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| The latest addition to Canon's film-camera lineup, the EOS Rebel K2 is a good low-priced AF 35mm SLR, capable of handling a wide range of shooting situations and subject matter, and very easy to learn and use. Like all EOS models, it will accept more than 50 Canon EF lenses, from 14–1200mm—although we'd recommend one of the low-cost zooms for starters. |
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| Photo by Lynne Eodice |
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| Photo by Mike Stensvold |
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| Photo by Mike Stensvold |
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| The Rebel K2's 35-zone evaluative metering handles a wide range of scenes very well, even when using narrow-latitude color-slide films. Landscape mode provides lots of depth of field for easy scenic shots. Photo by Lynne Eodice |
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| With its compact size (the body measures just 5.1x3.5x2.5 inches and weighs a mere 12.0 ounces), the EOS Rebel K2 is easy to take along on vacations, hikes and other outings. It's simple enough for even children to learn and use, yet capable of producing excellent results in a wide range of shooting situations in the hands of an experienced shooter. Photo by Ron Leach |
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| Photo by Lynne Eodice |
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A new entry-level model joins the highly popular EOS AF 35mm SLR line
While some say "film is dead" (and have been saying that for several years now), evidently the folks at Canon—which offers more digital SLR models (four) than any other manufacturer as of this writing—apparently don't think so, for they've just introduced a new sixth member to their film SLR lineup. The EOS Rebel K2 replaces the Rebel 2000 as the middle member of Canon's trio of entry-level AF 35mm SLRs, fitting between the basic Rebel Gii model and the top-of-the-Rebel-line Ti model. This gives Canon three excellent under-$250 (street price) models to go with their more advanced EOS Elan 7 and pro EOS-3 and EOS-1v AF 35mm SLRs.
Since the first EOS Rebel model was introduced some 14 years ago, more Rebels have been sold than any other 35mm SLR model. The new K2 continues the Rebel tradition of many features, excellent performance and low price quite admirably. It's essentially an "economy" version of the sleek Rebel Ti, with these main differences: the Ti has a stainless-steel lens mount, a top advance speed of 2.5 fps (vs. 1.5 fps for the K2), an illuminated LCD panel, a depth-of-field preview, built-in adjustable dioptric correction for the finder eyepiece, and an orientation-detection sensor that refines exposure calculations for both horizontal and vertical compositions; in the Ti, the active AF point glows red in the viewfinder; the Ti has a silver handgrip (the K2's is black); and the Ti weighs 12.9 ounces (vs. 12.0 for the K2).
Exposure
Three metering systems are built into the K2, but you can't select them directly. Normally, the camera uses 35-segment evaluative metering, dividing the image into a grid measuring seven segments across by five segments down. Metering is linked to the seven AF points, which correspond with the three central metering segments vertically and the five central segments horizontally. When you use the AE lock, metering switches to central partial, which "reads" the central 9.5% of the image area. In manual exposure mode, the camera switches to center-weighted average metering.
The K2 provides a goodly selection of exposure modes to suit every user. For the serious photographer, there are what Canon calls the Creative Zone modes: shiftable program AE, shutter- and aperture-priority AE, A-DEP (Automatic Depth-of-Field AE), and metered manual. In A-DEP, the camera automatically sets the aperture and focus to get the closest and most distant subjects to fall under any of the AF points sharp (film speed, lens and light level permitting). For those who'd rather let the camera do the thinking, there are a host of fully automatic modes: Full Auto, in which the camera sets everything; and a variety of PIC (Programmed Image Control) modes, which instantly set the camera for shooting portraits, close-ups, action, landscapes, night portraits with flash, and ambient-light pictures without flash. All exposure modes are simply set by rotating the mode dial to the icon for the desired mode.
You can lock the exposure in any mode by pressing the AE lock button, then recompose and shoot; and you can shoot a three-shot bracketed series in any mode by pressing the func button on the camera back until the arrow on the LCD panel is opposite the AEB icon (the bottom one), then using the main dial to select the desired bracketing increment (0.5–2.0 stops). In program or shutter- or aperture-priority AE, you can set +/-0.5–2.0 stops of exposure compensation by pressing the exposure-compensation button and rotating the main dial to select the desired amount.
The camera automatically sets film speeds from ISO 25–5000 with DX-coded cassettes, and you can set ISO 6–6400 manually by pressing the func button until the arrow on the LCD panel aligns with ISO, then rotating the mail dial to the desired setting.
Focusing
Like the Rebel Ti, the K2 provides two focusing modes: auto and manual. Move the AF/MF switch on the lens to AF, and the camera will automatically focus on the closest subject to appear under one of the seven AF points in the finder. You can (in the Creative Zone modes except A-DEP) activate a specific AF point by pressing the AF-point selection button and rotating the main dial until the desired point is indicated in the viewfinder (and on the large LCD panel on the camera back). If you keep the shutter button depressed halfway after focusing, you can recompose while focus will remain locked at the original distance.
In Full Auto, Flash Off and the Creative Zone shooting modes, the K2 employs AI Focus AF: If the subject is still, the camera uses One Shot AF, in which the camera focuses on the subject, then locks focus there until you take the picture of let go of the shutter button. If the subject begins to move, the camera automatically switches to AI Servo (continuous predictive) AF, continuously focusing on the subject as long as you keep the shutter button partially depressed. In A-DEP and the portrait, close-up, landscape and night portrait PIC modes, the K2 uses One Shot AF; in the action PIC mode, it uses AI Servo AF.
Of course, as with any EOS camera, you can in any mode move the AF/MF switch on the lens to MF and focus manually by rotating the lens' focusing ring until the image appears sharp in the finder. The finder's in-focus LED will glow when focus has been achieved, whether by auto or manual means.
Flash
The K2 shares the Rebel Ti's built-in pop-up flash unit, with an ISO 100 guide number of 39 (in feet, 12 in meters) and coverage sufficient for use with a 28mm lens. Exposure is three-zone TTL, linked to the AF points. Maximum flash-sync speed is 1/90; in aperture-priority AE mode, the camera will automatically set speeds as slow as 30 seconds in dim light—automatic slow-sync flash. In Full Auto and the portrait, close-up and night portrait PIC modes, the flash will automatically pop up and fire in low-light and backlit conditions; in the Creative Zone modes, you pop the flash up yourself via the flash button when you want to use it. There's a hot-shoe atop the finder that accepts dedicated EX-series Canon Speedlite flash units, which provide more power, E-TTL flash (which fires a pre-flash for more-accurate metering), flash-exposure lock and high-speed sync.
Other Features
Shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/2000. If you want to make longer exposures, just rotate the mode dial to M (manual mode) and the main dial to "bulb," and the shutter will stay open as long as you keep the shutter button fully depressed (if you have the date model of the camera, the optional Remote Controller RC-5 can be used to save your shutter-button finger: press the remote's button, and the shutter will open and stay that way until you press the button a second time). If you want to make more than one exposure on a single frame, press the func button on the camera back until the arrow on the LCD panel aligns with the multi-exposure mode icon, then rotate the main dial to select the number of exposures you wish to make on the frame (up to 9).
In the Rebel tradition, the K2 provides a safety prewind film-transport system: When you load a new roll, the camera winds it out of the cassette onto the take-up spool, then winds it back into the cassette frame by frame as you shoot; thus your exposed frames are safely in the cassette where an accidental opening of the camera back can't harm them. Maximum advance rate is 1.5 fps (1.3 fps with continuous AF), and rewind is automatically done when you make the last exposure on the roll (you can also activate mid-roll rewind if desired by pressing the rewind button).
The K2 shares the large camera-back LCD panel introduced in the Rebel Ti. Because of its size, the panel is easier to read than the top-plate panels of most 35mm SLRs, and it leaves the K2's top panel refreshingly uncluttered—there's nothing to the left of the viewfinder, and only the mode dial, main dial and shutter button to the right. The LCD panel displays everything relevant to the current camera status, in a clear and uncluttered format. The viewfinder display is equally simple, with the seven AF points in the image area and an LCD readout across the bottom that indicates (when applicable) shutter speed, aperture, focus status, flash status, exposure level (also exposure-compensation and AEB level), and AF point.
The K2's built-in electronic self-timer fires the shutter 10 seconds after you press the shutter button, and is cancelable. With the date version of the camera, you can imprint the day and time or date of the year in the bottom right corner of the image. The date version also permits wireless operation from up to 16.4 feet away via the optional Remote Controller RC-5.
Bottom line: This is a simple-to-learn, simple-to-use camera with good performance and full manual control of anything or everything when you want it. And it accepts the full line of Canon EF lenses (except the EF-S 18–55mm zoom introduced with the Digital Rebel, which can be used only with that camera)—more than 50 of 'em, from a 14mm superwide-angle and a 15mm full-frame fisheye to a 1200mm supertele, and zooms from a 16–35mm to a 100–400mm (a great choice for starters is the EF 28–90mm f/4.5–5.6 II zoom introduced with the Rebel Ti). We'd say the Rebel Ti is worth the difference in cost, but if you're looking for a low-priced but capable AF 35mm SLR, the new Rebel K2 is certainly worth investigating.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel K2
Category: AF 35mm SLR
AF Performance ****
Metering Performance *****
Feature Set ****
Ease of Use *****
Ergonomics *****
Value ****
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