Canon Autoboy 3, A Look Back

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making on a walk by with a Canon Autoboy 3, an award-winning 1986 point-and-shoot 35mm film camera.

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A look back at one of the walkabouts I took in the city with the Canon Autoboy 3 (Canon Top Shot in Europe) before the COVID-19 pandemic constraints set in.

The camera, one of the more successful 35mm AF film cameras of the 1980s, had advanced features packed into a very ergonomic package, won many awards, including the Good Design Award from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan, and was selected as the European Camera of the Year (1986).

The camera has 4 elements in 4 groups Canon 38mm F2.8 lenses with spectra coating, a programmed electromagnetic shutter with a shutter/aperture range from 1/8 second at F2.8 to 1/500 second at F16, and a DX-coded sensor that will set film speed automatically to ISO 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1600. Active autofocusing is by a triangulation system with a near-infrared beam. A tilting foot on the bottom of the camera allows the camera to be placed on a flat surface while shooting upwards at an angle.

Canon Autoboy 3

Though nice and enjoyable in every other way, the Canon Autoboy 3, however, does have a couple of quirks that might irk the user. First is the screwed-down battery compartment, which requires the use of a mini-screwdriver to replace the 2CR5 battery pack it uses. The other is the tiny rubber flash disable button located on the bottom of the camera that must be held down for use, a feat quite difficult to do quickly.

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Canon Autoboy 3, Crisp and Clear Images

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, images with a Canon Autoboy 3, an award-winning 35mm point-and-shoot autofocus film camera with a sharp 38mm f/2.8 lens with excellent image quality and rich color contrast.

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With its sculptured shape and well-rounded ergonomic body design, the Canon Autoboy 3 (Sure Shot Supreme, Prima Top Shot), voted the European Camera of the Year 1986, is surely a sight to see and fun to use.

The camera is fitted with a tilting foot on the bottom plate, which allows you to place the camera on a flat surface and tilt the camera upward to a maximum of 18 degrees.

The camera is an autofocus compact. In use, Autoboy 3 takes care of focusing and exposure settings without you having to worry about anything, forwards the film frame, and rewinds the film back into the canister at the end of the roll automatically.

The images captured were fantastic, and what I like most about them are the mid-tone neutral colors and good color correction. There is also the tinge of pseudo diorama effect with long focus images that have strong lines in the composition.

Canon Autoboy 3

The Autoboy 3 does have its quirks too, one of which I was not able to use was the Flash Off button, which has to be pressed simultaneously as you are pressing the shutter release each and every time you want the flash not to fire. The tiny rubber button is recessed into a cutout on the bottom plate of the camera, and pressing it with anything other than your fingernail may seem futile.

Canon Autoboy 3

Replacing the C235 Lithium battery pack, which is placed in a chamber with a micro-screwed flap cover, located where the finger grip is, could also be a hassle. If you are not confident enough about changing the battery yourself, take the camera with you next time you are out to purchase a new battery and have the shop technician do it for you. As claimed in the instruction manual, the battery pack should last you about 5 years or 50 rolls of 24-exposure film.