Outrageous prices for canonet!!

JRieke

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I've been bidding on several canonet 17 QL III cameras on ebay but I've been letting them all go after they pass the $30 mark with shipping. I've seen several go for $60 or more! Am I being unreasonable to think that I should be able to find one in ok shape for around $30? They all seem to be selling high to me.
 

Konical

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Good Morning, JRieke,

I think the one I bought several years ago was for about $15-20.

Konical
 

2F/2F

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I agree. This is one case where the Internet is not the way to find a deal on a camera. Keep your eyes peeled for a local deal.
 

srs5694

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FWIW, I just checked at KEH, and they've got two Canonets. One is described as EX with a price of $172 and the other is also EX, but "self timer inoperative" for $49.
 
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JRieke

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I bought a yashica GSN instead. Got if for $15 shipped and after looking at all the diagrams I'm pretty sure I can fix anything that may be wrong with it.
 

Anscojohn

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The Canonet QIII 1.7 has achieved "iconic" status; now has a "cachet." In olden days in days of yore we would say it is an "in" camera. Thus are prices inflated.
 

elekm

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Some people seem to think that this camera has magical photographic qualities. As I recall in the 1970s, all of these were seen as cameras for those on a budget. It was more than an Instamatic and less than an SLR.

Briefly, what happens is that they get talked up on Internet forums, and then people start chasing them.

These still are cameras with modest specifications. The lenses are good, but they're not that good. Most have simple trap-needle autoexposure, as well as having top and bottom decks of a dentable lightweight alloy.

I think a price range of $25-$40 is more than enough.

Three months from now, it will be an Olympus model and then maybe a Minolta model before or after that.
 

Anscojohn

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[These still are cameras with modest specifications. The lenses are good, but they're not that good. Most have simple trap-needle autoexposure, as well as having top and bottom decks of a dentable lightweight alloy.
*******
Having first begun selling cameras retail in the middle 1960s, I have seen a few cameras come and go. IIRC, we sold the Taiwanese-built Canonet for 69 dollars--hardly a cheap price at a time when a brand-new VW beetle could be bought for$1,500; 25 sheet envelopes of Kodak paper for $2.50 and Micke Dees fries were a dime. Considering the quality of the glass (six element lens); the parallax correcting rangefinder/viewfinder; the distance- adjusted automatic flash exposure with 1) the dedicated flash 2) or by dialing in the guide number; and the full manual over ride, the Canon GIII was a whole lot of excellent picture quality and innovative design features.
I acquired a GIII some years ago that I sent to Ecuador with my wife, who wanted excellent-quality pictures, but wanted to go with a camera that would not distress us too terribly were it lost, strayed, or stolen. This in lieu of her pristine, much loved Canon IVS2. Her chromes were outstanding.
I sold off that camera with a whole lot of other equipment some years ago. I now have one and do not plan to part with another one.
The "down" part of the camera--it's limited ASA range in auto bothers me not one whit. I rarely shoot anything over ISO 25. The real aggravation to me is that I have to use a step up ring because of that @#$* 48mm filter size.
I never considered the similar Ollie 35RC or the little Minoltas as good a camera. FWIW.
 

McFortner

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Ah, this explains why the prices went nuts just after I got my Canonet 28 a few weeks ago! I'm glad I got it when I did. It takes nice pictures and is smaller than my Yashica Electro 35 GSNs. Well, now to find another unknown "gem" before somebody blogs about it and ruins it for the rest of us!

Michael
 

lens_hacker

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These cameras sold in the $120 range when new, over 35 years ago. The Cost of a CLA these days is easily $70. So finding one that needs work, such as new seals or gummed up shutter in the $20-$30 range is reasonable. I've picked them up in that range, CLA'd them, and resold them in the $75 range on RFF. They were always snapped up very quickly at that price.

A lot of Canonets have etched front glass. I've replaced a number of front elements in otherwise EX+ and better cameras. So again, you can buy them "as-is" on Ebay and might get lucky. Or just build up enough "bad ones" and make a good one.

Brian
 

mudman

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I got mine for $2 at a garage sale. Front element is a bit etched, the glass in the rangefinder is broken (still works fine!) and the seals aren't the best. But it takes great photos as it is, haven't had a problem with it yet.
 

Kevin Caulfield

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I was recently given a Canonet, but don't know which model it is. It has the little glass bubbles (exposure) around the lens as per the Olympus Pen. I'll need to get it serviced as it seems stuck on a small aperture, but I'm not sure if it is going to be cost-effective to repair?
 

IloveTLRs

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I got a black-body Canonet a little while back for $15. The lens is kind of dirty inside and the meter is off, but it takes nice photos. Most of the Canonets (usually the QL17 or 19) that I run across are in bad to terrible condition; almost all have fungus in their lenses and/or scratches. And I read somewhere that they are put together tightly, making lens removal a pain or impossible.
 

McFortner

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Ok, I was a bad boy and just got another Canonet 28 for $15 inc. s/h. Gotta love buy it now....

Michael
 

srs5694

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Do you have any references for potential do-it-yourself CLAs on these (or other similar) cameras? I know how to replace light seals, but fixing shutters is another matter. I've got a Canonet that worked OK when I got it, but the shutter is now misbehaving on slow speeds. It might be worth expanding my photographic skill set a bit....
 

leicarfcam

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The GIII QL17 is nowhere near as well made as the first version and in my opinion is not worth what many are willing to pay.

I've got 2 that costs me total $25..
 

Anscojohn

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******
Google the camera. I recall seeing a description, with pictures. on how to get in to the shutter from inside the camera body.
 

ChrisC

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From what I've rad on other forums a lot of people buying these up are quite young (18-25). At least is seems like they're talking about them vastly more than anywhere else.
 

Paul Goutiere

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On Ebay someone recently purchased a Canonet QL19 for about $75.00 when you include shipping. These can be had at garage sales etc. for just a few dollars. Considering the limited abilities of this camera $75.00 is a heck of a lot of money. A QL17 can fetch even more, as much as $175.00 !!!! (check completed auctions on Ebay)

I think one should refrain from drinking alcohol when searching auction sites.
 
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JRieke

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I really wanted a 19 just as a truck camera. I have never shot with a range finder before and figured the canonet would be a good place to start. I wanted the 19 for the slightly longer lens. Once I found out that I could buy five yashica eletro 35s for the price of one canonet I decided to go that way.

Now I'm looking at a all manual ricoh to toss in my walking bag.

People get stupid on ebay, I've bought things then turned around and sold them for twice what I paid just because I took prettier pictures of the item.

Moral of the story is, though it lacks the manual options I'll stick with the Yashica and carry a Ricoh 500 for when I want manual.
 

McFortner

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Paul Goutiere said:
I think one should refrain from drinking alcohol when searching auction sites.
Click to expand...

I'm starting to wonder if I need to be restricted from accessing eBay. I just can't help myself. I start looking for bargain basement prices and my willpower goes *poof*! Well, at least I think I'm done for a while. I now have plenty of film, plenty of cameras, developing tank, changing bag, and a bulk reloader. I just need a 12 step program....

Michael
 

Sirius Glass

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Get over it, Michael! It is called G.A.S.!

steve
 
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