Canon · 35mm compact · 1979–1983
Canon put the Sure Shot on sale in November 1979 as its first autofocus compact. It's the Sure Shot in North America, the AF35M in Europe and the Autoboy in Japan, where the name came to stand for AF compacts in general. An infrared diode and a photodiode find the subject by triangulation, a system Canon spent 14 years developing. Canon called it the world's first lens-shutter 35mm autofocus camera, though Konica's C35 AF had autofocus two years earlier with a passive system. Everything else is automatic too, with programmed exposure, a pop-up flash, motor wind and power rewind, all from two AA batteries. By the second half of 1981 Canon was making 110,000 a month, and it won a Japanese Good Design Award in 1980.
The variants
Dozens of later Canon compacts share the Sure Shot name. This page is the original AF35M of 1979. The higher-spec AF35ML joined it in 1981, and the AF35M II replaced it in 1983.
Focus, exposure and film advance are all battery-powered, so there's no manual fallback when something fails. Leaked AA cells can corrode the contacts, and motor advance failures are a reported fault on its close successor, the AF35M II.
Buying guide
We'd buy an AF35M titled tested, and $113 to $130 delivered gets one from a US seller or a Japan dealer. There are at least 100 listed, most of them Autoboys from Japan dealers, and most ask $120–170 delivered, with grades like Near Mint and MINT pushing toward the top. Focus, exposure, wind and rewind all run on two AA batteries, so it won't fire without them, and there's no manual fallback when the electronics fail. Ask for a video of it firing with the film advancing on its own, and a photo of the battery contacts, since leaked AAs corrode them. An untested one at $42 is a gamble on all of that, and the one titled both serviced and tested asks $196 delivered.
$112.65est. delivered
The lowest-priced AF35M titled tested, graded VG by a US seller and sold with its instructions, at $113 delivered. The title doesn't say what was tested, so ask for a video of the motor advancing after a shot and the flash firing.
Canon AF35M Autoboy Point & Shoot 35mm Film Camera -VG - Tested & Instructions
![[Exc+5] Tested Canon AF35M Autoboy Point & Shoot 35mm Film Camera From JAPAN](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/gmgAAeSwDB5qcbFZ/s-l500.jpg)
$129.99est. delivered
Titled tested and graded Exc+5 by the Japan dealer, at $130 delivered, near the bottom of the band. The grade is the dealer's own claim, so ask for a backlit photo of the lens.
[Exc+5] Tested Canon AF35M Autoboy Point & Shoot 35mm Film Camera From JAPAN
$127.52est. delivered
Titled tested and working, from a US seller, at $128 delivered, under the $146 median. Load fresh AAs and shoot a test roll as soon as it arrives.
Canon AF35M Autoboy Sure Shot point & shoot 35mm Film Camera JAPAN Tested Works
![[MINT] Serviced Canon AF35M Sure Shot Autoboy Film Camera Tested JAPAN #1358](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/tXwAAeSw4BZqL-wj/s-l500.jpg)
$195.99est. delivered
Titled serviced and tested, graded MINT by the Japan dealer, at $196 delivered with $66 of that shipping. It's the only one here claiming both, so ask what the service covered, the motor and battery contacts especially.
[MINT] Serviced Canon AF35M Sure Shot Autoboy Film Camera Tested JAPAN #1358
$56.98est. delivered
A black AF35M sold for parts or repair at $57 delivered, well under half the median. With no manual fallback, a dead one is mostly a donor for a working body.
Canon AF35M Autoboy Black 38mm F2.8 AF Point & Shoot Film Camera *Parts/Repair*
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$112.65est. delivered
$99.95 + $12.70 shipping
Buy It Now$99.95
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled tested, VG grade, with instructions.
Seller: joyfultreasures2010
99.1% positive
Used$129.99est. delivered
$109.99 + $20.00 shipping
Buy It Now$109.99
Good buy
Titled tested. Exc+5 is the Japan dealer's grade.
Seller: ozis923
100% positive
Used$127.52est. delivered
$120.00 + $7.52 shipping
Buy It Now$120.00
Good buy
Titled tested and works. Ships from the US.
Seller: hdann72
99.5% positive
Serviced$195.99est. delivered
$129.99 + $66.00 shipping
Buy It Now$129.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled serviced and tested. $66 of the price is shipping from Japan.
Seller: hideyosimaru
100% positive
For parts$56.98est. delivered
$49.99 + $6.99 shipping
Buy It Now$49.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Project piece
Black body, sold for parts or repair.
Seller: scotts_resales
100% positive
Used$14.37est. delivered
$1.00 + $13.37 shipping
Auction · no bids yet · ends in 5d 13h
Our take
Auction with no bids yet, with the box. Untested, so we'd stop near $120 delivered.
Seller: gelweezie908
99.5% positive
Used$42.20est. delivered
$25.00 + $17.20 shipping
Buy It Now$25.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled untested. Nothing says it fires.
Seller: reemotick_0
100% positive
![Serviced [ MINT ] Canon AF35M Autoboy Point & Shoot 35mm Film Camera From JAPAN](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/apcAAeSwYu9quPnR/s-l500.jpg)
Serviced$169.90est. delivered
$139.90 + $30.00 shipping
Buy It Now$139.90
Our take
Titled serviced, with no test claim. MINT is the dealer's grade.
Seller: takep90
100% positive
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Nikon · 35mm compact
Battery neededFixed 35 mm f/2.8, 5 elements in 4 groups, 46 mm filter thread · From 1983
$300–$380 typical ask
Olympus · 35mm rangefinder
Battery neededFixed 35 mm f/2.8 Zuiko, 6 elements · 1979–1985
$230–$280 typical ask
Olympus · 35mm compact
No batteryFixed 40 mm f/2.8 D. Zuiko, 4 elements in 3 groups · 1967–1984
$120–$160 typical ask