The third position is a “flash on” position which will force the flash to fire regardless of the lighting conditions (useful for backlit subjects). It is essentially like a restyled version of the 1997 Sure Shot AF-7/Sure Shot Owl and carried on the characteristic large viewfinder (hence sold under the Owl name in the US). I think being able to experiment with a built-in soft focus filter, like on your Sure Shot Tele, would be lots of fun. Exposure latitude of slide film is really minimal so the exposure range limitations of the camera became readily apparent, something that probably wouldn’t have been the case if negative film had been used.

Zorki 4K was actually test with the same roll of film as the slow shutter speeds stick but from 1/125 they seemed to be fine. I like how the x-pro shots add more contrast and character, without being too extreme or altered in the colours. Build quality is very good and the feel and chunky size of the camera leave no doubt in my mind it will work for a long time. As I shoot street photography, I like a camera that doesn’t get in my way as I try to capture scenes that are here now but won’t be a second later. The viewfinder – which is huge – is a simple reverse Galilean type, which is a fancy name for a simple idea.None the less, it can produce very good quality images, is easy to handle, seems common in the used market, and is not expensive to purchase. Its simple ergonomic design, ease of use and quality lens has made this camera a favourite among the majority of film photographers! This is partly because I find talking about minutiae like sharpness in the corners or whatever really boring and also beside the point when you’ve bought something like this.

My camera is clearly marked “Sure Shot AF-7”, but if you google that, you’ll most likely come up with a similar but definitely different-looking camera.Some of my favourites are these colour images from Chongqing, China, and a monochrome photo essay I made in Qingdao, also in China. The shots were carefully metered, composed, thought about; I was so looking forward to seeing the results. This camera would not be good for street photography, as everyone within a 20 foot radius would be aware of it. All cameras with electronic winding motors die eventually, and when this kind goes, there isn’t any hope for repair.

The camera might have fallen by the wayside along with the countless other automatic 35mm cameras of the 90s, had it not been for its quirky features.No need to reset the flash after each shot is fired, no automatic shut-down of the camera after a couple of minutes if you decide to keep it turned on in your pocket to avoid the flash resetting to auto. I had a similar camera for a hot sec, the Minolta Freedom Tele, which Leica repackaged as the AF-C1. It is a bit bulky mind but if you want and easy to hold camera for fun shooting to give to your kids or an elderly relative with arthritis and big hands who just wants to take snaps it may be perfect. From the time of this camera’s introduction, the age of zoom compact cameras started to replace the single-focal-length compact camera market.

The first I used was the Sure Shot Owl (dial variant, not the earlier type with buttons on the front) and the lens was superb. That’s how the Sure Shot AF-7 viewfinder works, the same way as on countless other basic film cameras.The fifth position on the dial is reserved for the self-timer mode which provides a shutter release delay of 10 seconds. Their favourite camera (at the moment) is the Olympus XA, and their favourite city in the world is Edinburgh. In practical use, the Canon Sure Shot Zoom XL functions much as any other point and shoot film camera from the late-1980s and ’90s, offering nothing that would surprise photographers who are familiar with the type. At least the winding mechanism doesn’t have the epic grinding sounds that Canon perfected in the 80’s – this camera is not silent, but it isn’t bad in terms of noise. Examples include slight impurities like worn leather or metal, signs of age on the bottom plate, and dull marks.