Canonet ql17 WAS working fine but now...

[pryan9]

The shutter won't fire. I found this camera in great shape and had it CLA'd even though it probable didn't need it. I shot two rolls with it and right around frame 20 in my second roll the shutter release just stopped working. I can advance the film just fine and the shutter seems to be charging but when I press the button nothing happens. Its not stiff or resistant, feels just the way it should except the shutter won't fire.

After some research it seems like the self timer jamming is a common issue with these but I never touched it. I'm pretty baffled right now as to what went wrong. Any suggestions?

 

[John Shriver]

Could be the CLA didn't clean all of the oil or grease off the shutter blades, and they are sticking again. Shutter blades stuck with oil are a very common problem with this camera.

 

[Gumby]

Funny you write about those exact symptoms. I recently had a perfectly operating Canonet and sold it to a guy, who upon arrival said it ws doing just htat. He returned it and, indeed, it was advancing film and sounding like it was cocking. I did notice that the self-timer, which worked before shipment, was "free moving". I'm not sure mine was cocking and holding the spring pressure, though. Very odd to me. I considered my Canonet to be "beyond economic repair" and trashed it.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I've had this happen to cameras in shipping- they get cold, old grease and oil can stop working.

If it was recently CLA'd, the repairshop should make good on the problem. Contact them, send it back.

 

[Frontman]

Check and make sure that the self timer isn't stuck. It should be at the bottom of it's slot. If it's in the middle, or near the top, then it's probably jammed, and the shutter will stick. Sometimes you can get the shutter working again by pushing the self timer lever downward hard enough that the gears begin to turn, but not so hard that you break or damage it. The mechanism is hard to get to, and many technicians don't bother trying to service it when doing a CLA.

 

[finguanzo]

I had the same issue, until my 1yr old grabbed it and threw it onto the floor. Has worked perfect ever since....🙄