CanonAutoboy 3 (Sure Shot Ace)

Released into 1987-89, when plastic bodies got better lenses than the metal ones they replaced, the Canon Autoboy 3 (Sure Shot Ace) is a autofocus compact built around a Canon 38mm f/2.8. For context, sold as the Sure Shot Ace in North America and Autoboy 3 in Japan.

Format

35mm

Year

1988

Lens

Canon 38mm f/2.8

Shutter

1/8 – 1/500 s

Min. focus

0.9 m

Flash

Built-in auto

Battery

2× AA

The Canon 38mm f/2.8 doesn't chase exotic specifications; it just renders cleanly, focuses predictably, and gets out of the photograph's way. On the film-availability spectrum, plain 35mm is as easy as it gets in 2026. It runs on common AA batteries — you can resurrect one on a Sunday afternoon with whatever the corner shop has in stock. The built-in flash will fire whenever the meter decides it should, so learn the override before your first night out. Minimum focus is 0.9 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. A quirk worth flagging up front: that red-ringed 38mm f/2.8 is the same lens formula as the Sure Shot Supreme — the Ace is essentially a Supreme with a real grip. The mild-normal focal length flatters faces and street scenes alike without either looking forced.

The Canon Autoboy 3 (Sure Shot Ace) sits exactly where you want a sleeper to sit: low prices, working examples plentiful, and a spec sheet that holds up against far pricier rivals. One last detail: one of the last Canon compacts before the AF35 line switched to zooms.

• §1Sold as the Sure Shot Ace in North America and Autoboy 3 in Japan.
• §2That red-ringed 38mm f/2.8 is the same lens formula as the Sure Shot Supreme — the Ace is essentially a Supreme with a real grip.
• §3One of the last Canon compacts before the AF35 line switched to zooms.