Canon Canonet QL17
Big and heavy is the only way to describe these early series Canon Canonets. The QL17 weighs a hefty 830g. The later “new” model canonets like the QL19 and QL17 weighed about 620g. It measures 150mm x 87 x 68. Construction is almost all metal. The shutter mechanism is all manual so it will still operate fine without a battery in manual mode. The manual mode is when the aperture ring is set to anywhere other than Auto. When set to “Auto” for shutter-priority auto exposure the shutter won’t fire without a battery. I’m sure there must have been a few uneducated operators who have thought the shutter was jammed without realising it won’t work on the Auto setting if the battery is flat or missing!
This model Type: 35mm Rangefinder Film Camera.
Lens: Canon Lens SE 45mm f1.7 – 16. There are 6 glass elements in 5 groups.
Shutter speeds: Copal SV. B (bulb), 1 second, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60. 1/125, 1/250. 1/500.
Viewfinder: Viewfinder combined with a rangefinder. Bright frame with moving parallax correction lines. Rangefinder spot rectangle. The viewfinder of the Canonet QL17 is large, bright and easy to use. Magnification ratio 0.7x. Aperture reading showed along the top of the viewfinder.
EE Mechanism: Shutter priority auto exposure. EE or Electronic Eye exposure meter.
Film Speeds: ASA 25 to 800 / Adjustment by a lever underneath the lens.
Battery: Originally 1 x Mallory RM-1R. Works with one cheap alkaline LR44W button cell. This is 1.55 volt but seems to provide correct exposure – at least with negative film.
Manual Control of Aperture: Yes. Both auto exposure and manual control.
Shutter: Copal Leaf Shutter. Speeds range from 1 second to 1/500 of a second.
Self Timer: yes
Flash Contact: Accessory shoe without direct contact. There is a conventional flash socket on the front of the camera. Electronic flash works at all shutter speeds.
Film Advance: Single stroke approx. 120 degrees. The Canonet QL17 features Canon’s excellent Quick Loading film system.
Film Counter: Resets automatically.
Size: 140 x 79 x 69mm (including lens).
Weight: 830g
