Canon EOS Rebel 2000 Review for Street Photography using Kodak Ultra Max 400 Film

While I typically take my time and shoot in manual mode with most cameras, I have to admit I'm having fun trying out the automated shooting functions of these old film cameras. The Canon Rebel EOS 2000 is no exception. There are several decent videos out there on youtube that will show you the details of the Canon Rebel EOS 2000 camera. This review is more about the on-the-run operation of this camera, with a roll of 24-exposure Kodak UltraMax 400 35mm film.

Actually, the exception is that this camera feels and operates so much like a DSLR camera. The reason for that, I assume, is that this camera was released at the same time digital cameras were becoming widely used instead of film cameras.

This Rebel 2000 film camera was manufactured from 1999 thru 2002, and my guess is that Canon used the blueprint of this camera in their early digital Rebel cameras.

My return to photography in 2009 was facilitated by the use of a digital Rebel XS 10MP camera. I used that camera up until about 2014 when I moved up to the Canon T3i. Now that I use a full frame Canon EOS RP, as well as a Ricoh GR III compact APS-C sensor camera, picking up this Rebel 2000 took me back a bit to those early years with the Rebel XS.

The function controls/dials/and LCD screen are completely different than the digital rebels, but the camera feel is very familiar.

Again, I'll leave those control details to other videos and blog posts, but suffice to say, this camera does offer all the modes you'd expect from a nice semi-pro camera. Included are Program, Manual, Shutter Priority (which I used predominantly in this test/reveiw), Aperture Priority (my least favorite setting, and one I have rarely used), as well as A-Dep (suppose to give a large depth-of-field) and five Scene settings.

I found with Shutter Priority mode, it was not difficult to adjust on the fly, once I got used to the front wheel that sits just behind the shutter button. Whether you are in Shutter Priority, or Aperture Priority while shooting, each is easy to adjust with the wheel.

HOW TO CHANGE APERTURE AND SHUTTER

If in Manual mode, the front dial operates the shutter speed, while holding down the AV button on the top right side of the back of the camera and turning the front dial allows you to change the aperture. If you're used to manual settings, it's not that big of a problem, if you're not, then you might consider just using Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or just go to Program Mode.

Walking around and shooting in P (program/auto) mode is nothing to be embarrassed about, and will get garner you great results. It's a personal preference thing, but I'm not a manual snob. I like to allow the camera's input from time to time. And let's face it, at least in my situation, if I'm in a hurry, allowing the camera to do some of the work is going to bring in more accurate results on a consistent basis.

Canon 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 EF Zoom Lens

One of the beautiful things about the Canon line of cameras is the ability to find inexpensive lenses in the EF line. They are a dime a dozen (not literally) but they are cheap and plentiful. I found that some EF-S lenses will not fit on the film camera mount (likely there are adapters but I have no interest in those).

So from a financial perspective, it's great to be able to use some of those old lenses that you thought were out of date in relation to your new, bright and shiney EF-S lenses. Good thing you didn't toss them or give them away!

SUMMATION

I really liked this Canon EOS 2000 Film Camera, and the photos turned out great from this street walk. While I'm trying to feature a different film camera every Friday in my 'Film Camera Friday' series on my Youtube channel (DozierGraphic), I expect I will be using this EOS 2000 more often than just the one time featured.

I would totally expect this camera to cost more than the $20 I paid for it, but very happy it didn't. I'm sure it'll have a home in my growing collection for a long time to come.