First Canonet GIII QL17

[anoldsock]

I got my first Canonet GIII GL17 this past weekend off the friendly neighborhood auction site. Ok, it's not so friendly, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, so far it looks like it's in really good shape. There are no makings except on the bottom plate where the tri-pod would go. There was a UV filter on the lens, so the front element is in pristine condition. It also came in the original box, with all the papers including the manual and even the warranty card. I would say the camera looks pretty much brand new.

Can't wait to test it out and see how the pictures come back.

First Impression: The rangefinder is easier to focus than on the Yashica 35 GSN or the Leica IIIc. I missed a couple of shots with the Yashica cause I couldn't tell whether the two images lined up or not. The focus area was a bit too small for me. The Leica IIIc is a bit awkward because the focus ring goes all the way around the barrel, and at times your hand blocks your view. Or you have to reposition your hand to get the ring to go all the way around.

I thought the Canonet had a quickier and shorter throw, making focusing a lot easier.

 

[Rey]

Congratulations,

Unless the camera has been serviced recently, you will probably need to replace the light seals. Yes the camera has an excellent view/rangfinder.

 

[anoldsock]

Thanks for the tip, I'll look into replacing them this weekend. Do you have any recommendations on who can do that?

 

[d 2 4 5 4 7 0 k]

"Do you have any recommendations on who can do that?"

Yes, you!

Seriously, it's very easy and rewarding to do yourself. Contact Jon Goodman on ebay, he sells under the name 'Interslice' and his light seal kits are fantastic. He's very helpful and will let you know everything you need to know in order to replace them.

I just did mine on my GIII using the same kit. 🙂

 

[Rey]

You can do it yourself, the only tricky area is near the film quick load mechanism, by the door hinge. it should take you between 2-3 hours to clean out the old gook with alchohol, and put the new seals in.