How and where to buy a Canonet?

[eIII]

a gIII 17 to be exact.

after seeing what can be done with one of these little gems in galleries here and elsewhere i NEED one of these for my take everywhere camera. 🙂

my problem is i'm fairly new to photography and i wouldn't know what to look for or how to tell a good one from a bad one.

and i don't ebay. 🙁 just never have.

i would rather buy one from a reputable place for decent price that i can trust to be in good working order. is there such a place selling canonet's online?

i'd buy from a forum member who knows what they have- it seems like most here know there stuff!

thanks!

bill

 

[Kim Coxon]

PM sent

Kim

 

[JonB]

I've heard nothing but good things about Cameraquest, and it looks like there's a cleaned-up GIII in stock over there.

I have also heard good things about KEH, but my impression is that they test their used equipment minimally ... though if something goes wrong, there's a good company behind it to help settle things out. linky

Haven't done business with either, but, if I weren't an eBay-roulette junky, I would probably have gone one of those routes.

 

[JMP]

I think that buying from a RFF member is a good idea. You could place a WTB (Want to Buy) post in the 35mm Classifieds. Also, the QL17 non-GIII model is basically the same as the GIII in lens and operation, except for the battery check button not illuminating a light. These usually run a little cheaper. I don't think you should have to pay over $50-70 for a good one, though the price range is pretty large.

As to what to look for, a Search here could turn up plenty of information, but the common problems are stuck shutter blades, stuck aperture blades, and light seal replacement (very easy to DIY).

Here's one I found from an online dealer- Igor's Camera Exchange. I've never purchased from them, so I would send an e-mail with some more questions about its condition. In any case it's reasonably priced.

http://www.igorcamera.com/canon.htm

 

[peter_n]

$249 for the black one? Over four times the price of the regular one? That doesn't make sense!

 

[JMP]

$249 for the black one? Over four times the price of the regular one? That doesn't make sense!

I certainly didn't mean the black one! Yeah, they're rare and collectible but that price is outrageous, though I've seen them go for almost this much on ebay.