Released in 1979, the Canon AF35M was a groundbreaking camera for Canon.  It was their first autofocus compact camera.  Some site it as the world's first autofocus compact but this does not appear to be a claim that holds up.  At the very least though it was a significant accomplishment for Canon.  It is worth noting right off the bat that this camera was also marketed as the Canon Sure Shot by Canon USA and also nicknamed the Autoboy in Japan.  Both of these names went on to become much more popular than the original AF35M designation (which was short for AF-Plus Motor-Drive Camera).

The most impressive feature of the AF35M was the autofocus system that Canon incorporated into the design. Utilizing Canon's CAFS system, the AF35M uses an IR beam that is triggered with a half-press of the shutter. Distance is then triangulated in a manner similar to an optical rangefinder.  This system proved to be pretty accurate and reliable regardless of light conditions or levels, though it could easily be fooled when attempting to photograph through glass. Accompanying this revolution in focusing (at least for Canon compacts) was a motorized film advance and rewind, and a prime 38mm f2.8 lens.  These combined to give the AF35M/Autoboy a feature set that made it popular for those who wanted quick, simple automation of their photography as well as the versatility to use the camera in a range of situations.

There are flaws though with the AF35M, despite it winning Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry's 1980 Good Design Award in September 1980.  The biggest is the whole interface with autofocusing.  Granted, the AF35M was at the leading edge of autofocus cameras and the design and function of such would undergo significant evolution.  The camera has only a single AF point in the middle of the frame and is missing the customary "half-press and hold to engage and lock focus" found on almost all cameras to follow.  This means that if you are not paying attention to your subject matter and where they are placed in your frame, then the AF35M may quite reliably focus on something other than what you intend. There is a way to focus lock, and that feature is located within the self-timer feature.  Flip the self-timer arm down, point at your subject and press the shutter button to trigger and lock focus, then recompose and press the shutter button again to expose.  It is a bit of a tedious process but it can work.  The other "issue" with the AF35M is the image quality may not be what you might expect of a Canon compact with a prime lens.  It is certainly sharp in the middle but shows a noticeable mushiness at the edges of the image.  It is something you might expect to happen on a faster prime lens but it is present here too and seems to be pretty consistent regardless of which aperture the camera chooses to expose with.  It actually reminds us a bit of the Lomo LC-A in this regard.  Some complain that the AF35M is a loud camera.  It is certainly not a quiet camera but there are also much louder cameras out there (thinking of the clunk of a Hasselblad or the muffled whump-slap of a Pentax 67 for example).  For a compact 35mm motorized camera, it is about as loud as most of the cameras produced in the early 80s. 

All in all, the Sure Shot / Autoboy / AF35M is a decent enough camera.  It is perfectly serviceable as a compact, autofocus pocket camera.  While the image quality could be better it is nice to have a relatively fast, relatively wide angle lens to work with.  There is a pop-up flash but honestly we have not gotten around to using that at all.  The AF35M is one of those cameras that if it crosses your path and volunteers to be shot with we say Go for it!  However if you are hunting for a solid, 35mm autofocus compact we might suggest a thorough exploration of your options before going all in on this one.