Canon Canonet QL17

The Canon Canonet QL17 is the fixed-lens rangefinder that put a fast lens in a lot of hands. Canon built the Canonet family from 1965 into the 1980s and sold them in enormous numbers — over 1.2 million of the final G-III version alone — because the formula was hard to beat: a bright f/1.7 lens, a quiet leaf shutter, a proper coupled rangefinder, and the QL (Quick Loading) system that made loading film a matter of laying the leader down and closing the back. Compact, quiet and completely at home on the street.

Specifications

• Type: Fixed-lens coupled rangefinder, 35mm
• Lens: Canon 40mm f/1.7, 6 elements in 4 groups, f/1.7 to f/16 (the earliest 1965 original carries a 45mm f/1.7 — check the engraving on the front ring)
• Shutter: Copal leaf shutter, 1/4s to 1/500s + Bulb
• Flash sync: X sync at all speeds, hotshoe
• Metering: CdS cell above the lens, needle readout in the viewfinder, EV 3.5-17 at ASA 100
• Film speed: ASA 25-800
• Loading: Canon QL Quick Loading system
• Power: Designed for a 1.35V PX625 mercury cell, no longer manufactured
• Weight: approximately 620g

Condition

• Cosmetic: Very good condition, with some signs of age and use. The lens is clean with minor marks and scratches.
• Functional: Fully functional mechanically — shutter speeds and aperture both work. The meter is not working.

Included

• Canon Canonet QL17 body
• Half case for body

The shutter and aperture both work across the range, so this shoots perfectly well in manual with a handheld meter or a phone app. The built-in meter does not work — worth knowing that even on working examples the meter was designed around 1.35V PX625 mercury cells that are no longer made, so most Canonets need a workaround regardless. Note also the ASA 25-800 film-speed range, which rules out ISO 1600 stock.