CyndiA's Full Review: Canon Sure Shot 85 Zoom Platinum 35mm Film Camera
I needed to purchase a point and snap camera for the newspaper staff at the college. I would think that students would be more tech savvy than I am, but that is not the case. The Kodak digital I got last year has been a bear for most students to figure out and use (thought I can get pretty decent pictures with that). So, we added this easy camera to our collection of equipment.
I did a lot of research and price checking before I went with Sure Shot 85 zoom. The low end cameras (under $100) did not have the quality and options that we needed. The mid range $100 to $200 (which is where this camera falls) typically do not have the zoom feature. Many of the mid range do have panarama which I think will just be a fad. If we use panarama, then we have to wait longer for development and also have to pay more. There are not many times that we need a long skinny picture anyway. The high end are much more expensive and generally harder to use though I hope to add a SLR camera next year with some intense training on taking 35mm photos.
Overall this is a solid point and shoot, and the zoom is a nice bonus (and easy to use). The camera can be set to the regular mode (look for the green mark on the camera and point the arrow toward that). The lens opens as soon as you put the camera in the mode you want. You just look through the camera hole (seeing about 85% of what will be in the picture which is good) and then push the button.
This is a fully automatic camera which means that it does everything. It rolls the film in, advances, and rewinds (plus you can rewind mid roll which can be important with newspaper shoots when we need the shots fast). All of this is easy to do and takes no skill at all.
As far as the pictures, this one takes nice clear shots (not the best I’ve seen in a point and shoot—but very good). The more you work with the options the better the shots, but the easy mode pointing at green takes solid photos.
One note I would make is that if you point and click then you generally get a dark background around the center focus (but you can half push the button and reset that center focus to get more depth). In other words, at a dance we saw the dancers close really well, but the other people in the background were too dark to see well. With outdoor shots, the background usually turns out clear and crisp.
One interesting thing about this camera is that it does really well with dark skinned subjects. That is unusual with cameras—esp low end cameras. Generally the flash will bounce off skin and lighter skin shows all the features while darker skin can get lost in the photo. This happens on TV too. Notice that darker ball players sometimes seem not to have many features on TV (and also in photos). So, this camera is one I always suggest if students are taking pictures of darker skinned students.
On the flip side, the high flash does tend to white up lighter skinned people. In other words, if you are white you may look pretty pasty esp up close with this camera. Myself—I don’t like to look ghosty so I would not buy this one for personal use knowing that. But, medium skin to dark turns out really good, and I would suggest this camera for most families. As for newspaper, we print in black and white, so that is not really a concern other than the fact that this does lighten which can be good for darker skin tones.
That covers the most basic information about picture taking with the Sure Shot, but I will include some more detail if you are trying decide whether to buy this camera (which you can get for around $100 if you check around).
More info for buyers . . .
The following information is from the company with my notes about what specific parts mean to the user. My thoughts are that most people do not understand this tech jargon unless they have used the camera, so I hope the detail will help.
· Format: Fully automatic 35mm autofocus lens shutter camera with built-in zoom lens and flash.
You can just point this camera and shoot which is nice. The zoom buttons are on the front and easy to reach and use. The zoom will work in the easiest mode.
· Focusing: 3-point, 280-step autofocus
The camera does focus for you, but you can change the focus (though you get a very small lag time if you do that). Push button half way down and select a new focus point and then click.
· Focusing range: 2.0 feet/0.6 meters to infinity
You can take really close up shots (though white features tend to wash out) and also can take long shots and get detail if outside.
· Lens: Canon 38 to 85mm f/4.2 to 8.7; 6 elements in 6 groups (1 aspherical lens)
This is high tech lens and will do more than most point and shoot cameras. Reading the book is a good idea if you want to make changes.
· Viewfinder: Real-image zoom finder; covers approximately 84 percent of the actual image recorded on film; 0.45x magnification in Wide; 0.99x magnification in Tele
You look through the view hold and pretty much see what you will get on the photo. This may vary depending on if you use options and go wide or tele.
· Flash: Built-in, multimode automatic
The camera will flash when that is needed though you can add flash or red eye reduction manually. Mostly, the camera takes care of all that.
· Flash modes: Auto without red-eye reduction, auto with red-eye reduction, flash on, flash off, and slow-synchro with red-eye reduction (for self-timer)
You have options are far as the flash. If you have problems with having evil eyed people, then read up and add that fill flash which pops on a second or less before the main flash. I have not had problems with red eye with this camera.
· Power source: 1 CR123A lithium battery (not included)
This camera did not come with the battery, so be sure to ask if you need one. They have these at Wal Mart and they are more expensive than AA for example. If you turn off the camera when not in use, then the battery lasts well. It’s a good idea to have an extra though just in case you run out.
· Dimensions: 4.8 by 2.5 by 1.8 inches
This is not the smallest in point and shoot but sure not the largest. It is a good size to carry around but large enough so that you can really see in the hole to take pictures and can handle even with large hands (I have very long fingers).
This camera is not heavy. You will know it is hanging around your neck, but it will not cause a problem with carrying it. The strap is sort of hard to put on (a student did that for me), and you don’t get a carry case (or I didn’t when I bought this one).
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a really nice camera for the price. It is easy to use (especially in the green spot mode). The zoom is a great addition and very easy to master in any mode). It takes solid pictures and especially takes good dark skin photos (which can be hard to get). I would probably pass on this one at home only because we are pretty light colored (and mostly because I am vain enough to not want to look like Casper).
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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