BEST Fixed-Lens 35mm Rangefinder EVER? The Canonet GIII QL17 Review
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- čas přidán 18. 12. 2018
- With it's superb f1.7 maximum aperture lens and intuitive handling, the Canonet GIII QL17 is one of the most popular compact , fixed lens rangefinder cameras EVER. Canon sold 1.2 MILLION of these little gems during it's ten year production run from 1972-1982.
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I just want to let you know sir that you made me buy this camera. Thanks.
Enjoy it. It’s an awesome camera. It’s never let me down.
This is my first film camera! You really need to be mindful of the sprockets when loading a film, and pay attention on the film advance feature. Lost my 2nd roll of film because of my lack of caution (I kept on shooting without checking if the film advances or not)
awesome video again! Please do Rollei 35 s :)
Great video. Nice to hear a more detailed review.
Thanks my friend. I do what I can.
Thanks for the clear introduction. I always wanted one of these, so when my repair guy had a serviced one, I jumped on it. I haven't gotten on with it yet, but picked up some tips here that might help.
It’s a fine camera with a great lens. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Thanks for tuning in.
Wonderful fixed lens film camera and very well done explanation of it.
Thanks so much. It's one of my all-time faves.
Thanks for the review.
In my opinion, the Canonet GIII QL17, also known as the poor man's Leica, was a great camera that is still worth it provided you do not need interchangeable lenses.
Absolutely true. It has a brilliant lens also.
You do great reviews. Love your style. Great voice too. Keep ‘em coming! 👍
This camera became famous when it appeared in the movie "Pecker," by John Waters. That movie is a masterpiece in itself, just like the Canon QL17.
Really. I’ll to look this one up. Never heard of the movie. Thanks for the tip.
Wasn’t that a Canonet 28, not the 17?
Oh man you are spot on once again. I bought two! 1st one was stolen with in about 2-3 weeks. Even though I had full 35 mm systems & medium format to boot, I went right out & bought another.
I'm glad you talked about the 4 stroke advance. As soon as you talked about it, I thought , "huh?" I don't rem mine having that either.
So it's true that they all didn't have that I guess.
"...which no one can see without a magnifying glass..." LOL, so true once you leave your twenties :)
Wow good video. Very thorough and pleasant to listen to, good camera work and views thru viewfinder. Subbed
I have a v2 version on the way. Crap shoot on how nice it is but seller said minty and fully operational. Fingers crossed. He did say some light haze so hoping not to bad.
I understand the viewfinder alignment can be adjusted by unscrewing the cap under the shoe and by lifting the shoe. One for very one for horiz. That is the only thing I think you could ad to this video
I very rarely open up or do any mechanical work on my cameras. I just don't know enough about the internals and I'm not great at that type of stuff, lol. I did figure out how to correct the shutter issue with my Minox camera which I covered in the Minox review but that's about it for me.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Yeah, I can't do anything any fine work more - including decwnt photography as my eyes were destroyed by Leukemia treatments. I love these metal film camera though and really enjoy you vids.
Thanks so much.
I was looking for a rangefinder to add to my camera collection. Leica was out of the question for now, but this Canon falls right into my budget. Great review as usual ! Not sure about the over/under compensation, since this camera will not allow you to over/under expose ?
Great choice! No, the QL17GIII doesn’t have an exposure compensation function but you can always take a reading in the auto mode and switch to manual mode and alter the settings for over/under exposure. Another method would be to lock in the exposure by half-pressing the shutter while pointing he camera at what you want to expose for and then recomposing your shot. Hope this helps!
Awesome review! Which camera do you think has more upside, This Canon or Olympus 35 rc?
Definitely the Canon. It’s probably the best fixed-lens film rangefinder ever. It has a perfect lens, great ergonomics, good viewfinder, etc. checks all the boxes. The Olympus lens is nearly as good and the camera is a little smaller. It doesn’t have the ergonomics of the Canon but it still gets the job done.
Volume level is sometimes quite low. Other than that, fantastic! I really appreciate the detailed reviews!
Yeah my videos are a work in progress. Thanks for the feedback tho!
@@FilmPhotographyChannel I just pulled it up on my TV with Chromecast and increased the volume. I didn't know if you were aware of the volume issue. I have watched several of your other videos today which didn't have the volume issue. There may be a gain setting on your main camera used for video. It could be a proximity issue also. Hope that helps. I'm really enjoying the videos though. Thank you very much for all of your hard work producing these.
@@KristiGay1973 I knew about this one because I remember someone else bringing it up a little while back. There might be another one also but that should be it (I hope). I'm glad you're enjoying my channel. You made my day!
I’m so confused on what battery to get, can you provide a link to help or a link of which one I need to buy for this film camera?
It's a pretty common battery. Don't worry if the voltage isn't exactly the same as recommended. It won't throw off the meter by much at all. www.amazon.com/WeinCell-MRB625-Replacement-Battery-PX625/dp/B00009VQJ7/ref=asc_df_B00009VQJ7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309777800852&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14577580369446567410&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027226&hvtargid=pla-561721420491&psc=1
Hi! Do you think is better than the Minolta Hi Matic 7SII? and if so, why? Thank!
Hi that’s what I concluded in my comparison video of these fixed-lens compacts. It’s the “Baby Leica” video. In summary, the Minolta has a very warm colored, contrasty and sharp lens which may be a little much for some people especially with a high contrast film. I personally love it! The Canonet has a more neutral, “perfect” and slightly sharper lens than the Minolta. Check out the video; I have sample photos also.
What's up my man? Your film camera collection is massive oh, I wouldn't know where to keep them all LOL. For some reason I can't get into rangefinders because looking through its viewfinder I can't see what the lens is doing and I feel so disconnected compared to a tlr or SLR. By the way I have something you might be interested in I just reviewed on my channel lomography color negative 100 in medium format it's probably the most inexpensive medium format Color Film available. You're more than welcome to check it out if you like you might get a kick out of it
I’ll Absolutely check it out. Please send me the link.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel czcams.com/video/IXOY2UxfbSg/video.html
It’s funny that you mentioned rangefinders as I’m working on a review using the Leica M6 with the upgraded MP rangefinder. I was actually giving it some thought and I think the reason I prefer them so much is because they are big, bright and in focus all the time. That fact makes composition more of a priority than with an SLR. Using a rangefinder I think a lot more about composition than anything else. This is especially true with the Leica’s since the rangefinder is so nice.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel that is true I've been working on composition and line more also. But the thing is you could be aiming your Leica at a model in a backlit situation and the sun could be flaring on the lens in a way that you would not want and you won't see it until after you develop this film. But then again if you're a Leica man your lenses don't flare LOL
Hah! Great point
Would you recommend the canonet ql17 giii or the minolta hi matic 7sii for street photography?
They are both very good for street photography. The Minolta lens is very sharp and highly contrasty while the Canon lens is very sharp with perfect (normal) contrast. For street photography, the larger viewfinder and large focusing tab of the Canon makes it a better handling camera overall. It also costs less than the Minolta and I really like the quick loading system. The Canon is a little larger and heavier and the Minolta feels like a small Leica. My answer is the Canon is better for street photography with the caveat being that the Minolta doesn’t have any major handling problems, it’s just that the Canon is really good!
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. but, which lens do you think is sharper?
In my comparison review I determined that the Canon is a bit sharper than the Minolta. I was surprised since the Minolta is a really sharp lens in its own right but after looking at similar photos under the same conditions I think Canon gets the nod. Check the photos on my Flickr to see if you agree. Link in the description of the “Shootout video”.
Every time someone asks me my opinion on a camera, I want to go out and start using it again. Lol
How can I get it exposure correctly as the battery is not Availible anymore?
Hi Johnny, you can use the MRB625 1.35V battery with no problem on C41 negative film. Negative film has a very wide exposure latitude so you’ll have no problem whatsoever. You can always adjust the ASA setting for one stop below box speed of the film if you need closer accuracy, ie for slide film.
Hello Thanks so much for your information I just bought adapter for the battery to get the right voltage. One stop below boxspeed is not Possible I like to try cinestill 50d that had only 50 iso haha did you try cinestill?
Hi, I have yet to try cinestill. Isn't that the film with a thick layer that has to be washed off in the development process?
@@FilmPhotographyChannel well that one you talk about is called Kodak vision3 that is the original film used in alot of Hollywood cinema films. Like born identity, jurasic park etc etc a really long list. The cut the film and make it possible for still cameras. But there is the remjet layer that need extra processing in development. Another company called cinestill made this roll without the remjet layer so it can be processed with c41.... so cool!
That’s good to know. I’ll have to get some then. I always like trying out new film!
Olympus 35 SP
So many cameras in this category.
Omg I thought that was Auntie Fee in thumb nail 🙄
nobody needs a 2000 dollar Leica if you have this.
bruh
Thanks
No. It's Bunch of hype, other fixed rangefinder can give same result. It's just Bunch of botz hyping this camera just like Fuji x100v
That’s not true at all. Check out my comparison video to see my findings. This little Canonet has the best lens in a fixed-lens rangefinder that I’ve ever used. I’ll grant that I haven’t used every one that’s ever been made but it’s on par with a proper Leica Summicron.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel With all due respect, my fixed lens on my Yashica rangefinder ( Lynx 5000 ) CAN be a summicron leica lens. It's called light room editing, bump up Sharpness.
@@eddiegee2940 well you can do that with any picture, we're talking here about raw performance, not some post-processing enhancement that not everyone will do.
@Miguel Concepcion End of the day, there are images that need emphasize on sharpness and other images not a whole great deal require emphasis on sharpness because it's all about the content.