Canon Sure Shot A-1 Water Resistant 35mm Camera

I bought a second hand A1 with reservation. I have a Canon 20D SLR with L-lens and a point and shoot Powershoot A95. On the fishing trip in July 2006 to Alaska, I was thinking of taking my fancy cameras, however, I was affraid of getting water into these cameras because the people that I travel with were really serious fishermen and they were going to be in the water most of the day. Thus, I took my A1 with me since I know the it is resistant to water. I have the camera in my chest wader most of the time so I can be ready for action shots. I finally took my film to Costco to develop in January 2007 (6 months after I took the pictures). To my surprise, the pictures turn out good. I think the pictures are just as good of a quality as my point and shoot digital Power Point camera. I am happy with the quality of the pictures. This camera will definitely be with me this coming summer trip to Yosemite's Merced river swimming trip. I got my used via the internet for fifty dollars...

Have fun taking pictures

....This camera was darn-near perfect, no matter where I used it, be it under water or all the way to the top of Mount Etna. I made the rounds of the entire island, Germany, Israel, Spain, and a whole bunch of detachments in other places. As good as it was, it was bound to die eventually. I found it's only flaw, you can't cheat on the directions. They say to dampen the seal before swimming, and there's a reason for that. If you don't, it will leak under pressure and short out the whole thing. So be warned, READ THE INSTRUCTION BOOK! It's there for a reason. One bonus, it works to 20 feet, even though they say 16.5. So listen to someone who misses a faithful camera, wet the seal and this bad-boy will serve you for a long time. (I have 2 years of great pictures to prove it)

I enjoyed this camera in Cancun where the water was very clear, haven't used it underwater anywhere else yet. You have to get fairly close for the underwater pics but they come out nice. The camera also works well on land. Photos come out clear, but you'll want to shoot a little closer that you might think. The color in the scenic shots came out beautiful. Good camera for vacation. I'd recommend it to a friend.

I recently bought a Sure Shot A-1 because I've ruined 2 other very expensive cameras with saltwater & sand. I was a little skeptical about this camera because it is relatively inexpensive and simple compared to my SLR or the Minolta underwater camera. Well, I've shot about 10 rolls now, on the beach, in saltwater, swimming with the kids in Hawaii and hiking. This little camera takes terrific pictures in all settings. I'm especially impressed with the exposure control system which could have easily been tricked with lots of scattered light....but was not. The fill flash works well, even at high noon on Maui, breaking up harsh shadows and brightening colors.

I've also used the negatives with my Nikon Coolscan IV with great results as well...the digital images from the Sure Shot/Coolscan combination have been nearly as good as my Nikon Coolpix 990.

Two thumbs up on the A-1

This camera was very handy to have around. It did everything you would want in a point and shoot (timer,flash no flash,waterproof etc.)The body seemed fairly sturdy. So I thought. One of the hinges on the back broke--water got in---camera was trash. All in all it did a good job before this dreaded event. I would recommend the camera for anyone interested in lots of outdoor activities where water-rain could be an issue.