The Canon Sure Shot 80u is a small camera that comes in a small box with a single sheet of User Instructions. It is a simple camera to operate. Almost all of its features are automatic and many of its “features” are of marginal value.
The Sure Shot 80u
also known as the Prima Zoom 80u and the Autoboy N80
This is my Canon Sure Shot 80u (Ser. No. 0208115). This camera came to me in its original box with the Instruction Sheet and number matched Registration Card.
When you press the On/Off button to turn the camera on the lens cover retracts and the lens moves to the wide angle position, as shown in this image.
When discussing the Sure Shot 80u we are discussing many cameras, mostly the same, with different names. The 80u also had a version that would imprint the date on the film, the Sure Shot 80u Date. In the European market these were the Prima Zoom 80u and Prima Zoom 80u Date. In Japan the same camera is the Autoboy N80 which only came with the date imprinting feature.
All of these cameras came with a 38-80mm f/4.7 to 9.4 lens with 6 elements in six groups which included one aspheric element. However, the same camera was also released at the same time, April 2003, with a 38-90mm f/4.7 to 10.5 lens. This camera was the Sure Shot 90u and 90u Date also called the Prima Zoom 90u or 90u Date. Apparently this version was not released in Japan.
Having that out of the way, we can get down to discussing the cameras. As said, they were released in April of 2003 and aimed at the casual snapshot photographer market.
It must be remembered that this camera was intended to produce acceptable prints around 4 x 6 inches. It was never intended to produce enlargements to compete with more expensive SLR’s or DSLR’s.
These were easy cameras to use. It was possible to simply turn them on and start taking pictures. Being fully automatic only, it was not possible to to set shutter speed or aperture manually. Even film speed was set automatically using DX codes on the film cartridge. In fact, only film with DX codes could be used. Without the codes exposures would be inaccurate.
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The Sure Shot 80u looks identical to the 90u. Above the lens from the right is the Red Eye Reduction/Self-Timer, AF-assist lamp, then the AF Sensor and MEtering Window, and the largest round window is the Viewfinder.
Just to the left of the Viewfinder Eyepiece is the small green LED indicator to indicate when the camera is ready to take the picture. If it is flashing there is a problem with focus or exposure.
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Nothing to see on the bottom. There is the tripod socket and a button to initiate film rewind before the end of the roll.
Exposure System
Canon Museum says that the 80u has a CMOS ( Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) light sensor. I am not sure how they work but maybe one day we can look into it. The whole process is automatic. The camera will read the DX code for any film between ISO 25 and 3200 which is pretty much any available film that an amteur would come across. The Instruction Sheet recommends a film with ISO 400.
The camera then selects a shutter speed between 2 Seconds and 1/480th and appropriate f/stop setting.
If you simply turn the camera on and begin taking pictures it is fully automatic. However, there are several Modes that you can select which favour certain settings. For instance, Action Mode will select the highest shutter speed possible given the film speed and lens aperture. Check out the Instruction Sheet for a complete discussion of the modes.
The Sure Shot 80u does not measure light level through the lens. The sensor is located in the center circular window above the lens.
This camera cannot be used manually as there is no means to set the aperture or shutter speed directly. The
The single CR2 3 volt battery loads in the right end of the camera (left in the picture) and is good for arund 20 24 exposure rolls (less in cold weather).
This is a small camera and requires a short film leader. Too much leader and the camera will not take up the film correctly.
same is true for focusing which is totally controlled by the camera.
Autofocus
The User Instruction Sheet refers to the “passive” auto focus and as there appears to be no sampling of light that enters through the lens I am fairly confident that the AF system is based on contrast detection.
The green LED next to the viewfinder eyepiece is visible in the edge of the eye while looking into the viewfinder. It blnks while the camera seeks to focus and is a solid green when the camera is ready to take a picture.
Without the flash the focal range is given as 0.6 meter to infinity. and in Closeup mode .45 meters to infinity.
Flash Photography
The built in flash can be set to fire all of the time, none of the time, or just when the camera feels there is not enough light. There is also a Red-eye Reduction setting which employs a red-eye reduction lamp. The instructions give pointers on how to use this lamp and set the camera to minimize such reflections which can be very distracting in a finished print.
Other Features
The camera attmepts to adjust for various lighting conditions but when extra creative control is desired there is an exposure compensation of plus or minus one and a half stops that can be selected.
It is also possible to set five custom functions to taylor camera operation to your liking. It is unlkely that the target market for this camera will care about this feature but it is available for those who want to get the most out of this camera.
This has been the briefest summary of the Sure Shot 80u’s features and is certainly not enough information to operate the camera. Before using this camera the User Instruction Sheet should be read carefully.
The Registration Certificate for the 80u is a generic form for any point-and-shoot camera. It unique is in that it contains the printed serial number for this particualr camera.
This is the single sheet of User Instructions that came with the Sure Shot 80u, 80u Date, 90u, 90u Date, Prima Zoom 90u, 90u Date, 80u, 80u Date. It is also good for the Autoboy N80 although it does not say so.
Shooting with the Sure Shot 80u
I love shooting film no matter how plain the camera. There is a satisfaction in learning what users went through in years gone by. I guess I am not alone because I read about those who embrace this passion by shooting with glass wet plates. I don’t go to that extreme probably only because I have none of those old cameras and I don’t want to get into dealing with wet chemicals.But when I get a little camera like the 80u in obviously good working condition I love to try it out. Such was the case with this Sure Shot 80u and I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience.
But before we get into that, look at the picture on the right. I usually have film in several old cameras at any one time and it can get confusing. I also handle my cameras and often pop the backs open. And if there is film in them it usually does not end well. So to solve this problem I use masking tape over the latch on the back with info about the film inside. Masking tape is designed to be removed so there is no danger to the camera. Solves two problems at once.
I usually have film in several old cameras at the same time which can be confusing so I place masking tape over the opening latch with the name of the film and the date. This also keeps me from accidentally opening the back when there is film in the camera. Yes I have done this, more than once!
The other thing to nootice is the white label. I try to label all of my cameras as to what they are and whether they are working. Many cameras in the collection are not working at all or they work but the light meters are not responding. When I want a camera to shoot with I can quickly tell which ones on the shelf I can take out.
OK, let’s get back to shooting the 80u. The Instructions recommend ISO 400 film and I have HP5 in my bulk loader which I shoot at 400. But, it was necessary to find a film can with a DX code for ISO 400. I couldn’t so I created one as I have described earlier in the Camera Notes.
This is a small camera so I put it in a fanny pack and went for a walk. The day was foggy to begin with and it slowly cleared as the sun burnt off the mist. I set the camera to automatic, well, it actually set itself to automatic, and I took pictures while the lighting changed over the next two hours. All of the pictures here are from the same 24 exposure roll.
This is a difficult shot for any camera with the sun in the frame. The 80u handled it very well and note the gentle illumination across the whole frame.
All of the images have been gently massaged in Photoshop, a little sharpening, some contrast and brightness adustment, even a little vignette. But they do accurately show what this camera is capable of.
This camera is quiet. You have to listen to hear the film advance. You will not hear the shutter. This is too quiet for my liking because I rely on the sound the camera makes to tell me what it is doing.
Also, the zoom works well but there is no indication anywhere what the setting is. You simply judge it in the viewfinder. The same applies to the shutter speed and aperture. It is all up to Canon and Canon tells you nothing. But then, the target audience for this camera does not care for such things anyway.
When I developed the film all of the frames were evenly exposed whether in sun, in fog or in the house with the flash being used. Negative density was uniform for every exposure.
I scanned the film using my Canon R to simply photograph each frame. In these images, especially in the 100% enlargements, you can clearly see the grain in the film.
Once again I come away really impressed with a Canon product. For me the automatic nature of this camera is a frustration for me. But when I try to imagine what a user in 2003 would have thought, someone who wanted nothing to do with photography but just wanted pictures of children, friends, picnics, days at the beach. That person would have been thrilled with the Sure Shot 80u. It would have been exactly what he was looking for!
This is the full frame taken by the 80u. Notice how smooth and even the exposure is across the image.
The center of the image demonstrates the resolving power of this lens which is up to Canon’s usual standard.
The extreme lower left corner is the real test of the 80u’s lens. The quality and detail in the image demonstrates this amazing lens.
This snapshot is the type of picture this camera was designed for and which it does amazingly well.
The center of the image on the left at 100% magnification shows the lens of the 80u matches the resolution of the film.
Even going out to the left edge of the frame finds the lens performing extremely well. An amazing lens for such an entry level camera.
During these pictures I left the flash in its default setting in which the camera decides if it needs more light. During the day the flash did not make a resence but in the evening when we moved in doors if came on. Looking at the negatives the density was uniform whether the flash fired or not. The integration of the flash in the picture process was seamless.
Notice in the pictures below how even the illumination is. The light coverage is excellent. There are no hot spots or dark corners. It is really impressive.
When this image was taken it was dark outside and illumination was simply the normal lights in the kitchen plus the flash illumination. The image is uniform from corner to corner.
This picture of a bowel on the coffee table used the flash to supplement the natural illumination. It is amazing how even the illumination is even though the camera was very close to the subject.
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