Canon S-II

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

I don't usually have a reason to post in this sub-forum, however this kit arrived recently, and as it's not the sort of camera one spots every day, I thought that perhaps those of our members who have an interest in the Canon rangefinders might enjoy seeing some photos.

The camera shutter is basically working at all its speeds, although on the slow speed settings, the second curtain will not begin to move until pressure on the shutter release has been eased, so perhaps the release is sticking. Not that I would expect the speeds to actually be accurate at present, but I think that a set of curtains and a service will see it working well enough, because it's trying to. The original curtains don't look too bad but are probably past their best. The rangefinder calibration at infinity looks good, though I expect cleaning the optics would possibly brighten the view, which is usable as is anyway.

It's a beautifully made Leica facsimile, and my first experience with an early Canon. If my brief research about the company's older models is correct, the 5cm Serenar lens may be one of the first 1500 or so that Canon ever made.

A 13.5cm Serenar f/4 lens and its accessory finder were also present.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[xayraa33]

Very nice kit you got there, thanks for sharing the pics.

The S-II was the precursor of the very popular Canon IIB, with its innovative three position viewfinder that set the stage for the rest of the Canon bottomloaders and to the V and VI series LTM Canon cameras.

 

[Mackinaw]

Nice. Is that a Canon lens hood on the 50/3.5?

Jim B.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Wow, thanks for the great pictures! It looks like it has been in a time machine. Will you you do the maintenance yourself?

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Nice. Is that a Canon lens hood on the 50/3.5?

Jim B.

Jim,
It has “Australia” stamped onto the rim, and another name, perhaps the maker, that’s harder to read—I suspect it is a locally supplied item. I can check the details with a magnifying glass or loupe, if you’d like to know.
Cheers
Brett

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Wow, thanks for the great pictures! It looks like it has been in a time machine. Will you you do the maintenance yourself?

David,
I expect I probably could attend to that, if I was inclined, out of necessity I have become more proficient at working on focal plane shutters over the last couple of years—but the camera is probably destined to be passed onto a (hopefully) loving new home before too long, so it will be up to the new owner to take that task on, or engage a third party to do it for them. Still, I had never seen such a relatively early Canon until now, and I thought the least I should do is document it and share it with those who have a common interest in classic rangefinders. 🙂
Cheers
Brett

 

[nhchen]

Cool camera Brett. The S-K lenses are quite rare I think. I’ve got a S-II as well but in rougher condition. It’s shutter is still working still so havnt opened it up yet.
Nathan

 

[Darinwc]

Very cool camera! What a nice piece of history.

 

[Bingley]

Those old Canons can be wonderful shooters...

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

The Canon has found a new home in Australia with someone who has a lot of interest in their early rangefinders. They sound very happy with it, too, so that is a good result, I think. Thanks to all who’ve commented, and I hope you enjoyed seeing some pictures of it as much as I did examining it. It was a first for me.
Cheers
Brett