Canon Reviews

It is an okay camera, but I think the zoom action would make it better.

I find it pretty strange that no-one has bought or reviewed this camera. Well as the sole purchaser of the camera, I thought that it was pretty decent buy, though maybe it might be too expensive. This camera has all the basics, excluding a zoom function.

It takes standard film,

has auto-focus, auto advance and rewind,

A self-timer

Date printing

Red-eye reduction

The larger and easier to use viewfinder

and a neat little dial which gives the option of manually choosing to turn the flash on or letting that process be automatic.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this buy, though I have to admit, if it had a zoom function, I would have been extremely pleased, but as I'm no photo expert, this camera works for me!

How many times have you had a kodak moment while your Carl Zeiss'ed Contax is stowed away in the dehumidified lexan box up on the top shelf of your closet? Get a handy point & shoot? But which one? The answer is the Canon Sure Shot Owl (or Prima AF-8 as its known in my neck of the woods). Biggest reason going for it is the SLR sized viewfinder. No squinting down lil' itty-bitty eyeholes.Then there's the AF on a fixed lens. No zoom. A definite plus to save indecision and lens twiddling. Also it comes with 35mm fixed. The desert island lens for most photogs. Lastly quality optics from not the makers of baby bottles at a price which you don't mind if you left the camera at the beach. I love mine.

I bought the model which also has date printing(but is about $10 more). This camera is pretty decent, but I think that it is a bit expensive considering there is no zoom, or date printing. I definitely recommend Sureshot Owl Date camera model. Keep in mind that this camera is for the most basic of camera users. The larger viewfinder is definitely a neat idea. See my review for the date camera.

While I tend to prefer the Elph line myself, this camera fills a niche that's often overlooked. Anyone who's tried to look through a camera viewfinder and had to squint, or just gave up and tried to aim it looking over the top will appreciate this camera. The viewfinder is huge, and the camera is easy to use. I think both kids and the older population would appreciate this feature. Sadly, it doesn't use APS film, which comes in an easy-load canister and would be better for people with vision difficulties or arthritis, but I guess the people at the camera store could reload it for them when they brought in the roll to have it developed. All in all, a great product for a specific market.

It is a very cute little camera but... I was not satisfied at all with the pictures it took. I went to Vegas on vacation, now imagine with all the lights!! it just took very bad pictures. It is very difficult to work if you are not the owner of this camera. good luck with it!!

I bought this 3 years ago just before a vacation. At the time it was misrepresented as a zoom camera. It is NOT! What it is, is a dual lens camera. This means you have only 2 positions (35mm and 80mm) no other choice. It's not so bad but rather dissapointing when you expected zoom. Now to the type of pictures it takes.
This is not my first automatic camera - it is my fourth but the first COMPACT camera I've bought. I must warn you that it has some bugs. Some pics will be crystal clear, others blurred (for not apparent reason), some will be dark even if taken in sufficient light. All I can say is that I was not happy at all with my vacation photos and wished I had taken my heavy clunker automatic Pentax which has never failed me. The only thing I liked about this camera is the size - it weighs almost nothing and fit nicely in my shoulder bag.

I love this camera, easy to use, the best colorful pictures ever!!!! I totally recomend this camera.

I have been sorely disappointed by this camera. It does not focus well at all and most of the pictures I have taken have come out blurry. In addition the flash lights up the pictures poorly. I figured that based on how nice pictures are that I have seen taken with the EOS rebel this would be a good buy. I was terribly wrong. It was a waste of money and I am going back to the very dependable Olympus stylus model I used to have.

I too was disappointed in the Canon Sure Shot. Mainly, the pictures are not as sharp and crisp as I had hoped; and the indoor pictures have never come out that great. The metal piece on the front that protects the lens FELL off (discovered after the fact, so it was too late to find where it had fallen off), so now I get "light leaks". I will probably not buy a Canon camera again--and will go back to an Olympus.

I bought this camera when i was going to school in Hawaii. The pictures i got from it were clear and crisp I never had any problems with it. I was disappointed when someone stole it from me.

I bought this camera in July 2003. It stopped working October 2003. To be more specific, the display on the back went on the fritz. Canon suggested we remove the battery & try to reset the memory. No luck. So I will be sending it in for a warranty repair. I'll let you know how I make out.
Well, it cost [$$$] to ship it to Canon. Now they want [$$$] to fix it. [...] So I don't recommend this camera nor will I replace it with a Canon.

After doing a bit of research, I decided to buy this camera. After 6 months and dozens of rolls of film, I'd have to say this was NOT a good buy for me.

First, I'll admit the outdoor shots are wonderful! Very full of color -- very vibrant -- the only reason this camera is getting its 3 starts.

Unfortunately, I'm extremely disappointed in the quality of the prints that I have taken indoors. My indoor shots are lacking much of the vibrancy that I see in the outdoor shots. And the red-eye feature... it stinks! I use red-eye reduction 99% of the time when indoors, and 95% of my indoor pics have horrible red eye! I have compared this with other pics I have taken at the same time with another cheaper Kodak camera, and the pics taken with the SureShot are definitely of lesser quality -- both in red eye reduction and color/crispness.

On another note... This camera does have a number of features. The display on the back of the camera where these can be manipulated is easy to use. My complaint here is that the "dial" can easily be moved. So, putting the camera in my purse or handling it has sometimes turned the dial to an unwanted setting.

I love my Canon. I'd marry it if it weren't against God's law.

I, too have had problems with this camera. I sure wish I had checked these reviews before using it. I received it as a gift from my husband after I waited and waited to buy a new camera. I was glad he made a decision for me. It took wonderful outdoor pictures of my three active children. The color,zoom and clarity were great. The problem was with the indoor pictures. The flash took a good 10 seconds between shots and I missed many great opportunities because of this. When I called Canon I was told this was normal and that because of the good quality of the pictures the flash took a long time to come back. There was tremendous red-eye, even though the camera brags about red-eye reduction. I had never even had a red eye with my old (10 yr. old) camera and with the Canon 105 I had it in every shot somewhere-even when a background person wasn't looking at the camera! Also, I dropped the camera (not far on a soft surface) and now I see the H all the time. I called around and was told it's not worth fixing.I may stick with disposables for a bit until I can decide...again...

I love the pictures this camera produces, very clear and vibrant. However, the length of time it takes once you push the button until the picture actually takes is too long, especially if you are trying to capture photos of kids, animals, action, etc. If you are just taking pictures of still things such as flowers, people willing to stand still for a few seconds, etc. the pics come out great. The main thing that has gone wrong with this camera is that after probably only 15 rolls of film, the automatic rewind feature broke, my film got hung up and I had a disaster on my hands. I have to now remember how many pictures are on each roll (ie. 12 or 24, etc.) and when that many are taken I have to use the little button on the bottom to rewind. If I take, say 25 pics, on a 24 count roll, the film hangs up and will not come out and has to be taken to a professional to get it out. I initially loved this camera but because of the slow shutter speed and the rewind breaking, I would not recommend it.

I'm very surprised to read the poor reviews of this camera. I've had it for three years, taken it around the world, and given it generally poor treatment. I have never had a single mechanical problem. It is very compact. The flash is not too harsh. The three point focus system does an excellent job of keeping pictures in focus (much better than my comparable Nikon P&S which I never use because the Canon is better, smaller, more reliable, and lighter). I use it to take well composed pictures (not just candid snap shots) which came out beautifully. My only complaint is that you can't specify both a flash function (red eye/force on/force off) and a shutter function (timer/real time--the flash is on auto for these). To get this specificity you have to go the next model up. Overall, I think this is a FANTASTIC camera for the money (optics and zoom are excellent in my opinion), and I would unhesitating recommend it to anyone. Though they cost more, I think the olympus stylus cameras have better controls, though I've read the optics aren't as good (size is the same for comperable zooms).