Canon 7 Black Body

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cassel

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A few years ago, I had the Canon 7 in chrome.

U26723I1509580029.SEQ.0.jpg



I believe it was my second chrome 7 after yet another many more years ago🙄 I always like the viewfinder on these cameras but was not so excited about the looks and size...

Flash forward to the present. Just sold off some dusty gear and this black 7 popped up on my radar😱 The deal was TOO sweet to pass up. Straight from Japan, here it is:

U26723I1509580030.SEQ.1.jpg



U26723I1509580030.SEQ.2.jpg



Pretty confident it is the real deal and not a re-paint. Paint is old and brass is showing through.
Next is a test roll with the Super Rokkor...
Meter does not work.
I know it won't take better pictures than a chrome one, nor is it smaller, but it sure is pretty...😀
 
Should be fun! Found the half case and strap for it - plus a soft release and the hood for the lens. Loaded it up with film this evening and shot a few test shots around the house. Will finish the roll with daylight tomorrow and try it out🙂
 
Congratulations, I have contemplated buying a Canon 7 before - rather vague wish I'd say. Is the camera in good shape? One of the limits of belying one of these and putting it back into use is the question of servicing. Who does it?
 
Seems OK - it was sold to me as having problems:
Needs Light Seals --- not much to the seals, hoping the half case will help
Shutter Faulty ---- slowest speeds are off? seemed ok when tested w/o film
Non Working Meter ---- pretty common with these
Missing Paint ---- good! makes it more authentic

That's why I got a good price. Plus, as I started to break down that list and once I had it in my hands, it is still a user as-is ALTHOUGH I won't really know until I get a roll through it.

That chrome 7 also seemed OK at first glance but a test roll showed bad shutter capping. It was fixed locally (Seattle) and that would be an option if the new-to-me black body has issues.

The chrome 7 prices online have really collapsed in the last couple of years -- all the way to $100 for a decent user. I would say buy one or two sold as a good functional camera -- maybe those $150-$200 are a better bet.

I'm at peace with the fact that I'm a collector and a user.... 🙄
Collector seems to be a bad word with some🙂
Any real black Canon rangefinder is a hard to resist item for me - they are and especially used-to-be rare and un-affordable.
 
cassel said:
Seems OK - it was sold to me as having problems:
Needs Light Seals --- not much to the seals, hoping the half case will help
Shutter Faulty ---- slowest speeds are off? seemed ok when tested w/o film
Non Working Meter ---- pretty common with these
Missing Paint ---- good! makes it more authentic

That's why I got a good price. Plus, as I started to break down that list and once I had it in my hands, it is still a user as-is ALTHOUGH I won't really know until I get a roll through it.

That chrome 7 also seemed OK at first glance but a test roll showed bad shutter capping. It was fixed locally (Seattle) and that would be an option if the new-to-me black body has issues.

The chrome 7 prices online have really collapsed in the last couple of years -- all the way to $100 for a decent user. I would say buy one or two sold as a good functional camera -- maybe those $150-$200 are a better bet.

I'm at peace with the fact that I'm a collector and a user.... 🙄
Collector seems to be a bad word with some🙂
Any real black Canon rangefinder is a hard to resist item for me - they are and especially used-to-be rare and un-affordable.
Click to expand...

I know, I know, "collector" is a forbidden term around here (except a bit on the LTM page where I sometimes hang out - I have a IIIf). Be that as it may, I guess I have gone along with the user only philosophy. I "only" have five cameras (two digital and three film) but I have used all of them within the current year. My big problems are lack of time to devote to photography and also very limited mechanical ability, otherwise I would probably have a 7 already - especially at those prices. But I want one that works. I am attracted by the meter which resembles the one on my first real camera, an early Canon SLR. Besides, all my cameras are small so I would like to try something larger again. But if I feed my camera lust for a Canon 7, what about the M3 I have always thought about? Or maybe go back to a mechanical SLR for the first time in twenty years? I might become a monster - a real collector (LOL). And no matter how many cameras I have to inspire my shooting, I still have the bottleneck of developing and worse, scanning. 😱

At least you have a local repair guy. That's reassuring.

P.S. Almost forgot to mention - the black with the brass showing through really looks cool! Great find.
 
Nice find, always wanted a black repaint P to go with my chrome one. Have always been drawn to black cameras. My shrink says that is acceptable behavior🙂


David
 
Glamour Shot on the Light Table.

U26723I1509691887.SEQ.0.jpg



Finished the test roll. The only noticeable problem: the frame counter quit at #9. Otherwise, felt and performed well


Proof is in the negatives!
 
Camera is at the shop for a CLA now�� Can’t wait to shoot this camera! The frame counter started working after a bit of exercise . Should be able to see my test roll shots very soon
 
I've just been into two of my Canon 7s (silver, sadly) for viewfinder cleaning and general lubrication, getting ready for them to find new homes after a film test/last roll. There isn't too terribly much to go wrong with the counter...interesting that it failed at #7. Does the rest of the camera feel relatively smooth and well-lubricated or "dry"?

Would love to find a black paint 7 or P eventually, but for now, my most "collectible" 7 is a Bell & Howell branded one that came with a mid-sized hard case and the accessory shoe attachment.
 
Fixcinater said:
I've just been into two of my Canon 7s (silver, sadly) for viewfinder cleaning and general lubrication, getting ready for them to find new homes after a film test/last roll. There isn't too terribly much to go wrong with the counter...interesting that it failed at #7. Does the rest of the camera feel relatively smooth and well-lubricated or "dry"?

Would love to find a black paint 7 or P eventually, but for now, my most "collectible" 7 is a Bell & Howell branded one that came with a mid-sized hard case and the accessory shoe attachment.
Click to expand...


Counter stopped at #9 on the test roll, but started working again later. Should have my test roll processed tomorrow, maybe it is OK? The shutter is sounding dry - pretty sure this camera sat unused for a long time. I'm persistent - it will get a CLA 😎
 
Why didn't the shop want to work on it? Rarity over the silver version?

It's really not that bad to work on. Yes, not as simple as a P or the earlier V/VI bodies due to the metering parts under the top plate, but I don't see why so many won't work on the 7.
 
Not sure- They took it and then called a few days later and said "Nope, we don't work on these" They didn't open it... My back-up guy is retiring and not taking any new work on.

Stephen Gandy's tech sounds like a good option! His service CLA'd my Canon L1 years ago and did a great job.

BlueMoon in Portland may be another West Coast option. Gotta balance repair costs with the Leica II that I'm also reviving.
 
Test Roll is back from process and scan. Old expired roll of Costco 200 (Fuji) 24exp. Not Bad!

I shot a range of settings, indoor and outdoor, 1/30 up to 1/1000. All with the Super Rokkor 50mm f1.8 (a known good lens I've used on other bodies)

Only issue looks like capping at high speed on ONE frame - all 23 of the other frames are fine.🙂 No evidence of light leaks - though it was in the half case while shooting.
 
Black body Canon 7 is back from it's CLA - thanks Stephen and CameraQuest!

Excited to load it up and put it to work🙂
 
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