Customer Reviews

Canon Sure Shot Classic 120 Caption 35mm Camera

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm something of a camera and photography snob, having been through various photography and darkroom classes (I've developed and printed my own b&w and color negs and prints). I own a semi-pro Canon SLR rig, which takes terrific pictures but which my wife has always complained about due its size and weight (although she gets quite a reaction from other moms when she whips it out of the bag at kid's birthday parties).

Anyway, to appease my wife, who was taking our 4-year old on a long trip to overseas, I broke down and got her the Canon Sure Shot Classic 120 Caption. Price was not much of a concern, but ease of use and general availability were (which ruled out Leica, Contax, etc). I did a lot of research on the web, and checked out the camera stores before deciding on the Canon.

I got the camera the day before the trip, basically told her how to turn it on, and sent her on her way. The photos she came back with were surprisingly good! Obviously not as good as an SLR, but quite close, especially in the 4x6 snapshot size. Of the p&s pictures I've seen from friends and family, the quality of these was the best.

Out of about 5 rolls of film, there was only one picture with red-eye. Ten seconds with a red-eye pen fixed that up. I also had given my wife both 100 and 400 ASA film to shoot. Pictures with both speeds turned out very nice, and from the 4x6 prints it wasn't immediately obvious to me what speed the film was from batch to batch.

I can only infer ease of use from the fact that my wife's pictures turned out great based on about 20 seconds of me showing her how to turn it on and load the film. Color, sharpness and exposure of all the photos was quite nice. In a few indoor shots it's obvious from the flash pattern that it's a p&s, but the flash does get the job done. I should mention that the camera is actually fairly flexible and sophisticated, as it borrows many of the modes available in the Canon EOS SLR line, such as sports, close-up, etc. So it will reward the sophisticated user, as well as the novice.

Where does it differ from a good-quality lens on an SLR? Again, in the 4x6 snapshot size it's pretty close. Pictures would probably be ok blown up to 8x12. Differences I see compared to my SLR are: a little less resolution (a bit more grain), a little less sharpness, and indoor colors in some shots are a little off (not much, but undoubtedly due to the weaker flash - ambient indoor lightings will cause your results to vary). In a couple prints the exposure is not quite what I would have chosen, but is still acceptable; likewise with focus in a couple of prints. Bear in mind that this is out of about 180 prints.

Overall I would highly recommend this camera for anyone needing a p&s, or needing something more portable than an SLR with separate flash. If your primary need is snaphots, it will serve you well.

I spent a while looking for the right P&S camera. Most on the market today have horrible delayed-action shutter releases. This one reacts instantly. So on that score alone it's worth the money for me. No more missed action shots!

Plus, it's extremely stylish and well made, with an aluminium front casing and stainless steel lens surround. And it feels "chunkier" than other cameras of this type.

The "Best shot" dial is by far the best system of changing modes I've used , and I like the ability to customize one of the modes. The spot metering mode is useful to have.

The pictures I've got from the camera so far have been uniformly well-exposed and in focus. Even shots taken at full zoom in low light were crisp. Colours seem to be particularly good, and the red-eye reduction works much better than my previous camera.

This camera is really nice and fun to use. It's a great size and has nice options if you're willing to take just a tad more time composing a picture. If you're not, you can just use the auto feature and it does everything for you. The 120 zoom is wonderful for close-up shots. The quality of the photos is excellent, crisp and clear. Everything I've taken so far has turned out really well. I've had a Nikon point and shoot and a Canon SLR in the past and this little Canon takes the best pictures out of all of them. I'm really impressed. I don't care for the caption option myself but that's okay because you can turn that off on this camera.

A very good camera for the money. Takes excellent pictures and is very versatile. It definately beats it's competition (I did a lot of market research before purchasing this one). 7 Shooting modes and personal greetings' option come in very handy, in addition to wide zoom range. Highly recommend to any amateur photographer who looks for elegance and good quality in one package.

I just returned from taking this camera on vacation to Europe. I am decidedly disappointed with the results when the lens is fully zoomed. With the zoom, the photos are vignetted. On the plus side, the color with this camera is good which means the coating of the optics is OK. They just should have never put a 120mm zoom on this camera.

One other positive feature. The red-eye reduction works well unlike some other point and shoot cameras. Also, the flash throws a long way.

This beautiful camera takes beautiful pictures...at a beautiful price.

Canon may have raised the bar with this little gem -- setting the standard against which all other p&s zooms will be judged.

The pictures are gorgeous, contrasty, saturated with color. And the machine that takes them is a lovely piece of equipment: solid, well crafted, with echoes of an earlier, gentler age of photography. It looks like it dropped in from a 1950s time warp -- and that just makes it more attractive.

The pictures? Well, I took a series of night time shots of New York, in and around St. Patrick's Cathedral, using 400 speed print film, and they could be postcards. No flash, just available light -- and they're stunners.

Some quibbles: that flash that pokes out on the side makes for some bad ergonomics. Where do you hold this thing on the left, anyway? And the battery cap is cheesy and seems ready to break at any moment, if used improperly.

But I can't complain about much else. Canon may have finally done it: created a consumer-friendly, high quality point and shoot for serious shooters and casual snappers alike. And, best of all, it's eminently affordable. I'm a believer. Thanks, Canon!

Great pictures without too much work. I found it very easy to use with great features. I wanted an small camera to take out for vacations and travel that gave me reasonable good shots. I was deciding between an APS (portability) and a 35mm P&S (resolution). I went for the Cannon because it had a lot of excellent features (a powerful zoom, caption, very good red eye reduction and more!) in a very good size and with a 35mm resolution. I bought it for my honeymoon and the shots were great in many different conditions (sunny, nighth, interior, exterior, amazing close ups). The only missed feature is water resistance so you can use it when its raining, that's why I'm not giving 5 stars

Before I start, I should tell you that I am no "pro" when it comes to cameras or photography. I have been taking "basic" pictures with "basic" cameras for about 20 years now...nothing fancy just the usual vacation, birthday and some amateur wildlife and landscape-type shots during my travels. Like most people though, I always wanted nice clear pictures with as little "fuss" as possible and up until a few months ago, was served quite well by my trusty Olympus Epic Stylus Zoom 80. It travelled all around the world with me numerous times over the years and took beautiful pictures of everything from icebergs in Antarctica to lions in Zaire! After many years of trouble-free service, my faithful Olympus finally broke down and so I began the task of researching a replacement. Within a month or so I had it narrowed down to three: another Olympus Epic Stylus Zoom 80, a Minolta Explorer EX Zoom (75 mm) and a Canon Sure Shot Classic Zoom 120. After much research (especially reading valuable consumer reviews like the ones listed in here) I determined that one of these three cameras were going to be able to give me what I was after in a simple, inexpensive "point and shoot" zoom camera. Each had their merits and also their detriments according to different people's opinions. The Olympus was the lightest and had the best lens quality, but had consistant problems with the "clam-shell" cover drive mechanism jamming. The Minolta had the best ergonomics and had a wider starting field at 28 mm, but had poor aesthetics. The Canon had the longest zoom at 120 mm and sophisticated personal setting abilities, but had issues regarding an awkward flash location and a difficult battery cover apparatus. All three camera's came in within about $80 of each other and were highly recommended in most editor and consumer reviews I read. I did some "hands-on" research by visiting numerous camera shops to see how each "felt". Most of the salespeople I encountered couldn't tell me much more than what the basic features and specifications were for each of the three cameras. It finally came time to make a decision because I had a vacation to the picturesque province of Newfoundland in eastern Canada coming up. I liked each of the cameras, but I finally decided on the Canon for the following reasons: firstly, I felt confident in the overall quality of the "brand". Canon makes good solid cameras and they back it up with the longest and most comprehensive warranty of the bunch (5 years). Secondly, I knew from all the reviews I had read that "regular people" like me found the camera easy to use and took awesome pictures using all of the numerous settings on the camera. Thirdly, I found the Canon to be the best priced (albeit I purchased the camera at a clearance price about $100.00 below MSRP). Finally, the shop I bought it from gave me a 30 day money-back guarantee...no questions asked! They also threw in a roll of ISO 400 and a roll of ISO 800 Fuji film with free processing for me!
OK, so let's "cut-to-the-chase" and talk about the picture quality. In a word.........AMAZING!!! I've had the camera for about 6 months now and have shot about 30 rolls of film, and I couldn't be happier! The pictures are crisp, vibrant and true! I have tried using all of the different settings and have not been disappointed with any of them. "Auto" takes the best overall pictures and everything is pre-set for that "no fuss" thing I was talking about earlier. The "action", "night-time", "portrait" and "close-up" settings are also pre-set for near perfect pictures each and every time! Granted, the "Personal" and "Spot" settings require a bit of practice but they work like a charm once you've grasped the concept. The zoom abilities are very powerful (although I would suggest a tripod to avoid shaky shots when using the full 120 mm zoom) and the adjustable diopter at the viewfinder is a handy feature for people like me who where glasses! Red-eye works very effectively, the film is always easy to load and I love the "retro" styling of the camera.
I'd like to address the two most common complaints that I had read about from other people's reviews with the flash location and the battery cover. I have easily trained my hands (and fingers) to work around the flash location and I don't even give it a second thought now, and the strap that comes with the camera has a small rubber device on it to easily remove and then re-attach the battery cover (read your manual's guys!!!!).
In closing, I would highly recommend this little gem of a camera! My trusty old Olympus camera rests in peace knowing that my new Canon camera is doing such a great job!

This is absolutely a GREAT little camera. Easy to operate with the classic Canon dial your choice of settings. For the price, you get a quality picture. Clear, crisp close-ups are usually of inferior quality with an instamatic, put this camera produces a sharp picture. This one gets five stars.

I have used a Nikon 38 to 90 mm point and shoot camera before. This gave a lot of good pictures, but the red eye reduction in that was not good enough. So I decided to buy this canon camera.

This camera gives great outdoor photos. Normally most of these point shoot cameras do give good outdoor photos. But the real test is in the indoor photos. The flash range is not much, so the faces come dark if you are beyond 10 feet from the camera. This is not the case with nikon (but the nikon drains the battery really fast, due to the brighter flash).

Secondly you have to hold the camera steady even after clicking the photo for another one to to seconds, else the photo gets blurred. I discovered this after printing the roll and getting quite a few blurred photos. So you got to use a tripod or have very steady hands.