what is the difference

[colyn]

I'm currently on mobile and google searches keep directing me to the GIII QL17.
My question is what is the difference between the Canonet GIII QL17 and the plain jane QL17 of the same size?
Both have the same size body and look the same except for the badges.

 

[Larry H-L]

From the head bartender's Cameraquest.com site:


"The next Canonet QL-17 came out in 1969, looking very much like the later Canonet G-III 17 QL of 1972. The QL-17 G-III added a stronger rewind lever, a battery test light beside the battery test button, and according to Canon "improved quality," but they are almost identical in appearance."

 

[Dwig]

From the head bartender's Cameraquest.com site:


"The next Canonet QL-17 came out in 1969, looking very much like the later Canonet G-III 17 QL of 1972. The QL-17 G-III added a stronger rewind lever, a battery test light beside the battery test button, and according to Canon "improved quality," but they are almost identical in appearance."

... also the PC terminal on the G-III has a spring-loaded swinging cover that switches the hot shoe off when a PC cord is attached. Touching your (wet) nose to the hot shoe while an electronic flash of the day was attached via a PC cord would otherwise be "an electrifying experience".

This shock hazard is the real reason hot shoe covers came into existence. Later cameras evolved some form of switching, usually a pin in the shoe itself, to enable/disable the hot shoe.