Camera Review: Canonet QL17 GIII 35mm Rangefinder

It took a while, but I finally got around to running a few rolls through my Canonet QL17 GIII 35mm rangefinder camera (purchased for $50!).  I've already mentioned it in a couple of previous posts, including a short how-to on adjusting the rangefinder spot, but I never really got around to reviewing it.  So here we are!

Canonet QL17, QL19, and QL28 Vertical Rangefinder Adjustment

I haven't even done a post on my relatively new-to-me Canonet QL17 GIII yet, but I thought I'd put up a quick guide on adjusting the rangefinder overlay. I just finished doing it, and it was quite a bit easier than I expected it to be.

I noticed the problem when I first got the camera off of eBay.  It was pretty minor, but I noticed that the overlay was vertically off just a little. So even when the focus level was maneuvered so that everything was perfectly lined up, it was still just a bit off.  Of course, this doesn't affect focusing at all, since the focus moves the overlay horizontally rather than vertically, but it was a little annoying.

Some New Additions

I've had a pretty good week for adding to my film camera collection.  The first bit of luck came when I noticed a Craigslist ad for a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm f/2 lens advertised for $25.  Looking at the completed listings on eBay, the approximate value for this camera and lens in this condition looks to be around $60 to $80, so I drove out there and picked it up.  I've got a test roll in there now, so at some point I'll be able to do a writeup for that one.

Then I gambled on an eBay auction for a Canon Canonet QL17 GIII, a 35mm rangefinder from 1972. The value of this camera is a little harder to pin down, it currently looks to be selling for between about $60 and $150.  Some lower priced cameras needed only replacement light seals and some were in worse shape.  The best condition cameras fetch the higher prices.