Canonet QL19 Stuck Focusing Ring

mindthemix · Apr 8, 2018

The focusing ring on my QL19 is totally stuck and I'm planning to repair it myself. The other camera functions work just fine and the lens is in mint condition.

Can I access the focusing ring to look what's wrong removing the front element or do I need to remove the whole lens from the assembly to the chassis of the camera?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

E. von Hoegh · Apr 8, 2018

Search the web for a service manual. If you have experience and tools, it isn't terribly complex. If not, send it to a good technician. Great camera, I have one It's worth paying for a cla.

David Lyga · Apr 8, 2018

On the QL 17 III (which is a bit smaller than yours) the whole front lens/shutter assembly can come loose if you turn the LARGE circular spanner washer CLOCKWISE (the opposite of what you would think to loosen a screw) that surrounds the rear element set. The difficult part here is that the wiring does not allow for that much removal, as the wires have little leeway. I forgot if this is the same for yours, but either try that or see if there are screws under the vinyl on the front of the camera allowing removal of that assembly. Sorry I could not pinpoint this. - David Lyga

mindthemix · Apr 8, 2018

E. von Hoegh said:
Search the web for a service manual. If you have experience and tools, it isn't terribly complex. If not, send it to a good technician. Great camera, I have one It's worth paying for a cla.

Thanks for the feedback! I already contacted Lezot Camera Repair but the stuck focusing ring is not covered by the CLA so it will try to do it myself and then send it to them.

mindthemix · Apr 8, 2018

David Lyga said:
On the QL 17 III (which is a bit smaller than yours) the whole front lens/shutter assembly can come loose if you turn the LARGE circular spanner washer CLOCKWISE (the opposite of what you would think to loosen a screw) that surrounds the rear element set. The difficult part here is that the wiring does not allow for that much removal, as the wires have little leeway. I forgot if this is the same for yours, but either try that or see if there are screws under the vinyl on the front of the camera allowing removal of that assembly. Sorry I could not pinpoint this. - David Lyga

Thank you, David! yes, there are four screws under the vinyl so I guess that's the easy way to see what's wrong with the focusing helicoid.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 8, 2018

One more time...LOOK AT THE SERVICE MANUAL FIRST.

John Koehrer · Apr 8, 2018

Not sure why you need to remove the lens from the body, the helical is accessible from the front of the camera, assuming there's not something jammed into the helicoid

mindthemix · Apr 8, 2018

John Koehrer said:
Not sure why you need to remove the lens from the body, the helical is accessible from the front of the camera, assuming there's not something jammed into the helicoid

That's the key question, John. I don't know at this point if there's something jammed into the helicoid due to an impact damage. I guess removing the front element is just the starting point. Thanks for the note!

David Lyga · Apr 9, 2018

I will say that it is strange if the focus will not move AT ALL vs STIFF: merely being subject to dried out lubricant. There might be a physical impediment here. - David Lyga

E. von Hoegh · Apr 9, 2018

mindthemix said:
Thanks for the feedback! I already contacted Lezot Camera Repair but the stuck focusing ring is not covered by the CLA so it will try to do it myself and then send it to them.

Good idea. Service techs just LOVE sorting out failed home repair attempts...

mindthemix · Apr 11, 2018

E. von Hoegh said:
Good idea. Service techs just LOVE sorting out failed home repair attempts...

Totally agree! but for $25 I'll give it a try.

albada · Apr 12, 2018

Before destroying a good camera, I suggest destroying a worthless camera such as a Petri 7S first (they are plentiful on eBay). You need proper tools and some knowhow, as you'll discover with the Petri.

Mark Overton

mindthemix · Apr 12, 2018

albada said:
Before destroying a good camera, I suggest destroying a worthless camera such as a Petri 7S first (they are plentiful on eBay). You need proper tools and some knowhow, as you'll discover with the Petri.

Mark Overton

Got the picture Mark! My plan is not to destroy the camera; I know my limitations but I have a sweet rate of success fixing some vintage items beyond cameras so I feel confident I would be able to stop at the right screw... Thanks for the advice though.

4season · Apr 12, 2018

If it's actually frozen in place due to dried-out grease, you might try squirting a few drops of lighter fluid under the focusing ring to see if that frees it. Worked brilliantly for me with an old Leitz Summicron.

mindthemix · Apr 16, 2018

4season said:
If it's actually frozen in place due to dried-out grease, you might try squirting a few drops of lighter fluid under the focusing ring to see if that frees it. Worked brilliantly for me with an old Leitz Summicron.

Thanks for the tip! I'll try that but I guess there's something mechanical going on here.

albada · Apr 17, 2018

mindthemix said:
Got the picture Mark! My plan is not to destroy the camera; I know my limitations but I have a sweet rate of success fixing some vintage items beyond cameras so I feel confident I would be able to stop at the right screw... Thanks for the advice though.

Your experience with other mechanical repairs puts you ahead of most people. I suspect that you've successfully repaired clocks, watches, or guns. With such experience, cameras won't be a problem.
I suggest buying one or both of Thomas Tomosy's books on repairing classic cameras, "Camera Maintenance and Repair". And then you'll be well on your way to being able to repair most cameras out there.

Mark Overton

E. von Hoegh · Apr 17, 2018

mindthemix said:
Thanks for the tip! I'll try that but I guess there's something mechanical going on here.

Try the solvent & be patient, I worked on a Contax rf mount 21mm Biogon, very expensive & not mine, with a frozen aperture ring - more than once I thought it had been epoxied, but solvent finally loosened it, after about 2 1/2 weeks.
Good luck, these are great cameras with excellent lenses.

mindthemix · Apr 25, 2018

albada said:
Your experience with other mechanical repairs puts you ahead of most people. I suspect that you've successfully repaired clocks, watches, or guns. With such experience, cameras won't be a problem.
I suggest buying one or both of Thomas Tomosy's books on repairing classic cameras, "Camera Maintenance and Repair". And then you'll be well on your way to being able to repair most cameras out there.

Mark Overton

Thanks so much for the recommendation Mark; I'll look into that for sure.

dxqcanada · Apr 25, 2018

Hmm, I wonder if the 19 is like the 17 ?
If so you could peel back the front leatherette without damaging it ... then take the whole lens assembly off for examination.
https://oldcam.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/ql17-the-final-frontier/
It was easier for me to take the whole thing off to work on it.

mindthemix · May 21, 2018

dxqcanada said:
Hmm, I wonder if the 19 is like the 17 ?
If so you could peel back the front leatherette without damaging it ... then take the whole lens assembly off for examination.
https://oldcam.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/ql17-the-final-frontier/
It was easier for me to take the whole thing off to work on it.

It is totally different but I'll get there! Thanks for your note.

dxqcanada · May 21, 2018

Hmm, yup it's different.

Canonet QL19 Stuck Focusing Ring

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