Oh yes, my Canonet QL17 arrived -- lightseals anyone?

Gabriel M.A.

Gabriel M.A.

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My G-III QL17 Canonet arrived today, and I'm oh so happy 😀 They just don't make them like this anymore do they? It feels solid, has a nice weight to it, and all the controls make sense and are where they should be.

Well, as I was looking at the inside, I noticed this gunk/goo that once used to be the lightseal. Smudging it off was easy enough, but now what?

Does anyone know where I could get a lightseal kit? Or does anybody have one I could buy from them? Thanks guys/gals.
 
gabrielma said:
My G-III QL17 Canonet arrived today, and I'm oh so happy 😀 They just don't make them like this anymore do they? It feels solid, has a nice weight to it, and all the controls make sense and are where they should be.

Well, as I was looking at the inside, I noticed this gunk/goo that once used to be the lightseal. Smudging it off was easy enough, but now what?

Does anyone know where I could get a lightseal kit? Or does anybody have one I could buy from them? Thanks guys/gals.
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Jon Goodman makes just such a kit. I'm sure he will chime in. He's right here on this system. I installed his kit last spring and it was quite easy -- the hard part was getting the old stuff out.
 
An alternative is to replace the seals with foam from a thin mouse pad. I replaced the seals on my G-III QL17 and it worked fine. The camera was a little difficult to close at first,but after a week or so, it closed fine with no light leakage problem. I glued the foam in with super glue. I wouldn't do this to an expensive collectable, but for a user it's a cheap alternative.
 
Thank you all for the responses (btw, I did buy the kit, now just waiting for the invoice). Now I have a new question (well two). I have searched and searched, and not even Canon's own user's manual mentions anything about #1:

1) The three blue numbers to the right of the "A" setting in the aperture dial, what are they for?

2) What zinc-air battery do you use for this camera (without needing some hokey adapter)?
 
greyhoundman said:
The blue numbers are for when using flash.
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So these are guide numbers?

greyhoundman said:
A #675 hearing aid battery will work. You will probably have to use a bit of foil to take up the slack. Unless you release the positive tab for the battery.
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Now, what did I say? 😛 Ok, so if that's the only way, then that's the way it is. My camera came with what looks is an actual mercury battery; it's spent though. Hadn't seen a battery like this before. Looks like a button from an old suit.
 
gabrielma said:
What zinc-air battery do you use for this camera (without needing some hokey adapter)?
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Not everybody agrees with this, but what works for me may not be best for others. 🙂

Mine came with the "wrong" plain old 625 battery. During breaks from getting my baptism by fire in camera repair I read all kinds of opinions on what is best to do. Everything from just using the wrong battery to air cells to diodes to recalibration. One opinion stuck in my mind, and that was that even with the wrong battery it was still close enough.

I've always thought of a light meter as a suggestion and not a mandate, so I did a quickie non-scientific real-world test. I compared the newly-resurrected GIII with the Pentax K-1000, whose meter I consider very close. In low light, a blank wall of the bathroom with the vanity lights on dimmer, the Pentax and the QL17 GIII were dead on! Agreed exactly. Under sunny-16 conditions outside, the GIII overexposed about 1/2 stop when compared to the Pentax.

In my not so humble opinion 🙂 this is well within the ballpark. I just got my second roll of Kodachrome back from the lab, and although I bracketed many shots, the ones normally exposed with the internal meter were consistently the best.

I think you will like your GIII. I like the size, the feel, the slightly-wide lens and the overall good performance. The only thing I don't like is the lack of a manual match-needle exposure mode.
 
If you want a perfect fit, the Wein Cell would be it. But it is more expensive than hearing aid batteries. Me, I kinda like hokey adapters. 😉

As for the light seals, I use a 9x12'' Sticky Back black foam which cost a few cents at a craft store or Walmart. That's enough to replace the light seals from a bagful of cameras.
 
gabrielma said:
Thanks, dmr for your comments. It's good to know there are options. Hmm...
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You're very welcome. What I might suggest is that you try the meter and get a feeling on how accurate it is or is not. Pick a battery, whether it's an Ebay mercury cell, air cell, or that vile "wrong" battery and compare it with a camera or meter you know as being more or less accurate. Then take a couple test rolls, bracket, and examine the density carefully. I think you'll get an idea of how accurate or how far off it is. Who knows, yours may work better with the air cell. 🙂
 
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