The Mother of all 35 mm zoom compacts

[Dr. Strangelove]

35 mm zoom compacts are probably one of the least respected camera types among film camera users and collectors. In many cases this attitude is justified, since the features and optical performance of these cameras were often not good enough for serious use. Even if the lenses were good, they were usually too slow for anything slower than ISO 400 film. There were a few exceptions though, and I would like to introduce my newest acquisition: the Canon Prima Super 135 (a.k.a. Sure Shot Z135 a.k.a. Autoboy S II). The feature list of this camera is quite impressive, but I will not quote it here. Instead I will provide I link to the Canon Camera Museum:

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/1992-1996/data/1996_ab-s2_s.html

Of course impressive features do not guarantee good optical performance, but soon we will see.... One thing I have to say: this thing is BIG. Definitely not pocketable, which for some persons may spoil the whole idea of a compact camera. I have provided a picture of the camera with my Yashica Electro 35 GSN, which for most readers of this forum will provide a good size reference.

 

[Taipei-metro]

Canon's hit was on the Z-115, then 'upgrade' to 135, then Z85.
It's big since the wide end is w f3.6, afterwards the 120 Clasic was w f4.5. Try the 115, it has a better lens. The Z85 suffer from power drain(unconfirmed).
I have several Autoboy( what a great name, the Rebel line was called KISS in Japan, Yike!!), the 38/2.8 lens is great lens, 4-element T type as they called it.
I have two Sureshot A1, one made in Taiwan, one in China, 32mm f3.5, 6-element, best of all, the autowind is not too loud.
Konica 110 has a pretty good lens w 38-110 w f3.4 at wide end or a 70W with a 28(3.5)-70.
Most zoom starts at 4.5 or smaller. Nowadays, probably Fuji has 24-50, 28-56 w f2.8 at wide.
Sharpest P&S, I'd said the 28ti.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Canon's hit was on the Z-115, then 'upgrade' to 135, then Z85.
It's big since the wide end is w f3.6, afterwards the 120 Clasic was w f4.5. Try the 115, it has a better lens. The Z85 suffer from power drain(unconfirmed).
I have several Autoboy( what a great name, the Rebel line was called KISS in Japan, Yike!!), the 38/2.8 lens is great lens, 4-element T type as they called it.
I have two Sureshot A1, one made in Taiwan, one in China, 32mm f3.5, 6-element, best of all, the autowind is not too loud.
Konica 110 has a pretty good lens w 38-110 w f3.4 at wide end or a 70W with a 28(3.5)-70.
Most zoom starts at 4.5 or smaller. Nowadays, probably Fuji has 24-50, 28-56 w f2.8 at wide.
Sharpest P&S, I'd said the 28ti.

I also have a couple of the prime lens Autoboys / Sure shots. This Z135 is my first Canon zoom compact though. I actually did look at the Konica Z-Up 110 and 140, which both have pretty fast lenses at wide angle, but did not manage to buy either.

I do have the original Pentax Espio (IQZoom) 140, which has a very good Pentax SMC lens and fairly fast too, f/4.1 at wide end. I have shot slides with it and got good results. The only problem I have with it is the lack of manual controls. It has only the standard flash controls but no exposure compensation nor any kind of control over apertures. The Canon Z135 at least has the different program modes, although aperture priority AE would of course be much better.

About names: the different names for different markets is really annoying. Only Nikon seems to have avoided that practice almost completely. In general I like the Japanese or European names better than the American names. The American names tend to be little overdone and pompous. The among the best examples would be the Autoboy Zoom 105 (Prima Zoom 105 in Europe): in America it was called the Sure Shot Mega Zoom... Another example would be the Rebel series. KISS might sound funny but Rebel sounds like it was invented by a 15 year old boy. Oh yeah, I have a rebelling camera

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Film's Last Gasp

Film's Last Gasp

35mm compact zooms promised much but usually failed to deliver.
Some were even comically bad, little more than mere plastic toys.
IMO their poor quality and often blurry photos are in large part
responsible for consumers abandoning film in droves for digital.

Chris

 

[sepiareverb]

I've got a Rollei with a 28~90 lens that is pretty darn good. A bit cumbersome interface, but otherwise a decent lens, exposure compensation, nice little remote control.

The TVS is my favorite in this category, albeit with a rather feeble zoom range. In use though it is the simplest of any P&S.

 

[dmr]

35mm compact zooms promised much but usually failed to deliver.

Some were even comically bad, little more than mere plastic toys. IMO their poor quality and often blurry photos are in large part responsible for consumers abandoning film in droves for digital.

The 35mm zoom P&S is the Rodney Dangerfield of film cameras. No respect!

However, the little Olympus Stylus Zoom has been my carry-everywhere camera for over 10 years now. It's still going strong.

This was one of many which I've taken over the years with it ...

... and I do have a quite respectable 13x19 print of this.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Nice photo! But I wonder how many keepers you get with it?
FWIW I have a terrific photo I took with an Instamatic X15...

Chris

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

The 35mm zoom P&S is the Rodney Dangerfield of film cameras. No respect!

However, the little Olympus Stylus Zoom has been my carry-everywhere camera for over 10 years now. It's still going strong.

The original Stylus (µ-Mjuu) Zoom with 35-70 lens? I have one of those too, got it almost for free some time ago. The lens is quite good, and unlike the big Canon Z135 or the slightly smaller but still biggish Pentax 140, it is a true pocket camera. The only gripes I have with it are the relatively slow lens (f/4.5-6.9) and limited zoom range, but I suppose a faster lens would have been nearly impossible without making the camera bigger as well. 35 mm instead of the more typical 38 mm focal length at wide end is very nice. All in all one of the best pocketable 35 mm zoom cameras, especially in the affordable category.

Nice shot, too. I have a couple of decent shots with it but none scanned at the moment

 

[dmr]

Nice photo! But I wonder how many keepers you get with it?
FWIW I have a terrific photo I took with an Instamatic X15...

If I'm concentrating on things like composition, I get almost as many good shots with it as I do with any other camera, keeping in mind its particular limitations. Here's another one which I have a great 13x19 of:

On the B+ print you can clearly read the writing on the girders of the bridges in the scene and on the barge.

If I'm just doing casual snapshooting, well, most are just so-so I admit.

The original Stylus (µ-Mjuu) Zoom with 35-70 lens? I have one of those too, got it almost for free some time ago. The lens is quite good, and unlike the big Canon Z135 or the slightly smaller but still biggish Pentax 140, it is a true pocket camera. The only gripes I have with it are the relatively slow lens (f/4.5-6.9) and limited zoom range,

mu-Mjuu???

Yes, it's the 35-70. This is the black model, ca. 1997. Current ones are now silver and have been for a few years.

Within the real-world limitations (like there's no way you could do available light night scenes with it) it's clearly above that "quality threshold", above which any improvement in the camera itself would be negligible.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

mu-Mjuu???

Yes, it's the 35-70. This is the black model, ca. 1997. Current ones are now silver and have been for a few years.

Within the real-world limitations (like there's no way you could do available light night scenes with it) it's clearly above that "quality threshold", above which any improvement in the camera itself would be negligible.

I agree about the quality. About the name: it's name in Europe was "µ [mju:] Zoom" (yes, that's exactly how it's written on the camera).