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Canon cononet QL 17 GIII

Sweetlou42

Member
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Jun 3, 2019
Messages
89
Location
California
Format
35mm RF
just purchased really nice version, buy no battery. Really confused as to which battery to use now, and will the replacement work with the light meter? Thank you
 
The original battery is no longer available as it is mercury. It's the PX625. You can buy the Zinc Air battery MRB625 which has the same voltage but doesn't last long. I use the PX625a alkaline battery which has 1.5V instead of the correct 1.35V but the meter works fine. It's less than 1/2 stop off.
 
Amazon?
 
If you're shooting a negative film, you probably can get by with an alkaline battery and just accept the exposure will be a little off. I never worried about it. You can always use the camera in manual - that's one of the attractions of the Canonet QL17 GIII. Here's hoping you got a good one. You should plan on replacing light seals, they may be gummy. But it's a great camera. Very easy to take good pictures with it.
 
There are a bunch of solutions for the 625 battery challenge, and once you choose one, they are quite easy to work with.
Basically they consist of:
1) using an alkaline cel and not worrying to much about accuracy;
2) having the camera modified to take batteries that are currently available and provide different but consistent voltage;
3) buying an adapter that converts the size and voltage of currently available silver oxide based batteries;
4) buying an adapter that converts the size of readily available and inexpensive hearing aid batteries; and
5) using the Wein cels that are the right size.

I have in the past or now use both the 3rd and the 4th options. I have in the past had cameras (like an Olympus OM-1) that I might have considered having modified if I was also having the camera serviced as part of scheduled maintenance.

My advice would be to pursue option 4 first, because it is effective and inexpensive. Once you have used the camera for a while, you can consider option 2 or 3 if you think that the advantages of doing so (longer battery life) make sense given your use of the camera.
 

Where would I find an adapter for hearing aides , option 4
I really don’t care how often I replace battery
 

I ordered one from amazon $4.oo, we’ll see what happens with this route, thx
 
I ordered a few aluminum adapters from ebay about 5 years ago. They were cheap and work great. Both my QL17s have them. I picked up enough for each camera that needed them plus the 4 brass ones I that I don't remember where they came from. I buy 675 hearing aid batteries from Walgreens drug store. they usually have a buy one get one half off special for a total of like 48 batteries for about $25 or so. Been a little while since I bought them.

Here is what I came up with doing a quick search, they are brass but if you do some more digging you can probably find other options.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MR-9-Batte...119974?hash=item36217db326:g:520AAOSw9fRZvNyX
 
Sweetlou42 said:
Where would I find an adapter for hearing aides , option 4
I really don’t care how often I replace battery
Click to expand...
In the past I've bought mine from jon goodman, who is more famous for his excellent light seal replacement kits.
My last contact email for him was jon_goodman@yahoo.com
And my earlier contact email for him was JGood21967@aol.com
 
A #9 o-ring will allow you to use a zinc air battery in many cameras, but not the Canon as it doesn't allow electrical contact on the edge. Some old info here: http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/jon.pdf
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D8DC9D6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered these batteries from amazon, do I still need the brass adapters as well?
 
Sweetlou42 said:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D8DC9D6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered these batteries from amazon, do I still need the brass adapters as well?
Click to expand...
Those are alkaline batteries. They are the right size, but their voltage is both wrong and not consistent enough to give you correct meter readings through much of their life. They correspond to choice #1 in my earlier post.
The brass (or other material) adapters allow you to use a zinc air battery that gives the right and consistent voltage but would otherwise be the wrong physical size.
Don't throw away the alkaline batteries, some handy people use them to make the adapters that allow you to use the zinc air batteries.
 
Another bad purchase, damn it! But I do think I found them, the brass adapter you showed and a zinc air Duracell battery 675

Thanks
 
Sweetlou42 said:
Another bad purchase, damn it! But I do think I found them, the brass adapter you showed and a zinc air Duracell battery 675

Thanks
Click to expand...
Buy the 675 batteries from places that sell hearing aid batteries. As an example, the Costco ones around here come in large quantities, for very little money.
 

I usually use choice 0 which means I use it without meter or battery. Otherwise I use choice 1 and and test the meter and see how it works. I never care for other choices.
 
Sweetlou42 said:
Another bad purchase, damn it! But I do think I found them, the brass adapter you showed and a zinc air Duracell battery 675

Thanks
Click to expand...

Not completely. That battery will allow you to confirm that the meter is working. Initially, it will give you readings that are probably close enough for b/w negative work. After a bit of use, the voltage will drop to the level where it's spot on (but you won't know when that is). Then it gets to the point where the voltage is too to be accurate. My suggestion is to go ahead and use it for a while (maybe 20 rolls?).

That will give you time to order the adapters from Jon Goodman or from ebay (cheap if they come directly from China). Zinc Air require air to activate, so make sure any adapter you get has a hole in the bottom for air to reach the zinc air cell.

Also, you may want to try the adapter with a silver oxide (1.5v) battery. You may find that you can compensate by changing the ISO setting. But the Canon ISO settings may not be precise enough to do this. I think higher voltage gives lower exposure, so you would have to "fool" the meter by setting an ISO value lower than your film's ISO value.
 
adjust the QL17 meter for a different battery voltage is pretty easy. That said, you don't want to use alkaline batteries because their voltage changes as they discharge. Put a silver or lithium battery in there, adjust the pot under the top piece *, and you're good to go. It may not be perfect, but even with the correct battery, I doubt they are that accurate.

• To adjust the meter remove the top piece, and there should be a pot right behind the piece that wiggles to show you the film is advancing. Put the new battery in, and adjust the pot while comparing to a known good camera.
 
Sweetlou42 said:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D8DC9D6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered these batteries from amazon, do I still need the brass adapters as well?
Click to expand...

This photo shows 3 of the adapters but for the Canonet GIII you will only need one. Just wanted to show the aluminum and brass as well as the vent hole in the back of the aluminum one. The 675 zinc air batteries can be bought in value packs. the card I have in the photo was from a 24 pack if I remember correctly.
 

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