Canon Sureshot Supreme. Compact 35mm camera on a budget.

John Bragg · Sep 6, 2015

I have had a liking for pocketable 35mm cameras, especially the Mju 1 and Mju 11 and very reliable little machines they are too. I have also used a Canon Sureshot Supreme in the past until it stopped working about 6 years ago and I recently scored another one on ebay, only to find that rewinding the film on my original one cleared the jammed shutter and it seems to have spung back to life, so I now have two ! Despite its quirks and bizarre flash off button, it is a very capable camera and the lens is a cracker. Does anyone else here have good experiences and a liking of these cameras ? For my money they are equal performers to the Olympus models, with perhaps less distortion and vignetting at a mere fraction of the cost. The focussing in particular seems spot on, which aint half bad for a cheap camera pushing 30 years old. I am looking forward to shooting some HP5+ in them this week.

Not bad for 99p eh ?

Canon Sureshot Supreme by John Bragg, on Flickr

NitroRoo · Sep 6, 2015

I've recently discovered the fun of shooting with old p&s cameras like this. In the past I had just written them off but I've recently seen some really good work produced by cameras like the one you posted above. What type of shooting do you find yourself doing with these little guys?

gone · Sep 6, 2015

People always forget to mention shipping costs and batteries. Did you get it shipped to you for that amount w/ the batteries? If so, it's a deal. Batteries and shipping can add up.

John Bragg · Sep 7, 2015

NitroRoo said:
I've recently discovered the fun of shooting with old p&s cameras like this. In the past I had just written them off but I've recently seen some really good work produced by cameras like the one you posted above. What type of shooting do you find yourself doing with these little guys?

I find I like to do a bit of street and social and even some documentary and landscape. Pretty much anything you could use a rangefinder for, as the leaf shutter is great for low light. The main limitation is that the program is biassed towards shutter priority, so it shoots wide open at f2.8 in a lot of cases. This can also be a strength as it can isolate subjects and also provide some bokeh, which is great in the case of the Canon lens. This example was shot on Neopan 400 @ Ei200 developed in Rodinal 1:50. This was a favorite combination of mine for a while, until Fuji went and spoilt it.

Boggle by John Bragg, on Flickr

John Bragg · Sep 7, 2015

momus said:
People always forget to mention shipping costs and batteries. Did you get it shipped to you for that amount w/ the batteries? If so, it's a deal. Batteries and shipping can add up.

No Battery but that is £2.99 on Ebay. Shipping also less than £3, so all in all still a bargain compared to what a Mju ii would sell for.

blockend · Sep 7, 2015

Some point and shoot cameras have excellent lenses. They require fast films to get the best out of them though many are limited to 400 ISO.

ozphoto · Sep 7, 2015

Back when I worked retail, these were probably one of our biggest sellers - the lens was amazing and the quality of the final image was superb. My mum still has hers (somewhere) and she loved it; she's moved to the darkside in the past few years, so it hasn't been used quite so much.

Possibly my favourite "hack" is the ability to override the automatic flash when shooting outdoors, simply by covering the sensor with your finger - fills the shadows rather nicely.

Chan Tran · Sep 7, 2015

NitroRoo said:
I've recently discovered the fun of shooting with old p&s cameras like this. In the past I had just written them off but I've recently seen some really good work produced by cameras like the one you posted above. What type of shooting do you find yourself doing with these little guys?

Some how I don't feel those cameras are old. In fact I feel they are too new to have fun with. May be because I am old.

CMoore · Sep 9, 2015

I have nowhere near the experience many of the Guys/Gals on this forum do........I pretty much just shoot B&W Film.
BUT.....I usually bring along my Canon Sure Shot 80 tele...and I keep THAT loaded with Color Film. Just a habit I got into when the Sure Shot was new. Seems like by the time I pull 36 frames of B&W, I always find a need for a few frames of color.
The Sure Shot is so small and light (compared to my F2 and A-1).....it is a real joy to have handy.
Mine still seems to keep up steam, but I would love to be able buy a brand new one.....
good luck

John Bragg · Sep 10, 2015

CMoore said:
I have nowhere near the experience many of the Guys/Gals on this forum do........I pretty much just shoot B&W Film.
BUT.....I usually bring along my Canon Sure Shot 80 tele...and I keep THAT loaded with Color Film. Just a habit I got into when the Sure Shot was new. Seems like by the time I pull 36 frames of B&W, I always find a need for a few frames of color.
The Sure Shot is so small and light (compared to my F2 and A-1).....it is a real joy to have handy.
Mine still seems to keep up steam, but I would love to be able buy a brand new one.....
good luck

Glad you enjoy yours still. I am not sure which is the best thing for me, getting a second one or my original working again ? You have given me an idea here. A two sureshot kit with one colour and one mono is a possibility. I think the single best feature for me is the lack of shutter lag compared to the Mju/Stylus range which I love using also. Collecting these cameras is very cheap GAS and highly addictive ! Nikon L35af is next on the list I think.

Paul Howell · Sep 10, 2015

I have a Pentax IQ that I have had for years which I carry as a back up to a back up, then added a Canon AF with a 50 1.9 with standard 49mm thread, at some point I picked up a Konica Off Road with a 28mm, but it suffers from light fall off in the corners, then a Minolta Weathermatic with the switchable 35 to 80 lens. I took the Weathermaitc with me Iceland a few years ago, got some nice shoots in heavy rain. Early this year a friend was given a box of point and shoots which he passed on to me. I am surprised as to the quality of the images these little cameras can produce. I glued a series VI adaptor the front of a Nikon with a 38 to 80 zoom and put a light yellow filter and lens shade on it, a light yellow will not cause much a problem with the meter which outside the lens on the body. All in all my favorite remains the Pentax IQ zooms, in addition the one I had the box had a version with a 120 reach. I usually shoot Kodacolor 200 or Foma 200, this weekend will up the 4 corners area and will take the Nikon with the yellow filter along with my Mamiya Universal.

Canon Sureshot Supreme. Compact 35mm camera on a budget.

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