Canon G-III QL

Xmas · Jun 11, 2014

Don't worry you need to move the aperture off the little red 'A' to '1.7'.

The problem is the camera won't shoot unless the light is good and with no battery it says pitch dark shant !

Normally you need to select a shutter speed to leave the meter needle mid scale.

Hatchetman · Jun 11, 2014

also I think you have to have the film counter at least at "1".

Xmas · Jun 11, 2014

The early automatics were really primitive and all mechanical. No electronics to fail save variable resistors and switches.

So the meter is off in manual but fussy in auto. And I do mean off.

Only a few of the mechanical automatics don't have quirks...

I do use mine but in manual with a separate meter. The little lens hold up well against Canon's pro LTM system lenses and is semi wide at 40mm.

Xmas · Jun 11, 2014

Hatchetman said:
also I think you have to have the film counter at least at "1".

Well mine fires on loading each blank frame to 1, ... and on, it is very quiet.

Xmas · Jun 11, 2014

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/canon/canonet_g-iii_17/canonet_g-iii_17.htm

you probably need this

MichaelT72 · Jun 11, 2014

Mine fires at all speeds, no battery, no film. I hate to say this...but I believe your shutter blades may be stuck.

BetterSense · Jun 11, 2014

I run mine with no battery and I've never noticed a time when the shutter wouldn't cock and fire. I don't specifically remember trying with the film counter at zero or with the lens on A.

Xmas · Jun 11, 2014

Please down load the manual and read page 11

Which describes the shutter is locked in auto when the meter needle is in the red over or under exposure regions

If you are in auto and don't have a battery fitted the needle will be in underexposure

mine locks in auto with no battery

But there could be a shutter problem.

ToddB · Jun 12, 2014

Update

Hey guys, I really took some time and looked at the rangefinder. It was on A mode. So I took it off that setting and shutter works perfectly, even slow shutter speed. Thanks for all the advice. Just need a new battery which saw that someone listed in this thread someplace and a foam job. It would be awesome if I could locate a lens hood 4 to go with it. Does anyone have one?

Xmas · Jun 12, 2014

The filter thread is 48mm.

Canon did two hood options

clamp on series ring which accepted filters and hoods
screw on rubber

pretty rare animals

Or you can use a step ring to 49mm, cause 48mm is rare.

Any hood you fit needs to clear the rangefinder window so generic SLR hoods probably no good. Hoya and others made metal generics suitable.

Post a wanna buy...

Id get a uV filter as well or not clean the lens...

Ken Nadvornick · Jun 12, 2014

The third-party hood of choice is the Hoya 48mm black metal. Good shadowing and allows the use of filters. Minimal viewfinder encroachment. An eBay wait may be required to find one. Took me about six months, as I recall.

A close second choice is the inexpensive Kalt 49mm black metal with a step ring adapter down to 48mm. This combination gives a much deeper shade without vignetting, but is only usable without filters. Add a filter and it just begins to cut off the corners. Noticeably greater viewfinder encroachment. Looks really cool when attached.

Rubber hoods work, and are easy to source. Even in 48mm. But as most are designed to severely flare outward to make them usable with a range of focal length lenses, they seriously compromise the viewfinder. Skylight protection of the meter cell is also compromised. Good protection for bumping the lens, though.

If you do choose to use the internal camera meter, it's almost mandatory to also use a good hood, since the meter cell is located directly above the lens for automatic filter compensation. Without a hood the bright sky will seriously skew your readings, possibly by up to multiple stops.

Ken

Xmas · Jun 12, 2014

Ken Nadvornick said:
The third-party hood of choice is the Hoya 48mm black metal. Good shadowing and allows the use of filters. Minimal viewfinder encroachment. An eBay wait may be required to find one. Took me about six months, as I recall.

A close second choice is the inexpensive Kalt 49mm black metal with a step ring adapter down to 48mm. This combination gives a much deeper shade without vignetting, but is only usable without filters. Add a filter and it just begins to cut off the corners. Noticeably greater viewfinder encroachment. Looks really cool when attached.

Rubber hoods work, and are easy to source. Even in 48mm. But as most are designed to severely flare outward to make them usable with a range of focal length lenses, they seriously compromise the viewfinder. Skylight protection of the meter cell is also compromised. Good protection for bumping the lens, though.

If you do choose to use the internal camera meter, it's almost mandatory to also use a good hood, since the meter cell is located directly above the lens for automatic filter compensation. Without a hood the bright sky will seriously skew your readings, possibly by up to multiple stops.

Ken

You can lock the meter reading on 1st pressure of release for more refined readings.

elekm · Jun 13, 2014

You can use a hearing aid battery - Type 675 - to power the meter.

Make sure you change the foam seals. The foam probably is a horrible messy goo that can end up on your film, on the lens and in various places in the film chamber.

It also can end up on your clothing and on your hands.

ronwhit · Jul 4, 2014

Guide numbers in blue on aperture dial?

I have been very pleased with my G-III. and tend to use it mostly with B & W film. I have yet to use it with a flash, although there are three numbers (14, 20, 28) in blue engraved on the aperture dial. I believe they are guide numbers, bit for what flash and what films?. They seem to be progressive, e.g. for ASA 25, 50 and 100 films. Does this make sense?

A quick look at an online user's manual notes they are guide numbers for ASA films of 25, (?), and 800. I may be reading that wrong, but that looks like a misprint.

I believe Canon produced a dedicated Canolite D flash for this series of cameras. Do those guide numbers relate to that flash?

Thanks in advance for any input.

zanxion72 · Jul 4, 2014

An easy way to calculate the f stop at the synch speed of your camera is f stop=guide number/distance from subject for ASA 100. Then compensate the exposure for the EI of your film.

Kirks518 · Jul 11, 2014

If you need light seals, PM me. I refurb these all the time, and have tons of them, along with self-adhesive light seals that I pre-cut to the correct widths. Just so you know, there are the 3 on the door, one felt one near the hinge on the body (usually doesn't need to be replaced), and one in the bottom plate that goes around the double exposure button.

For batteries, I use the air-zinc Wein MRB625. They're 1.35v, which is the correct voltage, but they are air, so they don't last more then a couple of months once opened.

Xmas · Jul 12, 2014

ronwhit said:
I have been very pleased with my G-III. and tend to use it mostly with B & W film. I have yet to use it with a flash, although there are three numbers (14, 20, 28) in blue engraved on the aperture dial. I believe they are guide numbers, bit for what flash and what films?. They seem to be progressive, e.g. for ASA 25, 50 and 100 films. Does this make sense?

A quick look at an online user's manual notes they are guide numbers for ASA films of 25, (?), and 800. I may be reading that wrong, but that looks like a misprint.

I believe Canon produced a dedicated Canolite D flash for this series of cameras. Do those guide numbers relate to that flash?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Yes see

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/canon/canonet_g-iii_17/canonet_g-iii_17.htm

the camera controlled the aperture automatically with the dedicated flash gun, fitted.

I'll need the maintenance manual to hand to see how this was arranged, but you probably need the dedicated gun.

An auto flash is just as easy.

elekm · Jul 12, 2014

The foam on this camera is near to the top of the messiest that I've encountered. The messiest might be the Konica C35 Automatic, and this is very close to it.

The foam also is a bit corrosive, or at least it was on the three cameras that passed through my hands. It did a number on the satin chrome of the bottom plate and the black paint of the interior of the camera.

For batteries, I use a Type 675 zinc-air hearing-aid battery with a #9 O ring. Bend the contacts very slightly, and the battery will fit perfectly.

Canon G-III QL

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