CanonSure Shot Tele (Autoboy Tele)
Dual-Lens Autofocus Compact
The story
The Canon Sure Shot Tele (Autoboy Tele) comes out of the late 1980s, the golden age of the autofocus point-and-shoot. Catalogued as a dual-lens autofocus compact, it pairs the Canon 40mm f/2.8 & 70mm f/4.9 with a 35mm film path. A bit of background: one of the first dual-focal-length compacts on the market — Canon beat the Nikon TW and Olympus AF-Tele to shelves by nearly a year.
Specifications
- Format
- 35mm
- Year
- 1986
- Lens
- Canon 40mm f/2.8 & 70mm f/4.9
- Min. focus
- 0.7 m
- Flash
- Built-in auto with fill mode
- Battery
- 2× AA
Notable features
- Two-position lens switch (wide / tele)
- Active infrared autofocus
- Soft-focus filter built into the lens barrel
- ME (multiple exposure) button
Shooting it today
The Canon 40mm f/2.8 & 70mm f/4.9 sits in the daylight sweet spot: sharp wide open, well-corrected against flare, and small enough to disappear in a jacket pocket. Standard 35mm keeps it compatible with whatever Kodak, Ilford, Fuji or CineStill stock you find on the shelf today. 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 0.7 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. One thing worth knowing before you load a roll: the built-in SOFT FILTER is a genuinely rare feature: flip the switch and a diffusion element slides in front of the lens for hazy portraits without carrying accessories. Best for everyday life and half-length portraits — a 40-ish lens stays out of the way and renders people without distortion.
Who it's for · Verdict
The Canon Sure Shot Tele (Autoboy Tele) hasn't been swept up by the algorithm yet, which is the entire window — get one before the rest of the internet catches up. Worth remembering: The ME button lets you fire the shutter without advancing the film — proper multiple exposures on a plastic point-and-shoot from '86.
Fun facts
- §1One of the first dual-focal-length compacts on the market — Canon beat the Nikon TW and Olympus AF-Tele to shelves by nearly a year.
- §2The built-in SOFT FILTER is a genuinely rare feature: flip the switch and a diffusion element slides in front of the lens for hazy portraits without carrying accessories.
- §3The ME button lets you fire the shutter without advancing the film — proper multiple exposures on a plastic point-and-shoot from '86.
Field note
Our flight was cancelled overnight, and the Sure Shot Tele (Autoboy Tele) turned a terminal full of strangers into a photo essay. The 40mm on the Sure Shot Tele (Autoboy Tele) turned out to be exactly how far I naturally stand from people, so I stopped composing and just looked. A single pair of AAs carried the Sure Shot Tele (Autoboy Tele) from the first frame to the last. The Sure Shot Tele (Autoboy Tele) came back with sticky fingerprints, an empty cassette and the best photographs anyone took that day.
Creative field note — inspired by this camera's character, not based on real events.
Find one
Most copies turn up second-hand on eBay. We've linked a saved search so you can see current listings.
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