QL-17 (non GIII) questions...

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Norcal Photographer

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Hi all,

New forum member here. I've been shooting digital like most but have also owned film camera's when digital was non-existent back in the 1980's.

Anyhow, I inherited my dad's QL17 (early non-GIII version) when he passed ~6 years ago. He purchased it sometime between 1964-66. In the process of trying to use it, I discovered it has sticky shutter & aperture blades so I know I need to fix that. I've already found the write up on here for how to do it, so I'll just follow it and see how it goes.

I liked this camera so much I purchased a 2nd one but found that the meter doesn't seem to operate properly after putting in a fresh battery.

Does anyone have a source for the Manual for this model? I've got the manual for the GIII model but this one is definitely different as it uses different batteries, albeit has a similar but different body setup, etc.

I also noticed there are no light seals on my either of my QL17's. Is there a writeup on replacing those? I'm not sure where I need to put new foam and where I don't as there is no residue anywhere and I'm not sure if this earlier model simply didn't require them or if my dad and the other one's previous owner removed the residue.

TIA,
Ray
 
Yes, this one is my dad's but the battery is different on the other one LOL.

Yes, this one is my dad's but the battery is different on the other one LOL.

Wow! Thank you so much. Yes this one looks a lot like my dad's although his does not have Quick Loading on the front just the QL logo. But the battery appears to be the same as his.

You've illustrated that it does pay to check on the forums after doing an exhaustive search for this manual!

Now interestingly enough, the 2nd one I bought uses a totally different battery. After researching & reading about it, I learned that the Exell MRB625 1.35-Volt Zinc Air Battery is a current replacement for the 2nd QL17 and I found its still available on Amazon but even after inserting it, the camera meter still doesn't appear to work so there may be other issues at hand.

So since it uses a different battery perhaps my 2nd one is a 2nd Generation (or GII) version? LOL.

EDIT: OK, I double checked on that site and found the other QL-17, QL-19 & QL-25 Manual appears to be the correct one for my 2nd QL17! That's fantastic! At least now I will know how to use them albeit they didn't seem that hard to figure out.
 
So how about a replacement battery for the QL17

So how about a replacement battery for the QL17

OK, for the 2nd one I purchased I have a battery but the 1st one I don't.

It uses either a National M-1P, Toshiba TH-MP, or Mallory RM-1R. I haven't found a direct replacement that's at the rated 1.4 volts and IIRC this means the light meter won't read properly and you won't get the correct exposure. I know I can use a handheld light meter but i'd really like to not have to.

I found the Small Battery Company in the UK make an MR50 adapter. Is this a good adapter or a waste of money? http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_mr50_adapter.htm

Any other alternatives?

I've searched and the other option I read about is to run the 1.5V battery for a bit until it gets to 1.4 volt and then use it. I'm mechanically competent and know how to properly solder so I could create a discharge system to discharge them to 1.4 volts then shut off but hopefully there's an easier way...

Again, TIA!
 
Norcal Photographer said:
...
I've searched and the other option I read about is to run the 1.5V battery for a bit until it gets to 1.4 volt and then use it. ...
Click to expand...

Typical "Internet Hogwash". If you are working with the modern silver-oxide batteries (e.g. S-76, G-13, ...) this will not work at all. These batteries will maintain the voltage very well until just before they die. If you drain them down to 1.4v they'll be on the very edge of total exhaustion and die completely in a very short time.

If, and only if, you are working with the alkaline versions (e.g. A-13, ...) will there be any hope for draining them down a bit and still having any real useful life left. If you try this, you need to test the voltage under a load comparable to that posed by the camera. Test the voltage without a load will yield inaccurate results.
 
Well, here's a link to a Canon QL17 website. Battery adapters are discussed, as well as the light meters themselves (and seals!). http://ql17.com/

Your specimen will probably benefit from a full CLA, in addition to the specific issues you've found. Search through the forum for repair people for classic rangefinders; someone will be likely to help you out if you're set on getting it up and running.

I have a variety of classic cameras for which repair and tune-up were not exactly "economical" to have fixed, but they were important enough - to me - to justify the expense.
Best of luck!
 
Dwig said:
Typical "Internet Hogwash". If you are working with the modern silver-oxide batteries (e.g. S-76, G-13, ...) this will not work at all. These batteries will maintain the voltage very well until just before they die. If you drain them down to 1.4v they'll be on the very edge of total exhaustion and die completely in a very short time.

If, and only if, you are working with the alkaline versions (e.g. A-13, ...) will there be any hope for draining them down a bit and still having any real useful life left. If you try this, you need to test the voltage under a load comparable to that posed by the camera. Test the voltage without a load will yield inaccurate results.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of using Alkaline batteries. I'm not even remotely sure what the load would be for the camera to properly test the batteries but I figure the original battery rating is without the camera so I'm not sure that including/factoring in the camera's load would be needed? You think / have heard otherwise?

xavyr said:
Well, here's a link to a Canon QL17 website. Battery adapters are discussed, as well as the light meters themselves (and seals!). http://ql17.com/

Your specimen will probably benefit from a full CLA, in addition to the specific issues you've found. Search through the forum for repair people for classic rangefinders; someone will be likely to help you out if you're set on getting it up and running.

I have a variety of classic cameras for which repair and tune-up were not exactly "economical" to have fixed, but they were important enough - to me - to justify the expense.
Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Again thanks for the link(s). Interestingly enough, I've been on that site before and it's where I initially saw the open cell foam used for the light seals in the GIII version there and noticed mine didn't have them so I began to think my earlier version probably also needs them. I guess I'll be putting in some light seal foam then.

As for the cleaning & lubrication I'm hoping I can do some of that via the walk-through I saw posted here for a similar Canon Rangefinder. I know how expensive it is, so I will try it with my 2nd QL17 first and if I can do it there, I'll do my Dad's QL17.
 
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