Canon Auto Tele 6 Review
Background
The Canon AutoTele6 ( aka Autoboy Tele, aka Prima Tele, aka Multi Tele) was a camera that I had wanted for a long time... I wasn't sure what exactly what the appeal was in particular but I had seen multiple people ( @shinsonwang, @anilmistry and maybe @tosgai?? Take some amazing pics with it and wanted to give it a try for myself. Plus it would be one of the only fully automatic cameras I owned besides my daughter’s Olympus Stylus Epic ( not half frame) and my beloved Yashica Samurai ( not pocket-able). So I sought out a winner on eBay and clicked purchase.
The Camera
This baby is built like a typical 80s point and shoot camera, this thing is shaped like an old check box with rounded corners. It's made of that standard durable black plastic, has a loud shutter and an even louder film advance. When you are carrying it around, you look like a typical tourist from the late 80s / early 90s. What really makes the Canon Auto Tele 6 unique: is the fact that it can move back and forth between half frame and full-frame modes (although not in a single roll) AND there are two focal lengths one at 35mm and one at 60mm. This feature is actually really useful and is the ones I take advantage of most..There are also a couple handy dandy things like a date stamp and self timer. I love date stamps, so that is always on and the self timer is great for impromptu family portraits. Believe it or not, there are actually a few buttons on this thing that I haven't taken the time to learn, because I haven't needed to, but I am pretty sure there is a long exposure mode, early rewind and a flash suppression button in the mix.
In use, the camera is as simple as using any point and shoot from the era..
1) You load the film
2) The camera reads the DX code and automatically sets the iso
3) You half press the button to focus, then press all the way to shoot
4) The camera does the rest
5) Repeat
It’s just too easy and lends itself quick, snapshot style photography. If you are too far away from the subject, you can flick a switch and zoom into 60mm focal length to achieve a tighter image. My only real faults of the camera are the loud motor advance and the inability to manually set ISO. If you've read other camera reviews of mine, you may know that I rarely shoot film at box speed. With this or any other DX code camera, one of the easiest hacks is to throw some black electrical tape over the DX code on the canister and let the camera default to 100 ISO. If you shoot a film like Portra 160 (which has been my favorite recently closed) this hack results in almost perfect exposure for my tastes. This also works great for any Fuji 200 or Gold 200.
The Pictures
The shots with this camera are quite good. The lens is sharp and have a nice pop. The auto exposure is almost always spot-on. The ability to flip back and forth between 35mm and 60mm, allows you to really capture 90% of anything you need to capture. In short, this is been my go-to camera for the last year-and-a-half and the one I don't leave home without. Here are a few images all shot with Ektar 100 or Portra 160.
The Canon AutoTele6 ( aka Autoboy Tele, aka Prima Tele, aka Multi Tele) was a camera that I had wanted for a long time... I wasn't sure what exactly what the appeal was in particular but I had seen multiple people ( @shinsonwang, @anilmistry and maybe @tosgai?? Take some amazing pics with it and wanted to give it a try for myself. Plus it would be one of the only fully automatic cameras I owned besides my daughter’s Olympus Stylus Epic ( not half frame) and my beloved Yashica Samurai ( not pocket-able). So I sought out a winner on eBay and clicked purchase.
The Camera
This baby is built like a typical 80s point and shoot camera, this thing is shaped like an old check box with rounded corners. It's made of that standard durable black plastic, has a loud shutter and an even louder film advance. When you are carrying it around, you look like a typical tourist from the late 80s / early 90s. What really makes the Canon Auto Tele 6 unique: is the fact that it can move back and forth between half frame and full-frame modes (although not in a single roll) AND there are two focal lengths one at 35mm and one at 60mm. This feature is actually really useful and is the ones I take advantage of most..There are also a couple handy dandy things like a date stamp and self timer. I love date stamps, so that is always on and the self timer is great for impromptu family portraits. Believe it or not, there are actually a few buttons on this thing that I haven't taken the time to learn, because I haven't needed to, but I am pretty sure there is a long exposure mode, early rewind and a flash suppression button in the mix.
In use, the camera is as simple as using any point and shoot from the era..
1) You load the film
2) The camera reads the DX code and automatically sets the iso
3) You half press the button to focus, then press all the way to shoot
4) The camera does the rest
5) Repeat
It’s just too easy and lends itself quick, snapshot style photography. If you are too far away from the subject, you can flick a switch and zoom into 60mm focal length to achieve a tighter image. My only real faults of the camera are the loud motor advance and the inability to manually set ISO. If you've read other camera reviews of mine, you may know that I rarely shoot film at box speed. With this or any other DX code camera, one of the easiest hacks is to throw some black electrical tape over the DX code on the canister and let the camera default to 100 ISO. If you shoot a film like Portra 160 (which has been my favorite recently closed) this hack results in almost perfect exposure for my tastes. This also works great for any Fuji 200 or Gold 200.
The Pictures
The shots with this camera are quite good. The lens is sharp and have a nice pop. The auto exposure is almost always spot-on. The ability to flip back and forth between 35mm and 60mm, allows you to really capture 90% of anything you need to capture. In short, this is been my go-to camera for the last year-and-a-half and the one I don't leave home without. Here are a few images all shot with Ektar 100 or Portra 160.
Conclusion
Absolutely. Whether or not you have any half frame’s in your quiver, this camera is rad. There is simply nothing else like it, the closest competitors would be the Yashica Samurai and Konica AA35. Full auto, 2 focal lengths, fits in a pocket, converts to full frame. I highly recommend this camera.
If you are interested in purchasing a Canon Auto Tele 6 please use this eBay link to help support HFC