Defogging Canonet Rangefinder

[Lowenburg]

I just bought a really cute Canonet in nice condition except for the rangefinder being a bit foggy. I have no reservations about disassembling it but would feel better if someone out there who has done it can post up some general directions.

The light seals on this camera are also going to need replacement but I already found another thread that deals with that...so thanks to anyone who contributed to it.

Finally, does anyone have battery recommendations for this camera? I'm sure the original batteries manufactured for it are no longer available, so what would be the modern equivalent?

Thanks!
Bill

 

[AshenLight]

The currently (no pun intended) available replacement battery for the Canonet GIII 17 and 19 is the Z625PX zinc-air battery. You should be able to find these online. There is a good amount of information about all Canon rangefinders at:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=37&order=desc


Hope this helps,

Ash

 

[f/stopblues]

Good suggestion about going over to rangefinderforum.com. They're a good group of people with a lot of knowledge.

I found instructions for removing the top plate there a year or so ago. It was pretty straightforward and some gentle cleaning of the inside glass surfaces made a world of difference. Good luck!

 

[DBP]

There is a good diagram on Rick Oleson's site http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-30.html.

As for the battery, the Canonet has a voltage stabilization circuit, so a plain old silver or even alkaline battery will work.

 

[dmr]

As for the battery, the Canonet has a voltage stabilization circuit, so a plain old silver or even alkaline battery will work.

Uh, ummmm ... if you've got the QL17 GIII it does not. It's a basic series circuit and very dependent on voltage. I can post a simplified schematic if anybody needs it.

The commonly available battery will run "hot" and tend toward underexposure.

I've been able to recalibrate the GIII to handle both the new batteries and 1600 film, but it's not something I would recommend unless you really want it.

 

[DBP]

Uh, ummmm ... if you've got the QL17 GIII it does not. It's a basic series circuit and very dependent on voltage. I can post a simplified schematic if anybody needs it.

The commonly available battery will run "hot" and tend toward underexposure.

I've been able to recalibrate the GIII to handle both the new batteries and 1600 film, but it's not something I would recommend unless you really want it.

Apparently I was misinformed in this thread here (there was a url link here which no longer exists). But I have taken many pictures with mine over the years with a plain alkaline battery and no problem.

 

[dmr]

Apparently I was misinformed in this thread here (there was a url link here which no longer exists). But I have taken many pictures with mine over the years with a plain alkaline battery and no problem.

Actually, I have two cameras, the black GIII and the Mamiya SD, which have never been recalibrated. Both are well within the margin of error for color negative film with the "wrong" batteries. I just have to watch things when shooting slide film.

 

[dmr]

Here's a simplified schematic of the QL17 GIII.

Most of the messy stuff has to do with the Canolite flash unit. Highlighted is the current path for the meter, which is easy to see as a series circuit. No voltage regulation at all.