MrRanger
Rangefinder Jockey
Got a Canon QL-17 (actually 2) in a lot of four cameras off @-bay that included a Yashica Electro GS, a Canon Canonet 28 and the fore mentioned QL-17s. The Yashica needed a new battery and a minor clean up . The Canon 28 needed a new battery and some excercise to get it working but the QL's were another story.
Both had frozen shutters, one had a gritty aperture ring (sometimes I could hardly move it), one had a shutter speed ring that was frozen, and both had gooey light seals :bang: . After finding some helpful people here (Thanx G'man and others!) and other resources on the web, I decided to tackle one of them and see if I could make a working camera out of it.
Well, I got it apart, fixed and back together - and it WORKS!
I love it, what a great little camera! Here's a sample pic. Camera was in auto mode - Kodak Max @ 800 ASA.
Mike
Both had frozen shutters, one had a gritty aperture ring (sometimes I could hardly move it), one had a shutter speed ring that was frozen, and both had gooey light seals :bang: . After finding some helpful people here (Thanx G'man and others!) and other resources on the web, I decided to tackle one of them and see if I could make a working camera out of it.
Well, I got it apart, fixed and back together - and it WORKS!
I love it, what a great little camera! Here's a sample pic. Camera was in auto mode - Kodak Max @ 800 ASA.Mike
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SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
Hats off to you, Mike! I've never been that brave... I mean, to crack open a camera and tinker with it.
Good job!
Good job!
MrRanger
Rangefinder Jockey
SolaresLarrave said:
Well, you don't have a lot to lose when the camera wasn't working in the first place! But I'll tell you what, I was still sweating bullets!
I still can't believe it WORKS!
Mike
dmr
Registered Abuser
MrRanger said:
Congratulations!! And welcome to the "club", the "I actually got it back together and it works" club.
I can!
If I can do it, you can too. All it really takes is a lot of patience and a steady hand at times.And, I'm getting very close on #2 here!
peter_n
Veteran
It works well too Mike - looks like you've got a great lens there! Congrats!
K
Krasnaya_Zvezda
Guest
Nothing like that feeling, you're bumbling around inside the camera's works, you have no business even trying to do what you're doing--- and you don't even know what you're doing---- you get an idea, hmm, looks like this thing ought to fit in this other thing, a little bending, a little cleaning, and then IT WORKS! Incredible!
What a rush.
What a rush.
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
Congrats
Yes, i had this feeling several times, Krasnaya. The biggest boost of my camera-repair related self confidence I got when the Contax IIIa was working great again. And, just six hours before that I felt the biggest fear of type "oh sh$t, this will never work again".
But then, i also busted the focusing of a folder trying to repair the shutter, lol.
Yes, i had this feeling several times, Krasnaya. The biggest boost of my camera-repair related self confidence I got when the Contax IIIa was working great again. And, just six hours before that I felt the biggest fear of type "oh sh$t, this will never work again".
But then, i also busted the focusing of a folder trying to repair the shutter, lol.
TPPhotog
Well-known
Congratulations Mike I've been finding out myself for the first time the pleasures of open heart surgery on a Canonet recently. Scary at first but the high of fixing the fault is amazing. Somehow I now kind of feel like a real classic RF owner
MrRanger
Rangefinder Jockey
Yes, I'm quite happy with the picture quality!peter_n said:It works well too Mike - looks like you've got a great lens there! Congrats!
I couldn't agree more comrade!!Krasnaya_Zvezda said:
Win a few, lose a few right Pherdinand?Pherdinand said:
Amen brother, I couldn't have said it better myself!!TPPhotog said:
Mike
solane
Established
welcome and congrats on the repairs!
is the hazing on the left hand side of the picture a result of the scan or are my eyes going?
is the hazing on the left hand side of the picture a result of the scan or are my eyes going?
MrRanger
Rangefinder Jockey
solane said:
Thanks! No your eyes are not going. I checked the original print and it is good. I think the hazing was caused by my cheap scanner!
Mike
ErnestoJL
Well-known
Satisfaction gets double when you can say " Oh, it works " after saying some time before "OMG, I sc.....d it ... it won´t work anymore"
Welcome to the club, and besides IMO all Canonets deserve some hours of patience... they will duly reward your efforts!!
Welcome to the club, and besides IMO all Canonets deserve some hours of patience... they will duly reward your efforts!!
Poptart
Screw Loose & Fancy-Free
So what battery did you go with?
MrRanger
Rangefinder Jockey
Poptart said:
Zinc-Air size 675. Radio Shack Part no. 23-077. You get 8 of them for $6.99.
They are 1.4V and the meter seems to be working well!
Mike
Russ
Well-known
Poptart said:
The "Wein" zinc-airs, last much longer, and are the proper 1.35 voltage. I had mine converted to 1.5v silver oxide.
Russ
MrRanger
Rangefinder Jockey
Russ said:
I had thought about the "Wein" cells after I had bought the others. I have only had them in for about 3 months, so I don't know how long they will last. I know quite a few people have gone with the 1.5v conversion.
Mike
Russ
Well-known
MrRanger said:I had thought about the "Wein" cells after I had bought the others. I have only had them in for about 3 months, so I don't know how long they will last. I know quite a few people have gone with the 1.5v conversion.
Mike
If you're going to use Zinc-airs", then the Weins, are the way to go. They last much longer than hearing aid, zinc-airs. However, I highly recommend the silver oxide conversion. It's the best way to go.
Russ