Lomopedia: Canon Snappy S

The allure of point-and-shoot cameras is one of the most enduring phenomena in the world of photography. Photographers young and old, beginner and experienced will appreciate the simplicity of these compact and fun-to-use cameras. One good example of such a camera was the Canon Snappy S.

The Canon Snappy S was introduced to the market in July of 1985 with a price tag of 23,000 Japanese Yen. It had a fixed lens, automatic film winding, and an electromagnetic programmed shutter and aperture that was capable of capturing photos on the fly. It was a generally inexpensive 35 mm camera created with simplicity of use in mind and was perfect for photographers who wanted an easy-to-use camera without having to worry much about the technical side of the hobby.

While it did have limitations when it came to capturing photos, the Canon Snappy S compensated with rich colors and fairly decent sharpness, thanks to its f/4.5 lens. Film loading and advancing were also a breeze, thanks to its motorized film advance. All the photographer had to do was to concentrate on was framing the shot since it had an electromagnetic shutter and aperture system - minimizing the risk of blurry shots with the help of the built-in flash and camera shake warning on the viewfinder.

Aside from the ease-of-use and simple mechanics of the camera, the Canon Snappy S was also known for its colorful variants. Instead of just going with the usual black, silver, or gold colors that were a popular choice for point-and-shoots, Canon chose to release the Canon Snappy S in festive colors like green, yellow, and red. Another quirky design choice made by Canon was the rotating lens cover that also served as an off switch when other cameras simply had a lens cover that went sideways or up and down.

Sample Photo Gallery

Technical Specifications:

Film: 35 mm, 24 × 36, motorized film advance
Shutter: auto, 1/40 to 1/250 speeds, electromagnetic programmed
Lens: 35mm, f/4.5 (3 elements in 3 groups), fixed focus
Meter: electromagnetic programmed
Flash: built-in
Viewfinder: Galilean viewfinder with yellow frames
Dimensions:
Power: 2 AAA alkaline batteries
Others: battery check and camera shake warning in viewfinder, rotating lens cover and off switch

All information used in this article was sourced from Canon Camera Museum, Jim Grey Blog, and F Stop Cameras.

written by cheeo on 2020-11-27 #gear #lomopedia #point-and-shoot #35-mm #canon-snappy-s #lomopedia