Old Gems from the QL17 G-III

[maggieo]

I've been scanning negatives from my first 35mm Camera, a Canonet QL17 G-III.

Here are some of my pix....

From my Canonet, loaded with HP5:

Cedar Bowl, North Platte, NE, 1979

This is the parking lot next to the motel my high school band stayed at during a marching band trip to North Platte, NE.

Mark Villwok, North Platte, NE, 1979


Greg Schneekloth, Mark Villwok and Carl Persson, North Platte, NE, 1979


Kim's Jeans, North Platte, NE, 1979


More from the Canonet and the Nikon scanner...

Tri-X from 1978 this time.

Trish In Mr. Mashek's Classroom, Oakland, NE, 1978

I think those chairs were made during World War Two.

Denise And Kim, Oakland, NE, 1978


Trees and Gully, Craig, NE, 1978


Developed in D-76, in dad's basement darkroom. Most of these were printed and used in the high school annual, some were used by the local weekly, the Oakland Independent, where I was a freelance sports and school events shooter for most of my teens.

The Canonet is a wonderful camera, easily the match of anything else out there, IMO.

 

[maggieo]

I've still got the camera, BTW:

Canonet QL-17 GIII, January, 2010

 

[Atto]

Beatiful document.
Specially for those like me that lives in different countries. It is always nice to take a look in the past.

The G-III QL it is a wonderful camera.

 

[xxloverxx]

The world I arrived too late to see…beautiful.

And you still have the camera, which is something that's probably not going to happen with digital…

 

[maggieo]

The world I arrived too late to see…beautiful.

And you still have the camera, which is something that's probably not going to happen with digital…

Thank you, both!

I concur, I don't think that a Nikon D90 will still be shooting forty years on...

That said, I think it's finally time for my Canonet to get its first C&L, the seals have melted and the VF is a bit fogged with outgassing film.

 

[Bingley]

Nice shots, Maggie! The hairstyles bring back memories... The Canonet is a lovely little camera.

 

[gb hill]

Nice shot's! I graduated in 79! A Canonet would of been much fun back then! But I have one now so better late than never I guess!

 

[maggieo]

Thank you, guys!

I've shot with Nikons, Olympuses, Leicas and Konicas and the little Canonet stands up to them all. It really is a fantastic camera, with top-notch glass! It's a shame there really isn't a comparable camera out there now for a kid with hardly any money but a lot of ambition.

 

[rbiemer]

I used to cringe a bit when I saw photos of our generation--I graduated HS in '78--but I am beginning to appreciate them more lately. Yours are pretty good, indeed!
Thanks for sharing those.
Rob

 

[lxmike]

Ype, love those Canon ragefinders

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Beautiful pictures from the time of my youth.

My Minolta Hi-Matic 9 has been with me for 40 years. The Nikon F2 since 1978.

The Canonets are great cameras. And not too hard to clean the Viewfinder and put new seals in.

 

[dogberryjr]

Oh, my. I remember that hair! Fun stuff.

 

[maggieo]

Beautiful pictures from the time of my youth.

My Minolta Hi-Matic 9 has been with me for 40 years. The Nikon F2 since 1978.

The Canonets are great cameras. And not too hard to clean the Viewfinder and put new seals in.

I think I could handle replacing the seals, but I'm not sure I'd want to tackle the VF, as it seems to be a universal that the first camera you ever take apart is the one that never goes back together correctly. 😉

 

[Bingley]

Maggie, if you find someone to CLA your Canonet and you're pleased w/ the results, please pass the name along... I'd like to get mine CLA'd and the meter adjusted to accept SR44 batteries. Thanks!

 

[maggieo]

Maggie, if you find someone to CLA your Canonet and you're pleased w/ the results, please pass the name along... I'd like to get mine CLA'd and the meter adjusted to accept SR44 batteries. Thanks!

I was thinking about taking it to a guy in Omaha, Walker Camera Repair; but I don't know if he can do the meter adjustment.

Maybe I'll shoot Youxin an email and see if he does that work? Does anyone know offhand?

 

[maggieo]

i think I've posted this photo before- but it was an old scan of a print, I think, and not so good, but I found the negative and re-scanned it and spent a ridiculous amount of time touching it up, so here it is, reborn!

Sue In The Snow, Craig, NE, 1978


Here's the original caption for the photo:
My sister, outstanding in her field. Er, on our creek. In the middle of the pasture. On the farm. In 1978 or so.

Shot with my Canonet and developed in dad's darkroom in the basement. I found the small file of a scanned negative (maybe print) in my old iPhoto library and I can't remember where the file came from. But I spiffed it up a bit in LightZone, because this photo makes me smile. I loved the overgrown and unused pasture, probably because it was never-tilled prairie, just pretending to be a pasture. I miss having a little wild and private place to go whenever I felt the need.

 

[fotomeow]

I love those time-stamped photos ...the QL17 GIII was my first rangefinder about 10 years ago ..... and last week I found one for $4.50 at a thrift store with a Canonlite D. My older GIII seems to have an electrical short or something, batteries only last a week or so, have to get it checked out. Will add to the photo posting after I rummage thru some foto boxes!

 

[maggieo]

I'd forgotten about this one:

O-C Band Junior Girls, North Platte, 79

HP5 was loaded, like the other North Platte shots upthread.

 

[kitaanat]

Very nice pictures.

 

[gliderbee]

Thank you, guys!

I've shot with Nikons, Olympuses, Leicas and Konicas and the little Canonet stands up to them all. It really is a fantastic camera, with top-notch glass! It's a shame there really isn't a comparable camera out there now for a kid with hardly any money but a lot of ambition.

But there are "comparable" cameras ! They are even VERY comparable 😉

E.g.: http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-CANON-CANONET-QL17-GIII-35mm-Camera-40mm-1-1-7-Lens-/200474453370?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item2ead35657a#ht_4111wt_1137