just found a ql17

[bigal5567]

alright, so. i had no idea my mom was into photography when she was younger. but when going through my dad's closet to steal clothes for 80's night🙂 i found her old canon. anyway, it looks sick. but, i kinda know nothing about photography, and had always been interested, just never had a camera. i know this is definitely not a learning camera, but i figured i could try to use this because otherwise it'll just be sitting here.

anyway, i know the battery it uses is no longer legal in the us, but had heard you can use a certain type of hearing aid battery? also, i dont know what type of film it would use... i've also heard alot of them need to be "resealed", not sure what that means either.

so any advice or help any of ya'll could give would be so appreciated. thanks a bunch,

-alex.

 

[Broke]

alright, so. i had no idea my mom was into photography when she was younger. but when going through my dad's closet to steal clothes for 80's night🙂 i found her old canon. anyway, it looks sick. but, i kinda know nothing about photography, and had always been interested, just never had a camera. i know this is definitely not a learning camera, but i figured i could try to use this because otherwise it'll just be sitting here.

anyway, i know the battery it uses is no longer legal in the us, but had heard you can use a certain type of hearing aid battery? also, i dont know what type of film it would use... i've also heard alot of them need to be "resealed", not sure what that means either.

so any advice or help any of ya'll could give would be so appreciated. thanks a bunch,

-alex.

Hi Alex -- congrats on the find... they're great little cameras.
I've been using Wein Cell batteries in mine, good as they have a near constant voltage throughout their life, something normal hearing aid batteries lack.
There's an Ebay'er "Interslice" who makes excellent kits for redoing the light seals -- before you invest I'd make sure the light meter functions, and that the shutter and aperture doesn't stick... these would make the camera perhaps not worth restoring.

Hope that's helpful,

Jim

 

[bigal5567]

where could i find a wein cell?

 

[Broke]

I get mine from Henry's (Canada), but they're easy to find on Ebay etc...
The model is:
WEINCELL MRB625 BATTERY (PX625)

Also, you might check out Cameraleather.com if you'd like to re-cover the QL17 -- I got a kit from them and was quite happy with it.

Cheers,
JB

 

[bigal5567]

and i dont exactly get what needs resealing?

 

[gb hill]

This would make a good learning camera for you. The battery I think is a PX-625 can be bought at Radio Shack. It works the meter only. Cock the shutter and see if it fires. The seals you asked about are the light seals. Pull up on the rewind handle to open the back. Look to see if the seals are a sticky looking goo substance. You can buy a kit on ebay with instructions to put in new light seals. The film you can buy at Walmart or any drug store. Takes 35mm film. Buy a cheap roll of 35 mm film and load it into the camera, shoot the roll & have developed. If the seals are bad you'll know it. If the prints are good then leave it alone.

 

[gb hill]

It don't have to be a wein cell. Go to Radio Shack and buy a PX-625 alkaline battery. Yes it will throw the meter off slightly but not enough to matter. Basically what you want to know is that the meter works or not.

 

[bigal5567]

alright, thanks a lot.

i'm stoked.

 

[fishtek]

Also, you need to know that the meter ONLY works in "automatic" mode. The aperture ring has a large red "A" on it. Align it with the marker on the top/center of the lens barrel. This camera doesn't allow the meter to work in any other mode. It's a really nice little camera, and was top-of-the-line in its day.

Here's a tutorial about cleaning out the gunky light seals. It's not nearly as complex as it seems here...

http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/seal/Canon_CanonetGIII.pdf

It's a nice machine...enjoy it!
Don

 

[gb hill]

Also, you need to know that the meter ONLY works in "automatic" mode. The aperture ring has a large red "A" on it. Align it with the marker on the top/center of the lens barrel. This camera doesn't allow the meter to work in any other mode. It's a really nice little camera, and was top-of-the-line in its day.

Here's a tutorial about cleaning out the gunky light seals. It's not nearly as complex as it seems here...

http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/seal/Canon_CanonetGIII.pdf

It's a nice machine...enjoy it!
Don

Don is right....But if you find the meter doesn't work, as long as the shutter works the camera is still useable. Go to the library and check out some basic photography books and learn the basics of how a camera functions or Google the info. For some dumb reason I still perfer a book in my hands to the internet. But anyhow have fun with it, thats the main thing.

 

[fishtek]

Here's another light-seal replacement tutorial...maybe easier to absorb....

http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/light_seals/index.html

Hope you get it working! Show us some pix when you do!

Don

 

[FrankS]

Good luck with this, Alex! This is exactly how I got into photography over 30 years ago: by finding my dad's old camera in a closet.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
As a matter of interest both hearing aid batteries and Wein cells use exactly the same chemistry and therefore have the same voltage characteristics. The only difference is that the Hearing aid batteries have more holes so that they can produce a higher current and therefore can "dry out" quicker. One way round this is to block all but one hole with nail varnish or similar. There is is discussion here on my website. http://www.pentax-manuals.com/fujica/top1/st701_battery_fix.htm

Although this covers the Fujica ST601/701, exactly the same fix can be applied to the Canonets. If you take to top plate off, the voltage trim pot is just behind the film loading flag. There have been several threads on the forum on this subject. Maybe I should produce a pdf like the fujica one for the Canonet. Anyway if you do this, you can then use silver cells and have a meter accurate enough for slides. However, you cannot use alkaline cells. Unlike silver, zinc/air and mercury cells, they do not have a flat discharge curve.

As to stuck shutters, they are not difficult to free though a broken meter would need the use of a handheld meter. As Jon's kits are so cheap and a for $5 or so, you can get enough material for several cameras, it is worth getting a kit regardless.

Kim

Hi Alex -- congrats on the find... they're great little cameras.
I've been using Wein Cell batteries in mine, good as they have a near constant voltage throughout their life, something normal hearing aid batteries lack.
There's an Ebay'er "Interslice" who makes excellent kits for redoing the light seals -- before you invest I'd make sure the light meter functions, and that the shutter and aperture doesn't stick... these would make the camera perhaps not worth restoring.

Hope that's helpful,

Jim

 

[Al Patterson]

A minor question here. How hard is it to install the hinge end seal behind the quick load mechanism?

 

[Kim Coxon]

Installing the new seals is a 5 min job at most. What usually takes the time is getting all the old goo out first. 😉

Kim

 

[oftheherd]

You have a great little camera. Enjoy it. Many here in the forums have and enjoy them, myself included. Also, if you go to popphoto.com you can search for a thread on the Canonet, called 'In Praise of the Canonet,' I think. It was one of the longest running threads they ever had and there is a lot of information there. It was started by a respected member of this forum. It probably did more to elevate the appreciation of that camera than anything else could have done.

Also, welcome to the forums here. Enjoy, and don't hesitate to ask any questions about it or photography in general. Most all here are friendly.

 

[photophorous]

....exactly the same fix can be applied to the Canonets. If you take to top plate off, the voltage trim pot is just behind the film loading flag. There have been several threads on the forum on this subject. Maybe I should produce a pdf like the fujica one for the Canonet. Anyway if you do this, you can then use silver cells and have a meter accurate enough for slides. ...

Hi Kim,

If you make a PDF, I'll read it. 😀 I've been wondering how hard it is to do this. My meter over exposes by about 1 stop and since the Canonet meter tops out at 800 ISO, I can really only shoot at 400 ISO or slower. I'd like to change it so it under exposes by 1 stop. Then I could shoot 1600 ISO film with the meter set to 800. Is that doable? If I take the top off the Canonet, is the trim pot easy to find? Then, I just adjust it against a reliable meter? Sounds easy enough.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Kim Coxon]

If you search the threads, The was a series of posts of using the Canonet with 1600ASA film. I haven't tried it but I know at least one member has. I think it might have been DMR but I am not sure. Anyway once to top is off, the trim pot sits just behind the film transport flag. Whatever you do, do not touch the screw on the front of the meter, This is the main bearing screw and if you undo it, the meter will stop working. 😉

If you do decide to do it it is important to set the meter in bright light ie outside on a sunny day. The greater the EV, the greater any voltage difference is and this is why you cannot compensate for the different voltage but just altering the ASA setting.

Kim

Hi Kim,

If you make a PDF, I'll read it. 😀 I've been wondering how hard it is to do this. My meter over exposes by about 1 stop and since the Canonet meter tops out at 800 ISO, I can really only shoot at 400 ISO or slower. I'd like to change it so it under exposes by 1 stop. Then I could shoot 1600 ISO film with the meter set to 800. Is that doable? If I take the top off the Canonet, is the trim pot easy to find? Then, I just adjust it against a reliable meter? Sounds easy enough.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[photophorous]

alright, so. i had no idea my mom was into photography when she was younger. but when going through my dad's closet to steal clothes for 80's night🙂 i found her old canon. anyway, it looks sick. but, i kinda know nothing about photography, and had always been interested, just never had a camera. i know this is definitely not a learning camera, but i figured i could try to use this because otherwise it'll just be sitting here.

anyway, i know the battery it uses is no longer legal in the us, but had heard you can use a certain type of hearing aid battery? also, i dont know what type of film it would use... i've also heard alot of them need to be "resealed", not sure what that means either.

so any advice or help any of ya'll could give would be so appreciated. thanks a bunch,

-alex.

This is a cool little camera, capable of surprisingly sharp photos, but it's also small, quiet, and great for low light. It's a perfect first camera, and I bet a lot of people here got their start with something similar. I use mine with zinc-air hearing aid batteries and I have no problem with the voltage dropping off. The batteries cost about $1 each and they last at least a month. I use mine sporadically, so I just make sure I have a fresh battery if I haven't used it in a while. My meter over exposes by one stop, so I set the film speed to 800 when I'm shooting 4oo ISO film, or to 200 when I'm shooting 100 ISO film, and it works fine.

Paul

 

[photophorous]

If you search the threads, The was a series of posts of using the Canonet with 1600ASA film. I haven't tried it but I know at least one member has. I think it might have been DMR but I am not sure. Anyway once to top is off, the trim pot sits just behind the film transport flag. Whatever you do, do not touch the screw on the front of the meter, This is the main bearing screw and if you undo it, the meter will stop working. 😉

If you do decide to do it it is important to set the meter in bright light ie outside on a sunny day. The greater the EV, the greater any voltage difference is and this is why you cannot compensate for the different voltage but just altering the ASA setting.

Kim

Thanks, Kim!