Canonet G III QL 17

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dancad

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I picked one of these up at a garage sale for $5 friday with the original flash, manual and lens cap

After some vinegar swabs, all battery stuff works and the flash is just plain cool

For a battery, shoved in a 1.5 volt 625 and with a shim of foil on the negative side, the battery check light works as well as the camera in the A mode

Cool

Anyone out there offer an advice as to what I can do to preserve this beauty ?

I also have a cannonet 17



Neat cameras
 
Check to see if the light seals are ok by visual eye & running a roll of film through it. Use it and don't let it sit for long periods of time. They are great cameras. I like mine.🙂
 
1.5v battery will not give you an accurate meter reading. There are some other solutions so do a search here on RFF, lots of threads on murcury battery replacements.

It's a good camera and fun. Enjoy it!
 
You will get all kinds of opinions about if and how much and how significant any error with the "wrong" battery will be. If you're of the mindset that the meter is giving you a suggestion, and not gospel, you'll probably do ok.

My personal tests show about a 1 stop underexposure at the very brightest end of the scale, which is within the tolerance of most negative film, plus within the margin of error for all kinds of other variables in there too.

I did successfully recalibrate one of mine to use 1600 and in the process got it closer with the "wrong" battery. Here's the thread on that little game here:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25305

You will find that you will enjoy the GIII. A lot of camera for very little $$$
 
Neat and popular camera! Replacing the light seal is a really good idea. Here are the instructions I've written: http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/sealreplacement.html If you need a battery adapter, I have one which will let you use 675 hearing aid batteries (without a spacer of any sort), is infinitely re-usable and works like a champ in these. If you need light seal material, I can help with that, too.
Best regards,
Jon Goodman
 
Do the seals before they go all sticky - it's the worst part of the job trying to get them out and then cleaning up, if they are starting to deteriorate.
 
Jon Goodman said:
Neat and popular camera! Replacing the light seal is a really good idea. Here are the instructions I've written: http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/sealreplacement.html If you need a battery adapter, I have one which will let you use 675 hearing aid batteries (without a spacer of any sort), is infinitely re-usable and works like a champ in these. If you need light seal material, I can help with that, too.
Best regards,
Jon Goodman
Click to expand...

Hi Jon good info, do you sell the kits or can you recommend some one .

Tom
 
jan normandale said:
Tom ... you are talking to "the guy" Jon is known here and everywhere else too!
Click to expand...

Thanks Jan , I thought I was , I just didn't see any purchase info in link. that or my eye's are failing , that's probably the case.
 
I would also recommend Jon's kit for the GIII.

It's very reasonable in cost, the pieces are cut to fit, and it has a good set of instructions.

Jon goes by "Interslice" on Ebay.

Putting it in is very easy.

Getting the old yucky grunged-out seals out it a MESS! It's kind of like scraping up tar with a toothpick.
 
I didn't know Jon was on RFF. I just ordered a light seal kit from him last month and resealed my oly-pen 1/2 frame. Just got a Yashica GTN last week and resealed it too. The kits are the best and I still have plenty of material left to do several more cameras. I would advise everyone to get the kit just to have in case you happen on that deal in ye old junk store as well as ebay. My yashica came in mint condition but time caused the seals to turn to goo. Replacing the seals was simple.
 
Hi, Jan...thanks, by the way. Good to hear from you. Without over-commercializing anything, you can find me and the seal kits on E-Bay, and my ID is Interslice there. You'll find a $6 kit and a $9.99 kit, and which one do you need? It depends on what sort of cameras and how many you have. The $6 kit was designed to let the user re-seal about 5-6 "typical" 35mm cameras. A "typical" 35mm camera might be a Nikon FM, a Minolta Hi-Matic, Canon AE-1 or Pentax ME Super, for example. A "non-typical" (meaning it is going to take much more light seal) would be a Canonet GIII QL17, Ricoh 500g, and any of the designs which use a large amount of foam on the edges of the film door...Konica C3, some of the Chinon/GAF, etc mini-rangefinders...things like that. The re-sealing instructions are all at KY forum (link above).

So how about the two Mikes making football news lately? Young Mike I'm sure you've heard enough about, but Old Mike? History in the making there, eh?

Jon
 
Just go mine, and so far unable to get batterly going. I'm using hearing aid plus aluminum foil shim on negative side.

You mentioned vinegar swab. Did you do that on the camera terminals?
 
The vinegar is to dissolve any battery residue on the cameras battery contacts.

Use a little as possible just damp q-tips, if you get the meter to work a little light oil wiped clean afterwards, may stabalise the contacts surfaces.

Noel
 
dmr said:
I would also recommend Jon's kit for the GIII.

It's very reasonable in cost, the pieces are cut to fit, and it has a good set of instructions.

Jon goes by "Interslice" on Ebay.

Putting it in is very easy.

Getting the old yucky grunged-out seals out it a MESS! It's kind of like scraping up tar with a toothpick.
Click to expand...

LoL... dmr that's the most accurate description I've heard yet.

Jon, good to hear from you. I've got to do some work on seals, but not until late fall. I'm too busy shooting and as dmr said, "cleaning is yucky"... it also takes a bit more time to clean out and prep than it does to instal your seals. It's going to have to wait a little longer.

The "Mikes" ... yes ;- )
 
If you need it, or if anybody else does, I can probably dig out and re-post a copy of the electrical schematic which shows the actual current flow for the meter circuit.

The schematic looks like a rat maze at first, as most of the messy part has to do with the setting of the flash level with the Canolite flash. If you disregard this part, it's really a simple series connection of the battery, the meter itself, the calibration potientiometer (sp?) and the variable resistance in the speed and f-stop rings.
 
Two year ago i have bought a nice Canonet G III QL 17 for 140 €. The camera work very fine. I solved the battery problem with an MR-9 adapter, bought from "The Small Battery Company" in London. This adapter have a micro electronical ciruit that automatically reduce the 1,55 voltage of the 386 silver oxid battery into the 1,35 voltage of the ancient and outlawed PX625 mercury oxide battery.
Ciao.
Vincenzo
 
Great lens. I just got word a few days ago that one of my QL17 III black and white pics won 4th place (i.e., honorable mention) at the upcoming 2007 State Fair of Texas. Excellent tonal range with BW400CN.
 
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