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Canon EOS 630/600 - More Than a Middling Refresh?

6/30/2023

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    Regular visitors to this site may have noticed a bit of a trend: As much as we love the classics, we also have a thing for "sleepers", those anti-Instygrammy, tacky Tik-Tok-immune cameras that do one thing: take great pictures ;-). And if you are looking to dabble in a bit of film, but don't feel like auctioning off a body part or two to look all the business, here is yet another option to consider...  

   Although they came late to the 35mm Auto Focus (AF) SLR party in 1987 (trailing Minolta by just over two years, and Nikon by 11 months), when Canon debuted their EOS 650 (March 1987) and EOS 620 (May 1987) models, they rapidly closed the gap to their two main competitors. Within two months of its introduction, the EOS 650 became the best-selling 35mm SLR in Japan and Europe. The 650 was easily a match, technologically, for its main competitors: the Minolta 7000 and Nikon N2020 (F-501 outside North America). When combined with Canon's decade-long lead in marketing prowess, it was a recipe for success. However, Canon's initial delay in the AF market meant that they would not have their second-generation EOS models ready until 1990, while both Minolta and Nikon would both introduce theirs in 1988. As with any new technology, the improvements in early generations are markedly larger than in later ones. And so it was with AF SLRs. The Minolta 7000i and Nikon N8008 (F-801 outside North America) were massive leaps from their forebears and vaulted both back ahead of Canon in the AF techno-battle. How would Canon respond? ​

   One Giant Leap for AF SLRs

    The second-gen AF SLRs from Minolta and Nikon bore almost no resemblance, either internally or externally to their still-youthful ancestors. While the 7000 and N2020 still sported angular lines and looked very much like the products of early-'80s design that they were, the 7000i and N8008 seemed to have come from the future when they appeared in the spring of 1988, with their more organic shapes and softer edges (thank you, Canon T90 ;-)). But it was inside where the real advancements were to be found. We'll compare the Minoltas first. ​
​ 
​Model

AF Sensor Count

AF Sensitivity

CPU

Clock Speed

ROM

RAM

Frames/Second

Top Shutter Speed

Metering Modes
7000 (1985)

1 @ 128 pixels or CCDs

EV 2

8-bit

4.77 Mhz

4K

160 bytes

2

1/2000 sec.

​Centerweighted
7000i (1988)

​3 @ 266 pixels or CCDs

EV 0; less is better

8-bit

10.5 Mhz

20K

640 bytes

3

1/4000 sec.

6-zone evaluative; Centerweighted; Spot
​
   Other advancements of the 7000i over the 7000 included:
  • The first built-in, near-infrared AF illuminator in an SLR. Previously only available with accessory flash units, this feature improved AF speed and lock-on in low light considerably out to roughly 9m/30'.
  • The first AF SLR with what would become known as Focus Tracking (or predictive focus), where the camera would try to anticipate where a moving subject would be at the moment of exposure rather than just when the shutter button was half-pressed.
  • The first Minolta with Program Shift, whereby the user could shift the aperture/shutter speed combination in Program mode while still maintaining the same exposure value (EV).
  • A much larger top-deck LCD information panel.
  • The ability to expand the camera's capabilities by the use of Creative Expansion Cards which included: Customized Functions, Exposure Bracketing, along with a variety of Scene Modes. 
    What did all of this add up to? An AF area 12 times larger than the 7000's. A much more advanced metering system with Spot capability. And above all, more SPEED. With over double the clock speed, five times the ROM, and four times the RAM, the 7000i could ingest and process data like no other SLR of the day...including the new Nikon N8008 ;-). And on that note, let's look more closely at the Nikons:
​​
Model

AF Sensor Count

AF Sensitivity

​CPU(s)

Frames/Second

Top Shutter Speed

Metering Modes

​
N2020/F-501 (1986)

1 @ 96 pixels or CCDs

EV 4

8-bit

2.5

1/2000 sec.

Centerweighted (60/40)
N8008/F-801 (1988)

1 @ 200 pixels or CCDs

EV -1

8-bit + 4-bit

3.3

1/8000 sec.

5-segment Matrix; Centerweighted (75/25)
   ​The N8008 also added:
  • Nikon's first Flexible Program (aka Program Shift)
  • Matrix-Balanced Fill Flash
  • Autobracketing and other features via the accessory MF-21 Multi-Control Back
   
​    Although Nikon did not disclose CPU clock speeds, ROM or RAM capacities, it can be surmised that they took a similar path to Minolta, with the N8008 making major strides over the N2020. Nikon actually added a second 4-bit CPU in the N8008 to handle all non-AF or exposure-related operations, leaving the 8-bit unit to care for just those two areas to maximize performance. Again, this all added up to an SLR noticeably faster in every way than its predecessor. And crucially, both the 7000i and N8008 pushed the yardsticks further for Canon to have to catch up to them once again.

    Canon's Response

    Unsurprisingly, the 7000i and N8008 were more than a match for the first-generation EOS 650. If Canon were to content themselves with just waiting until their second-gen enthusiast EOS was ready for 1990, they would be leaving the door open for both Minolta and Nikon to regain the ground they had lost in 1987. Their solution: maximize the potential of the original EOS platform by performing similar upgrades in terms of processing and memory along with matching as many of the new features of their adversaries as possible. These included:
  • A 40% boost in CPU clock speed to 12 Mhz
  • 50% more ROM
  • Focus Prediction (aka Focus Tracking)
  • Seven built-in Custom Function settings
  • Seven built-in Programmed Image Control modes (aka Scene modes)
  • More efficient coreless motors to reduce power consumption while improving performance (e.g. film rewind speed was cut in half from the EOS 650 & 620's 15 seconds)
   
​    Basically Canon took the EOS 620, yanked out the 1/4000 sec. shutter, dumped in the EOS 650's 1/2000 shutter, did a brain transplant, et voila...the EOS 630, an SLR that could hold the fort until the second-gen EOS was ready. More than that, the 630 actually took the fight to Minolta and Nikon in three key areas. First, even though their implementation of the built-in Custom Functions and Programmed Image Control modes was clunky (you needed a list taped to the back of the camera to define what was meant by Custom Function or Mode Settings 1-7; 
eyeroll), it still beat Minolta's even-kludgier Creative Expansion Card system ten ways to Sunday and pointed the way to the future. Second, the 630 also retained the built-in Autobracketing of the 620, whereas the 7000i needed the appropriate CEC, and the N8008 the MF-21 back to enable that function. And third, its 5 fps film advance was markedly quicker than the 3 - 3.3 fps of the competition. The 630's improved AF speed easily matched Minolta's and Nikon's, and would beat them in good light when an Ultrasonic Motor (USM) lens was fitted. Low light AF performance (below EV 6) was another story altogether for Canon until the late-'90s ;-). ​
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  ​The EOS 630 Today

    If you are interested in a first-gen EOS body, the 630/600 is definitely more desirable than a 650 and will outperform the 620 in every facet, except top shutter speed (1/2000 vs. 1/4000 sec.) and flash sync. speed (1/125 vs. 1/250 sec.). The only other possibility is the low-production RT with a fixed pellicle mirror to reduce shutter lag and that also adds eight more Custom Functions. The usual pre-EOS A2/5 (introduced in 1992) caveat of biodegradable shutter bumpers (which will eventually goop up the shutter blades, but can be carefully cleaned with naphtha or 99% isopropyl alcohol) also applies to this model. Occasionally, the illuminator for the LCD can start to drain the 2CR5 battery very quickly, but this is fairly rare in the case of both the 620 and 630/600. Utilizing the same materials and construction as the 650/620 means that the 630 also can suffer from the same loosening of the rubber handgrip and the floppy rear button cover. The 630 was the last hybrid-construction enthusiast EOS body, with the follow-on EOS 10s being Canon's initial entry into the polycarbonate chassis arena in that segment. But that'll have to be another story for another day :-).
    
​
    When it comes to evaluating the EOS against the 7000i and N8008 for today and not having any prior stake in any of their respective ecosystems, you might consider these factors:
  • Build Quality & Reliability - I give the edge to the Nikon, followed by the Canon, with the Minolta a distant third. Both the N8008 and EOS 630 are an order of magnitude more solid than the 7000i, no bones about it. Now before you get your lederhosen in a knot and tell me all about how you have seen 10 dead N8008s for every EOS 630 or 7000i, or vice versa...relax. There are dead copies of every one of these bodies, and if you want to find an example of any of them in such a state, you won't have to look that hard. What we are talking about here are the general trends with these cameras. Yes, you can find any one with a bleeding LCD, but the Minoltas are simply more likely to have that issue. Yes, you can find any one of them with cracked polycarbonate or disintegrating handgrips, but the Nikon is much less likely to do so. The Nikon has the best shutter, in terms of capability, reliability, and longevity.
  • Lens Compatibility - If you are AF-only, the EF mount has you covered more extensively than Nikon and with basically zero forward compatibility issues, whereas the N8008 does not support stabilized (Vibration Reduction or VR) or ultrasonic (Silent-Wave or AF-S in Nikonese) AF lenses. Canon EF lenses are also generally quieter and faster than their Nikkor or Minolta equivalents, especially if the Canon lens is USM. Again, there was more distance between both Canon and Nikon and Minolta (sensing a trend, yet? ;-)). If you want to use MF lenses, you are limited with EF-mount to the aftermarket (ranging from bargain basement to Zeiss), versus almost any AI or AI-converted manual focus Nikkor, with Minolta offering nothing in the way of dedicated MF lenses for their A-mount SLRs. 
  • Batteries - You will never find an EOS 630 or Minolta 7000i with a corroded battery compartment due to leaking alkaline AA (LR6) batteries like the N8008, because 2CR5 lithiums simply don't leak :-). And if you decide to power your N8008 with lithium AA (FR6) batteries, the cost differential is not that much. Buuut...a lithium AA-batteried N8008 will absolutely destroy the 2CR5-powered bodies when it comes to endurance in normal or cold temperatures by a factor of 10. Canon rated the EOS 630 for 75 rolls of 24-exposure film @ + 20-degrees C, while dropping that to a mere 8 rolls at - 20-degrees C. The 7000i was rated by Minolta for 65 rolls @ + 20-degrees C.
  • Focusing screens - All three SLRs offered user-interchangeable focusing screens with Canon offering seven options (E-type) to Minolta and Nikon's three. All three cameras are easier to use for manual focusing than later AF models in their respective lineups. The Canon and Nikon screens are easier to find and, therefore, less expensive than the relatively-rare series 7 Minolta screens. That trend also follows for other accessories, with Nikon usually having better availability than the other two, particularly Minolta.  
  • Low-Light AF Performance - The Nikon and Minolta both beat the EOS 630 in low-light AF performance with the Minolta sporting its near-infrared AF illuminator which is effective to about 30'/9m, and the Nikon AF sensor simply being able to function better in lower light than the other two. If you are mostly a bright light photographer (above EV6) this will not make much of a difference, but it is something to bear in mind if low light impacts a significant portion of your photography.

  Wrap-Up

    So...what was the EOS 630, exactly? I would call it an optimized first-gen EOS. It offered a distinct improvement in AF performance while introducing the first built-in Custom Functions to SLRs (even if the implementation was not the most user-friendly ;-)). On the other hand, it failed to correct any of the ergonomic faux pas of its predecessors (not surprising for a mid-term refresh versus a full-generation advance). In other words, a stop-gap measure. And it did just that until the EOS 10 came along 11 months later. 

     So, then...who is it for? Any Canon EF-mount user who prefers the weightier, more-solid feel of the first-gen EOS bodies to the later generations of enthusiast-level EOS models and isn't bothered by the floppy rear button cover or less-than-stellar low-light performance. As a single-dial EOS, the 630 is also at its best in AE modes (surprise, surprise for a Canon ;-)). If you are a major Manual mode maven, it will be a disappointing experience. But, honestly, nobody buys an EOS, anyways, if they are all about controlling every aspect of exposure and focus. The whole point of EOS was to reduce the workload on the photographer in the quest for speed. If that does not fit with your personal photographic philosophy, you can just eliminate the EOS/EF system as an option...it's that simple :-). Otherwise, a 630 will operate just fine with the latest EF glass, (even Image Stabilized lenses; although things can look a little jiggly in the viewfinder...when the actual exposure is made IS will do its job). The EF mount, in terms of lenses produced, is the most prodigious SLR mount in history. Mind you, millions of them are cheap and cheerful kit lenses ;-). But the beauty of its three-plus-decade life, was a COMPLETE lineup, something the new RF mirrorless mount will likely never equal. And particularly in the mid-range, which presents some of the best performance-to-price optics available today.

    True, aside from its subtle green script, an EOS 630/600 looks a dead ringer for a 650, but under the hood, there is more than just a fresh paint job. Sleeper? Oh yeah :-). ​

  References:

    EOS 630 Dealer Pages & Sales Brochure
 @ https://www.pacificrimcamera.com
    Canon EOS 630 @ https://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/film131.html
    1987-91: Leap Forward with the EOS @  https://global.canon/en/c-museum/history
    Popular Photography Magazine - June 1988; July 1988; Dec. 1988; May 1989

​
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    C.J. Odenbach

    Suffers from a quarter-century and counting film and manual focus SLR addiction. Has recently expanded into 1980's AF point and shoots, and (gack!) '90s SLRs. He even mixes in some digital. Definitely a sick man.

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