Had an old Canon SII fall in my lap, would like some information on it.

[Some_Call_Me_Danno]

So, I had a pretty cool rangefinder fall into my lap the other day. Don't know much about it, it's in pretty decent shape for the age of it, just has a chip out of the thin black surround casing.

I have no idea if it works, the shutter seems to actuate fine and I can get the aperture blades to move. All the dials move freely, but I have no idea what else to check to see how functional it is and the camera shop I have in town here was all but useless with helping me.

Has an all leather case with it.

 

[goamules]

That looks like a pretty early one. Check the Canon Camera Museum site to figure out the date and such. Canons are really good cameras, even this early, but they added more advanced features as they went along.

 

[farlymac]

And check here for a downloadable owners manual.

PF

 

[Some_Call_Me_Danno]

And check here for a downloadable owners manual.

PF

Thank you so much for that, I really appreciate it.

 

[Frank Barrett]

The S-II was the first Canon to accept Leica lenses. For more info, get a copy of Peter Dechert's excellent book Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1933-1968. Usually available via the dreaded Amazon.

Frank

 

[JeffS7444]

Sweet, a Seiki Kogaku-branded lens, that's surely a bit of history. Very nice find indeed.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

This thread is from 7 years ago, interesting.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Lucky you! It deserves a CLA, and ought to make a nice shooter. I have no idea what it's worth, but unless it has astronomical value as a collectible, it's a fine tool and should be put to use. Enjoy it!