Canonet QL17 GIII check battery lamp dead

[hyuan]

Hi,

This is my first post!

I just bought a Canonet QL17 GIII that was "supposedly" CLA'd. For the most part, things seem in order except for one niggling thing:

The check battery light/lamp seems to have burned out? The light meter still works.

Does anyone have any experience making this repair? Is it possible the bulb burnt out or is it a bad connection? I tried searching the forums and found nothing.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[dmr]

IIRC the lamp is soldered in.

As for where to get a replacement, I would check a hobby shop or a place like Radio Shack for a very small 1.2-1.5 volt incandescent lamp.

Hmmmm ... might it be possible to substitute a LED in there?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The LED will not work without higher voltage. The on current is closer to 3v. I converted a Nikon DL-1 to use an LED rather than the old bulb. I had to use a Lithium Battery instead of the single 1.35v battery that was in it.

 

[john neal]

What battery are you using? If you have the Cris SR44 adapter (and some others), they will not pass enough current to light the bulb. If you have the alkaline P625 equivalent, that should light the bulb if the battery is new - if it is more than 6 months old, the battery could be low, with the same result.

If it is definitely the bulb, have a look at the Classic Repair website and see if anyone has a spare bulb - the repair is fairly easy with the top plate off.

 

[hyuan]

Thank you everyone for the detailed replies! What a responsive group!

I am using a new alkaline battery so it sounds like it should light up. I think the next step is for me to open the cover up - I've found a few posts that talk about that so I should be on my way there.

I'm still hoping it's something like a loose connection. Soldering a new bulb is a little but beyond my feeble tinkering skills and I'm not sure I want to use this project as my first attempt to repair something that needs soldering. I might just need to take it to a camera repair shop.

 

[dmr]

The LED will not work without higher voltage. The on current is closer to 3v.

Oh, in that case (imagine Emily Litella impression) never mind. 🙂

 

[rjbuzzclick]

I have the Cris adaptor and the light doesn't work on either of my Canonets with it. I've never worried about it, but then, I tend to shoot in manual mode mostly anyway.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

It's not uncommon for the bulb to die. best bet is to try a parts Canonet and solder the bulb in. Or just do not let it bother you.

I recently put one up for sale, and made sure to show the lamp did work!