Just got another Canon 7 (sort of)

[lmd91343]

I just got another Canon 7! It cost all of $70.

And it may work. 🙄

I bought a parts camera. Evidently a previous owner had dropped the camera and broke the light meter switch on the back and the honeycomb sensor and RF covers on the front. S/He removed the top plate with the wrong tools, scarring the finish in a couple of spots. The light meter is FOREVER on ASA400 low range. Also, surprisingly, there is a small hole in the otherwise unwrinkled, flat curtain!

On the good side, the RF is aligned and accurate, shutter does not cap, shutter speeds seem right, frame lines and parallax adjustment works, RF patch is bright, and controls are even and smooth.

What I still need to do is: check the shutter timing; clean and patch the curtain; check the registration distance; check the flash sync; and fashion a new RF port cover.

I have several options on how to proceed beyond the needs.
1) Add an SBC TTL built in light meter, salvaged from a broken Pentax ME with the shutter speed display in the viewfinder and the ASA dial in the bottom plate.
2) Fill in the light meter holes on the front top and back of the top plate and fix the scar marks.
3) Paint the top and bottom plates.
4) Hot coat the top and bottom plates.
5) Replace the light meter honeycomb.
6) Replace the leatherette cover with custom leather.

Any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas?

p.s. I have the Canon 7 service manual. I'll eventually PDF it and put it on my web site.

 

[marcus]

I was looking for one like yours with the same idea. I want to blank off all the light meter parts, strip the chrome, paint it black, and add a hot shoe. However, the one I bought is a little too nice and needs to be dropped first. I think it would be realy cool to cram a ttl meter in it , though.
-Marcus

 

[FrankS]

1) Add an SBC TTL built in light meter, salvaged from a broken Pentax ME with the shutter speed display in the viewfinder and the ASA dial in the bottom plate.

That would be cool if you could do this!

 

[Will]

>2) Fill in the light meter holes on the front top and back of the top plate and fix the scar
marks.

Simplest solution!

 

[lmd91343]

Hi G'man,

That looks great! Can you show a picture of the top?

How did you remove the chrome? Is there nickle underneath?

Why did you not paint the wind lever?

I've done two paint jobs before. I removed the satin chrome by immersion in a small pail of swimming pool acid .(HCl) I used automotive paint on top of a primer, I applied clear-coat of the paint. Every stage was baked at 170*. It still scratches and chips to easily.

If I use paint, then I can use bondo for the filling. If I can patch the holes with metal (don't know how), I can have it powder-coated.

Thanks,
Lance

I think the 7 looks better without the meter cell, or window on top.


Bad day. Can't even hold the crappy digital still. 🙁

 

[lmd91343]

I got good news and bad news.

The bad news is that I cannot fit the electronics in the 7 body. The electronics and the battery are bigger than the space vacated by the galvanometer, ASA dial/gear, and sensitivity switch. I could put them in a small box outside the camera attached by an umbilical cord to the flash sync port. That seems too fragile to me. Also the shutter speeds are out of spec. I need a CLA.

The good news: For the $98 CLA, my repair guy will clean and adjust the shutter, put in a new light meter switch, put on a new light meter cover honeycomb, and replace a small flat (non-optical)glass part in the RF. Also the patch I put on the steel curtains works!

My only option now is to powder coat the top and bottom plates. Any thoughts on powder coating camera parts?

Thanks,

 

[marcus]

Heres my idea for mine, Blank of the holes from the removed light meter; add an acc shoe for my CV 25mm, strip the chrome; enamel black, then put a teeny tiny very low power red LED in w/the frameline window, activated by a momentary switch where the ASA button is and I'll have a trick frameline illuminator.

 

[marcus]

Heres my idea for mine, Blank of the holes from the removed light meter; add an acc shoe for my CV 25mm, strip the chrome; enamel black, then put a teeny tiny very low power red LED in w/the framelines activated by a momentary switch where the ASA button is and I'll have a trick frameline illuminator.

 

[lmd91343]

put a teeny tiny very low power red LED in w/the framelines activated by a momentary switch where the ASA button is and I'll have a trick frameline illuminator.

Marcus,

That sounds great. Where would you put the battery?

 

[wlewisiii]

Well, I'd simply suggest grabbing that inexpensive CLA and running like the proverbial bat... The 7, as you apparently already know, is a really nice camera on it's own. If you can put it back into use as it was then I'd argue that's better than Franken-sevening it. It's a different story when it can't be economically repaired, but it sounds like yours can. Still, I like Marcus' idea... wonder if I can come up with a way to make it work within an otherwise stock camera... 😱

But really I just wish I could find a machine shop willing to make cheap copies of the accessory shoe adaptor... 😀 I'd really like for seriously wide lenses to be a wee bit more practical than the $150 - $200 the original gets... 🙁

William

 

[marcus]

Stop being so bloody practical.

Having never seen inside the top-plate, I'm going to assume that there will be room directly behind the hi-lo switch. Barring that, would be to put a batt case on a long lead under a screw-on accessoryshoe in the vacant space where the meter readout resides. I do think the battery is less of a problem than finding a place to put the LED that won't throw flare all over the place.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

For an accessory shoe (not that I have done this), how about looking for a Canon bulb flash designed for the bayonet connector. Whack off the flash, use the bayonet connector to attach an accessory shoe.

No room behind the hi/lo switch as it is. Remove the Galvenometer. I've been in a couple of Canon 7 's. My selenium meters all still work, and I love those "Electric Eye" windows. Gets looks from those digital camera users. "well, of course my camera uses Solar Power for all of it's electric needs. What? YOU still use Batteries???".

 

[marcus]

A coupla days ago I epoxied on an acc shoe salvaged from an Olympus six onto the top plate. Just a dap onto two corners of the shoe to miss the the meter readout, and it's centered on the lens. This particular shoe is a touch tall, though.. It'll be easy to remove down the line if I suddenly need to sell it. I'll post a picture. If I can figure out how. The accessory shoe is more useful than a working Canon 7 meter. I can guess exposure as accurately as its range works. below that I need a real meter.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Nuh Uh!!!

A Good Selenium Lasts forever!

Besides, I don't have a 28mm or wider lens in LTM. I have a 200mm F4.5 Komura in LTM. But I use it with the other Canons with 1.5x settings.

Canon 7 with Nikkor 5cm F1.4.

 

[wlewisiii]

My selenium meters all still work, and I love those "Electric Eye" windows. Gets looks from those digital camera users. "well, of course my camera uses Solar Power for all of it's electric needs. What? YOU still use Batteries???".

This is one thing I do love doing. My selenium meters are the 2nd best thing for sending the digi kiddies running - the best, of course, is to handhold a Speed Graphic with a Grafmatic and burn 6 shots of 4x5 as fast as you can... :angel: Hyperfocal, a sunny day & 400 ISO film make that easier than it seems... 😀

Another fun trick is to tell them my meter was made before _I_ was born and can easily still be working just as well as today well after _they_ are gone. Really confuzels them 😉

William

 

[lmd91343]

Just got my $70 Canon 7 back from its CLA! 🙂

My repair guy was not able to find a switch that would fit under the top. So he gave it back to me today until he can get a switch. He did not want me to pay today. He won't collect my $98 for the CLA and meter fix until after he finishes with the light meter. How cool is that! 🙂

Now I have about an hour to shoot a test roll.