The Canon EOS 750 - a P&S SLR

One of the attractions of a 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera is the ability to change lenses, see through the lens via the prism of the camera and be able to compose and adjust your focus and settings  to what works for that image.  SLRs can be as feature-rich as say, a Nikon F5, or as simple as a Nikon EM, which is an aperture-priority SLR.  However, some engineer at Canon must have decided that even choosing an aperture was too much for some people, so they came out with the EOS 750 in 1988.  The EOS 750 operates in Program mode only, and you have to merely point the camera and press the shutter button, and the camera decides what settings are best for that exposure.  Sounds great, right?  

My friend Kim in Kansas  recently sent me a box of cameras, and inside was a Canon EOS 750.  Not a camera that I'd seen before, and  I had to read up on it before I decided to shoot with it.  I have shot with a bunch of different EOS cameras in the past 15 years, and my one beef with most of them is that the controls are rarely the same from model to model, unlike the Nikon ecosystem that I am used to.  Well, the EOS 750’s controls are so minimal, that you can laugh.  Basically, the top control dial is Lock, Program Mode, battery check, DEP (more on that later), and self-timer.  On the left is a switch for the pop-up flash to automatically pop-up or be disabled.  That’s it for controls.  The hotshoe has all of the electrical contacts needed for Canon’s auto flashes.  The film is wound out of the cassette and wound in as you take photos, which has become a standard for a lot of EOS models.  Frustratingly, there is no film rewind button.  The camera uses a 2CR5 lithium battery, and should last for quite a few rolls of film if you don’t use the pop-up flash. The cameras accepts all of the EF-mount lenses.

Layout so simple, a caveman can do it.

The 2CR5 battery is inside the grip.

So, after all that, why would anyone want to use the EOS  750?  It would be a great choice for anyone that wants to use a good zoom lens and take photos without fiddling around with controls.  Also a good camera for a child, though it is somewhat weighty.  But, if you pop on the 40mm AF EOS lens, it could be a great camera for walking around and taking street photos.    

Things the EOS 750 lacks 

• no exposure compensation
• no ISO setting, so film cassettes must be DX-coded.  Non-DX cassettes will be exposed at ISO 25.
• no film rewind button
• no mode except Program Mode

The DEP setting is basically a metering mode that allows you to choose to have the camera determine the best focus distance, and it stops the the aperture down enough to have the subjects in focus.  That’s the only thing that I did not try with the camera.

In use, the EOS 750 is just that  - a point and shoot.  The autofocus has a central AF point, and it seemed to have little problem finding focus.  I used a Sigma 50mm/2.8 macro lens on the EOS 750 and shot a roll of film walking around the neighborhood.  You see, we have a LOT of tree debris still around, over 3 months since hurricane Helene.  I put in a roll of Rollei Retro 400S and shot away.  I was also walking my dog at the time, so having the P&S was actually a good idea.  It’s not a light camera, and without a lens weighs 1.5 pounds.

Results

I developed the roll of Rollei Retro 400S in D76 1:1.  In sunlight, this is a contrasty film, and it worked well for most of my subjects, some of which are featured above.  Overall, the shots came out fine, and considering low level of control that I had, the camera definitely outdid my expectations.

The funny thing about the EOS 750 is that it’s heavier than any EOS Rebel, which has far more controls and features.  There is also an EOS 850 - but it lacks a pop-up flash.  Not sure why they thought that was a good idea, considering whatever they thought the target audience might be.  Anyways, the late 1980s to early 90s was a period of rapid transition to autofocus SLR cameras, and Nikon, Canon, Minolta and Pentax definitely came out with a lot of models, and most had a lot of features that were enabled by the switch to a fully electronic system.  Of these, the chunky EOS 750 might just be the one that’s going to stand out as an oddity.  The funny thing is that after I was finished with the roll of film, I tried firing the shutter without a roll of film, and the camera died.  So, that’s the end of the story!

With so many models of 35mm EOS cameras available, I’d suggest any other model than the EOS 750/850.