CanonSure Shot WP-1

The Canon Sure Shot WP-1 is a product of the early 1990s, when premium compacts and motorised zooms split the market in two — a waterproof compact paired with a Canon 32mm f/3.5. Some backstory: sold as the Autoboy D5 in Japan — one of the great pool-party cameras.

Format

35mm

Year

1994

Lens

Canon 32mm f/3.5

Shutter

1/4s – 1/180s

Min. focus

0.6 m

Flash

Built-in

Battery

1× CR123A

The Canon 32mm f/3.5 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. 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. Something that catches new owners off guard: waterproof without a housing — drop it in a puddle, keep shooting. Best for street, travel and environmental portraits — 35mm is the all-rounder documentary photographers default to.

The Canon Sure Shot WP-1 hasn't been swept up by the algorithm yet, which is the entire window — get one before the rest of the internet catches up. File away for later: surfers and snorkelers quietly hoard these.

• §1Sold as the Autoboy D5 in Japan — one of the great pool-party cameras.
• §2Waterproof without a housing — drop it in a puddle, keep shooting.
• §3Surfers and snorkelers quietly hoard these.