Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon Sure Shot Classic 120 Caption 35mm Camera

I'm something of a camera and photography snob, having been through various photography and darkroom classes (I've developed and printed my own b&w and color negs and prints). I own a semi-pro Canon SLR rig, which takes terrific pictures but which my wife has always complained about due its size and weight (although she gets quite a reaction from other moms when she whips it out of the bag at kid's birthday parties).

Anyway, to appease my wife, who was taking our 4-year old on a long trip to overseas, I broke down and got her the Canon Sure Shot Classic 120 Caption. Price was not much of a concern, but ease of use and general availability were (which ruled out Leica, Contax, etc). I did a lot of research on the web, and checked out the camera stores before deciding on the Canon.

I got the camera the day before the trip, basically told her how to turn it on, and sent her on her way. The photos she came back with were surprisingly good! Obviously not as good as an SLR, but quite close, especially in the 4x6 snapshot size. Of the p&s pictures I've seen from friends and family, the quality of these was the best.

Out of about 5 rolls of film, there was only one picture with red-eye. Ten seconds with a red-eye pen fixed that up. I also had given my wife both 100 and 400 ASA film to shoot. Pictures with both speeds turned out very nice, and from the 4x6 prints it wasn't immediately obvious to me what speed the film was from batch to batch.

I can only infer ease of use from the fact that my wife's pictures turned out great based on about 20 seconds of me showing her how to turn it on and load the film. Color, sharpness and exposure of all the photos was quite nice. In a few indoor shots it's obvious from the flash pattern that it's a p&s, but the flash does get the job done. I should mention that the camera is actually fairly flexible and sophisticated, as it borrows many of the modes available in the Canon EOS SLR line, such as sports, close-up, etc. So it will reward the sophisticated user, as well as the novice.

Where does it differ from a good-quality lens on an SLR? Again, in the 4x6 snapshot size it's pretty close. Pictures would probably be ok blown up to 8x12. Differences I see compared to my SLR are: a little less resolution (a bit more grain), a little less sharpness, and indoor colors in some shots are a little off (not much, but undoubtedly due to the weaker flash - ambient indoor lightings will cause your results to vary). In a couple prints the exposure is not quite what I would have chosen, but is still acceptable; likewise with focus in a couple of prints. Bear in mind that this is out of about 180 prints.

Overall I would highly recommend this camera for anyone needing a p&s, or needing something more portable than an SLR with separate flash. If your primary need is snaphots, it will serve you well.

I spent a while looking for the right P&S camera. Most on the market today have horrible delayed-action shutter releases. This one reacts instantly. So on that score alone it's worth the money for me. No more missed action shots!

Plus, it's extremely stylish and well made, with an aluminium front casing and stainless steel lens surround. And it feels "chunkier" than other cameras of this type.

The "Best shot" dial is by far the best system of changing modes I've used , and I like the ability to customize one of the modes. The spot metering mode is useful to have.

The pictures I've got from the camera so far have been uniformly well-exposed and in focus. Even shots taken at full zoom in low light were crisp. Colours seem to be particularly good, and the red-eye reduction works much better than my previous camera.

This camera is really nice and fun to use. It's a great size and has nice options if you're willing to take just a tad more time composing a picture. If you're not, you can just use the auto feature and it does everything for you. The 120 zoom is wonderful for close-up shots. The quality of the photos is excellent, crisp and clear. Everything I've taken so far has turned out really well. I've had a Nikon point and shoot and a Canon SLR in the past and this little Canon takes the best pictures out of all of them. I'm really impressed. I don't care for the caption option myself but that's okay because you can turn that off on this camera.

A very good camera for the money. Takes excellent pictures and is very versatile. It definately beats it's competition (I did a lot of market research before purchasing this one). 7 Shooting modes and personal greetings' option come in very handy, in addition to wide zoom range. Highly recommend to any amateur photographer who looks for elegance and good quality in one package.

I just returned from taking this camera on vacation to Europe. I am decidedly disappointed with the results when the lens is fully zoomed. With the zoom, the photos are vignetted. On the plus side, the color with this camera is good which means the coating of the optics is OK. They just should have never put a 120mm zoom on this camera.

One other positive feature. The red-eye reduction works well unlike some other point and shoot cameras. Also, the flash throws a long way.