First Roll With: Canon Autoboy Tele 6 by Janie L. - An Underrated Point and Shoot!

Point and shoots are all the craze right now, particularly those with a cult internet and celebrity following. With "First Roll With", our intention was to be able to shed light on other lesser known and underrated point and shoots that doesn't have an insane price tag. So, this post is about our first roll with the Canon Autoboy Tele 6, also known as the Sure Shot Multi Tele in the US and Europe!!

The Tele 6 was picked up during our sourcing trip earlier this year and was taken with us on our 3 week break that followed. We honestly didn't have much expectations from it, apart from the fact that we're big fans of Canon point and shoots! 

The Tele 6 is part of Canon's Autoboy series, and was released in 1988 in Japan. Looks wise, the Tele 6 is a medium sized point and shoot on the slightly bulkier side. Really sturdy build body and nice leatherette detailing on the handle grip side. A big unique factor about the Tele 6 is it's ability to shoot both full and half frames! A switch inside the film compartment lets you choose which format you want to shoot before loading your film, it's essentially just two folded flaps thats opens up when you choose to shoot half-frame. Simple!

We shot two rolls with the Tele 6 between Tokyo and Hong Kong, one shot on Lomography 800 with full frame format and the second on Fuji Industrial 100 with half-frame. 

A mixture of shots to give a good feel of how the camera performs. The Tele 6 has a loud motor and a blinding flash, shoots moderately fast and was put to the test on the crowded streets of Hong Kong. I think the photos turned out great! Very sharp images and I liked the fact that I am given the option of twin lens, one is standard 35mm f3.5 and the other 60mm f/5.6. Very impressed with how all the photos turned out!! 

Here are some half-frame shots from the second roll:

Shooting with the Tele 6 was great fun. The point and shoot aspect is as easy as it sounds, the camera itself is uncomplicated with just the right amount of features, and has date function (which I forgot to set properly). If I have to point to one flaw, it would be that the Flash is quite sensitive, and it's set to auto automatically and can't be turned off (unless the camera reads there is adequate lighting). So it's not the best for quick street snaps when you want to be discreet as the flash is super blinding. 

All in all, the Tele 6 is a very unique and totally underrated point and shoot - it gives the shooter space for creativity and it's a keeper for us, would recommend! 

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"First Roll With" is a new series we started dedicated to those initial moments spent with your camera or lens. "First Roll With" is open to all levels of photographers, whether it's your first film camera or your 100th, we welcome you to share with us your own unique perspectives and experiences!