CanonPrima Super 105 (Sure Shot 105 Zoom)

Released into the late 1990s — panorama switches, dated LCDs, and a few genuinely brilliant lenses hiding inside plastic shells, the Canon Prima Super 105 (Sure Shot 105 Zoom) is a zoom compact built around a Canon Zoom 38–105mm f/3.8–9.9 (6 elements in 6 groups, 2 aspherical). For context, sold as the Sure Shot 105 Zoom in North America and the Autoboy Luna 105 S in Japan — same body, three badges.

Format

35mm

Year

1997

Lens

Canon Zoom 38–105mm f/3.8–9.9 (6 elements in 6 groups, 2 aspherical)

Shutter

1/550 – 2 s (programmed)

Min. focus

0.6 m

Flash

Built-in slide-out Light Guide flash with red-eye reduction

Battery

1× CR123A

The Canon Zoom 38–105mm f/3.8–9.9 (6 elements in 6 groups, 2 aspherical) is the convenience play: a single optical formula that handles groups, snapshots and tighter portraits without ever leaving your hand. Standard 35mm keeps it compatible with whatever Kodak, Ilford, Fuji or CineStill stock you find on the shelf today. A single CR123A lithium cell powers everything including the motor; still cheap and stocked at most camera shops. The built-in flash will fire whenever the meter decides it should, so learn the override before your first night out. Minimum focus is 0.6 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. A quirk worth flagging up front: the slide-out 'Light Guide' flash pushes the tube away from the lens axis, which really does cut red-eye at the tele end. The zoom range covers the obvious bases: groups at the wide end, half-length portraits at the long end, no lens changes ever.

The Canon Prima Super 105 (Sure Shot 105 Zoom) won't impress at the pub, but it'll cover a holiday end-to-end without ever asking you to think about glass. One last detail: two aspherical elements in a six-element lens was generous for a mid-price 1997 zoom compact.

• §1Sold as the Sure Shot 105 Zoom in North America and the Autoboy Luna 105 S in Japan — same body, three badges.
• §2The slide-out 'Light Guide' flash pushes the tube away from the lens axis, which really does cut red-eye at the tele end.
• §3Two aspherical elements in a six-element lens was generous for a mid-price 1997 zoom compact.
• §4At 245 g it stays pocketable despite the 105mm reach.