trthomp's Full Review: Canon Sure Shot 85 Zoom Platinum 35mm Film Camera
When I purchased this camera a year ago, my OLYMPUS camera was on its last leg. I had been using that camera for more than 5 years, and I wanted something similar. I was disappointed to find that the Army Air Force Exchange did not carry any of OLYMPUS’s cameras that were within my price range, that had all of the features I wanted.
Finally I decided to look at other brands. Not quite knowing where to start, I put a price cap on my purchase of $150.00. I had only paid $95.00 for my OLYMPUS, so I figured $150.00 was reasonable. Within my price range, there were 5 cameras with most of the features I wanted.
The only camera that had all the desired features, and that fit my budget was the CANON SURE SHOT 85 ZOOM. I picked up the camera. I was very pleased with how it felt in my hands. I feel that in order to take great photos, I must be completely comfortable holding it. I really wanted a camera that would feel pretty much the same as the one I was replacing. The SURE SHOT was practically the same size as my beloved OLYMPUS, so I was immediately comfortable with the feel.
I had heard mixed reviews from friends and acquaintances. I was actually very leery about purchasing this camera. The store offered me the opportunity to return it for any reason within 30 days. Based on the return policy and the way the camera felt, I decided it would go home with me.
When I opened the box, I found the camera, an attractive case to hold the camera and extra rolls of film, a strap to attach to the camera, the instruction booklet, a battery, and a roll of film. Wow, I was impressed! I had just paid $125.00 for the camera, and it had a lot of extras! I know that most of these “extras” that impressed me so are standard in many cameras. When I purchased my OLYMPUS, it had everything but a case. I was happy with the “extras” included with my SURE SHOT because I wanted to be happy with the camera!
I unwrapped the battery and placed it in the camera. I have had the camera for a year now, and I have only replaced the battery once. I take A LOT of pictures of my kids!! The battery I have in the camera now is a DURACELL ULTRA 123 3 volt lithium battery. I think I paid around $10.00 for the battery.
After the battery was in place, I then set the date. This was a new feature to me. My OLYMPUS didn’t have this feature. What this feature does, is burn the time and date on the negative. The finished the developed picture then has the date on the lower right hand corner. It was not on my list of needed features when I purchased this camera, but it will be on my list when I purchase cameras in the future. Last summer, while we were in Pensacola, Florida, we were fortunate enough to see the BLUE ANGELS fly several shows. I took pictures at each show. If the camera did not have the date feature, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to tell which air show was which!!
Once the date was set, I put my first roll of film into the camera. I usually use 200 speed film, as it tends to perform well for what I need. I gave the 100 speed film that came with my new camera to my daughter for her to use in her $9.00 35 mm camera. The SURE SHOT is relatively easy to load the film. There is a button on the right side of the camera, that opens up the back where the film is loaded. I place the roll of film in the camera on the right hand side. The film will only fit in one way, so there is no worry about if it is correct or not. I then take the little bit of film that is outside the roll, called the feeder strip, and pull it gently toward the left side of the camera. On the left side is a thin spool, that the film wraps around after being exposed. To the left of this spool, on the inside of the camera’s body, is a line. I pull the feeder strip of film to that line, close the camera, and my film is loaded! If done correctly, a number 1 will appear in the display on top telling me the camera is ready to perform. If something was done incorrectly, an error message will blink, and you will have to redo the loading process. The film is still okay and usable, so this won’t be anything more than a minor inconvenience! I am not sure if the error message blinks a zero or the letter “E”!?! I haven’t encountered it enough! I do know that it is very recognizable as to whether or not the camera is loaded correctly!!
With the battery in, the date set, and film loaded I was set to start taking pictures! With 3 kids, I had no lack of subject! We photographed EVERYTHING!! I wanted to see how this camera would handle close ups, action shot, still shots, and landscape shots. Once my roll of film was used, I rushed off to have them developed. What I got back just amazed me!! These pictures were the first pictures with a new camera. I expected them to be only so-so as far as to how well they were framed and such. This camera is so comfortable to use, as well as being easy, these pictures were perfect!!
My close ups of my kids were wonderful!! There was no blurring on the faces, and not very much around the edges. The action shots were as good as could be expected for 200 speed film. While my children were not blurry little images floating across the picture, neither were they crisp and clear, as a higher speed of film would have produced. I was and still am very happy with the action shots. This camera caught many pictures of the BLUES in action this summer, and those pictures are wonderful!
The still shots and the landscape shots were magnificent!! They come out very crisp and clear, just the way my eye sees the subject!! This impressed me a lot!! This camera had it all!!
Now, let me describe some of the features of this camera. I will list them first, and then talk about them. It is an auto focus camera, it has a zoom lens, it has a tripod mount, it has a small display window, it has a date window, 6 modes of operation, and auto rewind.
The fact that the camera is auto focus, makes it so incredibly easy to use! I just point and click! The one problem with this feature is that the camera will focus on whatever is closest in the picture. It makes it difficult to take a picture of distant subjects. Several times, I have taken pictures from a porch or similar structure. The railing will get into the bottom of the picture if I am not careful. When this happens, I end up with a wonder picture of the railing, while the rest of the picture is blurry and out of focus. I have learned to keep this in mind, and I am now VERY careful!!
The zoom lens is a 38 - to 85mm lens. I am not entirely sure about what that means, except that the higher the second number, the further my zoom is. I know that the 85 is very good for most of my shots. Occasionally, I want to zoom in further. If I am taking a picture of a mountain valley , I might want to zoom in on one of the quaint houses. This camera doesn’t allow me to get any closer. Once again, I have learned to live with this. I don’t take many pictures like this, so it really isn’t a problem.
The tripod mount is located on the bottom of the camera. It is a little screw hole, that allows a tripod to be screwed into it. By using a tripod, you can be sure that the camera doesn’t move. It is also good for using in the timed mode, and for taking multiple pictures of one subject.
The small display window on top of the camera, tells you how many pictures you have taken on a roll of film. It will also give you that status of your battery. The date window allows you to read what date the camera is set for. The date is set with 3 buttons under this window. The date can read m/d/y, d/m/y, or y/m/d. It can also be turned off, so no date is left on your picture.
The six modes of operation, are operated by a knob on the top left of the camera. The knob is slightly raised from the camera body, and rotates to 3 positions to the left and 3 positions to the right of the off position. To the left, are the auto mode, the rapid mode, and the timer mode. The Auto mode allows the user to point and click. This auto is used for pictures of people. There is a slight delay between the time the shutter button is pushed, until the camera responds. This pause allows the camera to focus on the subject. The rapid mode, allows the user to take pictures immediately after one another. This mode also allows the user to take a picture without the delay in the shutter/ The timer mode allows the user to get in the picture. While set in this mode, there is a delay of seconds from the time the shutter button is pressed until the camera takes the picture. The flash will blink to alert the subject that this mode is operating.
To the right of the camera, is auto mode, flash mode, and no flash mode. This auto mode is for use of photographing landscapes, and still subjects. The flash mode allows you to take a picture with the flash on, even if the camera thinks there is enough other light. The no flash mode, is just that, your flash will not operate in this mode, no matter what the lighting conditions are.
In closing, this camera has all the frills an average person needs to take pictures. It is easy to use and inexpensive.
35mm compact point-and-shoot 38-85mm 2.2x zoom lens with autofocus Multi-mode flash features red-eye reduction Automatic film loading, advance, and re...More at Amazon Marketplace
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