Canon Sure Shot Camera

This is the third model of the Sure Shot Series, the New Sure Shot, introduced in April of 1983 was known in Europe as the AF35M II and in Japan as the Autoboy.2

The

Sure Shot

Series

Canon began life as a manufacturer of sophisticated cameras. Into the 1950’s the average person was taking pictures with the Brownie Hawkeye or similar box cameras. Canon was making excellent copies of the Leica, the premium camera of its day. In the 50’s and 60’s, if you bought Canon you were buying an advanced camera.

When Canon brought out the Canonet in 1961 they began exploring the market for the “everyman” camera. The Canonet

caught everyone off guard with its quality for the price. But it was still an advanced camera and still no where near the price of a Kodak Brownie.

Canon continued to pursue this market with new models of the Canonet and eventually they came out with the A35F in 1978. Still a quality camera with automatic exposure, this film camera was excellent value for the price. And it was capable of taking excellent pictures. Certainly it provided the excellent snapshots that most of its users were after.

Following on after the A35F, in 1979, Canon introduced the first of the Sure Shot cameras. This line of fine consumer oriented cameras was sold from 1979 until 2005, a run of 26 years. In the highly competitve camera market this was an achievement that spoke to the quality and popularity of these cameras until they were finally exlipsed by the digital revolution.

The Sureshot camera (the AF35M in Europe and the Autoboy in Japan) was the first in a long line of Canon consumer autofocus cameras.  They were to be a spectacular commercial success. The line ended when it became obvious that the future lay with digital cameras. And with that, film cameras faded from camera store shelves.

Later we shall be looking at the Powershot cameras which were digital. You should note that the Sure Shot cameras were all film cameras.

 

The Sure Shot Cameras

That follows is a list compiled from the Canon Museum of Canon’s SureShot cameras. The ones that I have acquired are shown in blue.

You should note some confusion in the naming of the first three cameras. The first is called the AF35M and I can find no example with “Sure Shot” on it although the Canon Museum notes this as the first Sure Shot in the series. The second is the Super Sure Shot but in any photos I can find of it the name on it is “AF35ML”. Finally the 3rd in the series the Canon Museum calls the “New Sure Shot” but the only photos I can find show the name on top as “Sure Shot”, “Autoboy 2”, or “AF35M II”. As I discover more about this naming confusion I will udate this note.

 

 International North America Japan Introduced
       
AF35M (M) SureShot AF35M (Autoboy) Nov 79
AF35ML (M) Super SureShot Autoboy Super Jul 81
AF35M II (M) New SureShot Autoboy 2 (M) Apr 83
AF35J  Sprint Autoboy Lite Jul 85
 Top Shot SureShot Supreme Autoboy 3 Jun 86
 Top Twin SureShot Tele Autoboy Tele Oct 86
Prima Tele SureShot Multi Tele (M) Autoboy Tele 6 Mar 88
 Prima Zoom SureShot Zoom Autoboy Zoom Apr 88
Prima Shot (M) SureShot Ace (M) Autoboy Prisma Oct 88
Prima 4 (M) SureShot Joy (M) Autoboy Lite 2 Oct 88
  Sure Shot EX (M)   Oct 88
Prima Zoom F  SureShot Zoom XL Autoboy Zoom Super Sep 89
SureShot Caption Zoom New Autoboy Sep 89
Prima Auto Zoom SureShot Zoom S New Autoboy Panorama Sep 89
Prima Twin New SureShot Autoboy WT28 Mar 90
Epoca Photura (M) Autoboy Jet Jun 90
Photura Caption (M) Jun 90
Prima Zoom 105 SureShot Mega Zoom 105 Autoboy Zoom 105 Mar 91
Prima Zoom 76 SureShot Mega Zoom 76 Autoboy Zoom 76 Sep 91
Prima Twin S SureShot Tele Max Autoboy Mini Tele Sep 91
Prima 5 SureShot Max Autoboy Mini Sep 91
Epoca 135 Caption Photura 135 (M) Jet 135 Mar 92
Prima Zoom Mini SureShot Zoom Max Autoboy Ace Sep 92
 Prima Super 115 SureShot Z115 Autoboy Super Sep 93
Prima Mini SureShot M Autoboy F Sep 93
Prima Super 85 SureShot Z85 Autoboy J (Jack) Mar 94
Prima AF-7 Sure Shot Owl (M) Mar 94
Prima AS-1 (M) SureShot A-1 (M) Autoboy D5 Apr 94
Prima Jr AF AF-32 1995
Prima Junior DX 1995
 Prima Sol Sureshot Del Sol Autoboy SE Mar 95
Prima Zoom Shot Sureshot 60 Zoom (M) Autoboy Juno Mar 95
Prima Zoom Shot Date Mar 95
Prima Super 28
Sureshot Z70W
Mar 95
Prima Super 28V   Autoboy Luna Panorama 1994
Prima Super 28 Caption Sureshot Z70W Caption _ Mar 95
Prima Zoom 70F Sureshot 70 Zoom Autoboy Luna 35 Apr 95
Prima BF Twin Sureshot 80 Tele Autoboy BF 80 Aug 95
Prima Super 135 Sureshot Z135 Autoboy Super II Mar 96
Prima Mini II Sureshot Sleek Autoboy F XL Mar 96
Prima AF-8 Sure Shot Owl (M) Mar 97
 Prima AF-8 Date Sureshot Owl Date Mar 97
Prima Super 105 Sureshot 105 Zoom Autoboy Luna 105 Jun 97
Prima Super 105 Date Sureshot 105 Zoom Date Jun 97
Prima Zoom 85 (M) Sureshot Zoom 85 (M) Autoboy Luna 85 Sep 98
Prima Zoom 85N      
Prima Zoom 85 Date Sureshot Zoom 85 Date Sep 98
Autoboy Luna XL Panorama 1999
Prima Super 115N Sureshot Z115 Autoboy S XL Mar 99
Prima Super 115N Caption Sureshot Z115 Panorama Mar 99
Prima Super 135N Sureshot Z135 Autoboy S II XL Jul 99
Prima Super 135N Caption Sureshot Z135 Caption Jul 99
Prima Super 120 Sureshot Classic 120 Autoboy 120 Sep 99
Prima Super 120 Caption Sureshot Classic 120 Caption Sep 99
Prima Zoom 76 (M) Sureshot 76 Zoom (M) Autoboy Juno 76 Jun 00
Prima Zoom 76 Date Sureshot 76 Zoom Date Jun 00
Prima AF-9 S Sureshot Owl PF Oct 00
Prima AF-9 S Date Oct 00
Prima BF-9S (M) Sureshot BF (M) Oct 00
Prima BF-9S Date Suresht BF Date Oct 00
Prima Super 90 Wide Sureshot Z90W Autoboy EPO Oct 00
Prima Super 90 Wide Caption Sureshot Z90W Caption Oct 00
Prima Super 105X Sureshot 105 Zoom S Autoboy Luna 105S Jun 01
Prima Super 105 X Date Sureshot 105 Zoom S Date June 01
Prima Super 155 (M) Sureshot Z155 (M) Autoboy 155 Mar 02
Prima Super 130 Sureshot 130u Autoboy N130 Aug 02
Prima Super 115u Sureshot 115u Autoboy N115 Apr 03
Sureshot 115u Date Apr 03
Prima Super 105u Sureshot 105u Autoboy N105 Apr 03
Prima Zoom 80u Sureshot 80u Autoboy N80 Apr 03
Prima BF-10 Sureshot BF-10 Apr 03
Prima BF-10 Date Sureshot BF-10 Date Apr 03
Prima Zoom 90u Sureshot 90u Apr 03
Prima AF-10 Sureshot AF-10 Oct 03
Prima AF-10 Date Sureshot AF-10 Date Oct 03
Prima Super 150u Sureshot 150u Autoboy N150 May 04
Prima Super 180 Sureshot Z180u Autoboy 180 Sep 04
Prima Super 130u Date Sureshot 130u II Date Autoboy N130 II Mar 05
Prima Zoom 115u II Date Sureshot 115u II Date Apr 05
Prima Zoom 90u II Date Sureshot 90u II Date Apr 05

Now that is quite a list. I have no training or experience in marketing so I can’t explain the thinking behind several models a year for several years! I imagine it does give the impression of advancement and development and new models create a demand for more. But it is all quite beyond me.

Some of the Cameras in the Collection

Here I have gotten ahead of myself. I never intended to deal with the “point and shoots” until much later. There are just too many SLR’s and DSLR’s awaiting my attention. However, organizing my boxes of cameras I began to play with some of them and this page sort of grew of it’s own volition. I will probably not get back here for several years but this will serve as a place mark to come back to.

C-162   (New) Sure Shot
Introduced April 1983

Canon Owl / Prima AF-7

C-155   Sure Shot Owl / Prima AF-7
Introduced March 1994

Canon Owl / Prima AF-7

C-241   Sure Shot Owl / Prima AF-8
Introduced March 1997

Canon Owl / Prima AF-7

C-243   Sure Shot Photura
Introduced June 1990

Canon Sure Shot 60 Zoom

C-230  Sure Shot 60 Zoom
Introduced March 1995

Canon Sure Shot Z155

C-277  Sure Shot Z155
Introduced March 2002

Canon Sure Shot Ace

C-285 – Sure Shot Ace
Introduced October 1988

Canon Sure Shot 130U II Date

C-324 – Sure Shot 130U II Date
Introduced March 2005

Canon Sure Shot A-1

C-298  Sure Shot A-1
Introduced April 1994

Canon Logo I am not in any way connected to or supported by Canon and I have no rights to any of their trade marks. I chose their camera line and have stayed with it although I cannot recall why. But a Nikon camera is fine technology and takes a wonderful picture. So too with Sony and the others. But I have been happy with Canon and so I have begun my collection here. Eventually I may add other brands to my range of interest but that is for another day.