Canon Sure Shot Classic 120/Prima Super 120/Autoboy 120

Sure Shot Classic 120 image by Marty4650 (Image rights)

Canon Sure Shot Classic 120 (Caption)
A 1999 model from Canon's phenomenally successful Sure Shot range, this compact 35mm film camera - known as the Prima Super 120 in continental Europe and Autoboy 120 in Japan - has an impressive array of features.

Specifications

• Lens: 38-120mm f/4.5-10.9 (7 glass elements in 6 groups with an aspherical element for superb sharpness).
• Focus: Three-point AI active autofocus from 0.6m to infinity. Minimum focusing distance of 0.43m in close-up mode.
• Viewfinder: Real image zooming, with 84% coverage, framelines, in-focus, ready and low-light LED warnings.
• Auto-exposure, with shutter speed range of 1/770s-2s in daylight modes, 4s in night mode. Exposure compensation of +-1.5EV. Spot-metering available.
• Auto-loading, advancing and rewinding of DX-coded 35mm film (25-3200 ISO).
• LCD with frame counter and mode icons.
• Auto-flash, with red-eye, forced fill, slow synch, and forced off mode. Range of 4.1m at ISO 100. (GN of 11). Recharge in 3 seconds.
• Real-time (RT) mode with shutter lag of just 0.03 seconds.
• Self-timer.
• Tripod socket.
• Power: 2x CR2 lithium batteries.
• Dimensions: 115x63x45mm
• Weight: 250g

Also available with Date/Caption function and remote control. Japanese model has Panorama mask.

Idiosyncrasies

• Battery cover is made of very soft plastic that will crumble away if a coin is used to try and open it. Use the special plastic "key" on the neck-strap instead.
• The pop-out flash takes getting used to, as it sits in the natural position for gripping the camera. It also pops out whether it is needed or not.
• The lens produces slight pin cushion distortion at the wide end of the zoom range.

Links

• Canon Sure Shot Classic 120 user manual (pdf) at Butkus.org
• Sure Shot Classic 120 in the Canon Camera Museum.
• Review by Matt Denton on Matt's Classic Cameras.
• Prima Super 120 in Sylvain Halgand's collection (in French).