tend not to use it at all. If for any reason the auto-focus isn’t giving me the results I’m after, I generally switch the lens to manual focus.
The vertical grip is really quite useful, and although it adds quite a lot of bulk to the camera, it doesn’t add a lot of extra weight. When taking vertical shots, I really enjoy using it. It gives me something solid to hold onto and allows me exceptional control of the angle and to steady the shot easily.
Although I don’t use all of the features of the data/quartz back, I do find it a convenient option. I don’t use the date feature. The last thing I want is for a date to be burned into my film. But I really do use the large thumb wheel often. When in manual mode, the thumb wheel is used to alter the aperture setting on the fly. The smaller finger wheel behind the shutter button controls the shutter speed, so with just your thumb and forefinger you can adjust the shot quickly and easily. No buttons necessary.
For more information on this camera, here a link to the wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_5
Overall, I’m really happy with this camera and I think I’ll keep it for some time.
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