[Canon] Canonet QL17 | March 1965
Canonet QL17
The EE (Electric Eye) feature and viewfinder were made as small as possible, and the internal construction was completely different from the original Canonet, making the QL17 a totally new model. However, it had a strong Canonet-like appearance.
The “QL” stood for “Quick Loading,” a feature which made film loading quick and easy. At first, “Quick Loading” was inscribed below the Canon logo. It was later replaced by “QL.”
- Type: 35mm Lens Shutter rangefinder camera with shutter speed-priority EE
- Picture Size: 24 x 36 mm
- Normal Lens: Canon SE 45mm f/1.7 (6 elements in 5 groups)
- Shutter: Copal SV; B, 1 to 1/500 sec. Built-in self-timer. Flash sync enabled with M-X switchable German socket
- Viewfinder: Coincidence rangefinder integrated with reversed Galilean viewfinder. Automatic parallax correction with projected frames and marked finder. 0.7x magnification. Viewfinder bottom features aperture scale (f/1.7 – f/16) and match needle correct exposure window/exposure warning indicator.
- Exposure Meter and EE: CdS comb-controlled shutter speed-priority EE. Metering range of EV 2.5 – 19 (at ISO 100). Film speed range of ISO 25 – 400. Manual exposure enabled by disabling AUTO.
- Power Source: One 1.3 V MP mercury cell
- Film Loading & Advance: After opening camera back, film leader is aligned at mark then advanced to first frame with Quick Loading (QL) system. Advances with camera-top lever. (120° single stroke)
- Frame Counter: Counts up. Resets automatically when camera back is opened.
- Film Rewind: Camera-top crank
- Dimensions & Weight: 140 x 79 x 37 mm, 830 g