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It is a wonderful 35mm rangefinder camera, loaded with auto or manual exposure. Meter reading is on the money, best 35mm range finder I have ever used, Enjoy the sharp photos I get with the 40mm lens. I don't like where the self timer lever is but I have been able to work around it. If I am lazy I set it to full auto, if I get creative I can set both the shutter and aperture manually. Camera is built with a all metal body and weighs around 1 1/2 pounds which gives a solid feel in your hand. The camera brings back memories when I was in high school and purchased one, I love the retro styling of the 70's.
This camera has been a lot of fun to use, I had to buy the battery adapter for it to utilize the shutter priority properly. The camera itself is beautiful, simple, and real fun to use. This is my first rangefinder camera and I can see the benefits and the change of shooting style with a rangefinder. Note* the light meter only works in shutter priority (when you put the aperture ring on A). When shooting in manual, you have to use an external light meter or learn to read light. The lens is sharp and fast at 1.7 wide open. The shutter is so quite that at times you wonder whether you took a picture or not. Since there is no mirror you can shoot at slow shutter speeds and be to get little motion blur. All in all this canonet ql-17 giii is a fun inexpensive way to get your hands on a rangefinder camera.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
One of the best compact rangefinders money can buy (and not a lot of money is needed). I have the rarer black version, and wanted to buy the silver one to have the pair. Either one is the same, and they're great. They feel really good in the hand, small and heavy but not excessively, they feel sturdy, rugged and well built. If you can, go for the MIJ (made in Japan) versions as they're better built with less plastic, but the Taiwanese models are great too. The lens is super sharp and has a nice glow to it, it's not all sterile and perfect; it has character. The short lens focus throw is nice too, great for quick and easy focussing. The QL (quick load) system works flawlessly and makes changing film a breeze. The check batter function is useful for making sure you're good to go, and the lack of need for a on/off switch is cool thanks to the smart light meter design. THe light meter is just above the lens, still within the area which would be covered by filters however. This means that when you put a filter on, you don't have to compensate for readings, and the lens cap acts as the power switch. The common complaint about these is the battery, but a 5 dollar Wein cell fixes this and gives you consistent light meter readings until it dies, and it lasts months of use. Everything about this camera just works, it feels great in the hand and looks really great too. If you can get a lens hood I would recommend it, just to eliminate any rogue light, but it isn't necessary - it looks cool too. I have original leather cases for both which are nice accessories, and the flashes too which were specifically designed for the Canonet range. However, all of this info applies to the whole Canonet range - the QL17 is a great camera, the QL 19 and 28 are also great, the only advantage of the 17 is the large 1.7 aperture, which is useful for low-light situations. Using a 400 speed film I've never had issues getting a proper exposure. Which leads me to my one minor criticism. The semi-auto mode is shutter priority. I believe that the aperture has a greater final effect on the photo over the shutter speed, and the aperture is the only automated measure. If only it was switched, i.e. aperture priority, that would be awesome. However, the system works great and isn't that big of a deal. If you know you're stuff just throw it into manual and do it yourself. All in all, get this camera if your budget allows it. You will NOT be disappointed. Get all the accessories you can as it just adds to the great features of the camera.Read full review
There's a reason it's called the poor man's Leica. This camera takes super sharp imagines and has a shutter speed priority. It's very quiet and easy to load. Be careful of two things. They no longer sell the Mercury batteries these originally took, but you can find a replacement alkaline and may need a bit of aluminum foil for it to fit. The second is sometimes in darker rooms the focus is a bit hard to see. Over all for the price (I think they've gone up due to their popularity on Instafeam ?) this camera is definitely worth adding to your collection- esp if you want to try out rangefinders.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Use the camera about one month,shot 4 rolls - the first impression was good, used to use the focusing lever, it was pretty unusual for me, but since started the second roll - it was just right for me, like I've used it all of my life. Regarding the battery - I use ZincAir A675, that's a bit smaller diameter, but my conacts hold it properly, so I don't need any additional rings by now. Easy to use, easy to focus, the exposure meter works fine, but I prefer to shoot in manual mode, only checking the light conditions ones and then just shoot (Sunny 16). There was a problem with advance lever, solved by rub the rubber tappets by eraser. Nice camera so far! plan to stay with it at least one year. I love it!
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