Canon 7 prices

<p>OK. I've been bitten by the classic camera bug, but I'm a complete newbie in this area. I've got my heart set on a Canon 7. I've been looking at eBay but I can't seem to get a good sense of what a reasonable price should be. So what is a good price range for a mint condition body?</p>

<p>the canon 7s you mention is the " rolls royce" of LTM cameras,.<br>

there are other less well known models that share many of the same features.<br>

do some searching and then ;look for a sililar model.<br>

If you are only a " glass cabinet kind of person" then that model will be the only one.<br>

But if you intend to actually take photos as a camera owner should. a less well known model will please you.<br>

I got an email from a very well known but infrequent poster. he bought a similar but less well know canon screw thread model. Personally I do not like those with a fixed back.<br>

they SHOULD just be on a shelf. ( sorry guys)</p>

<p>( btw I am having a VERY BAD eye day)</p>

<p>http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm<br>

look gere and scroll way down to canon7</p>

<p>Or you can search google for <br>

"canon 7" "price guide"<br>

It should give you a general idea</p>

<p>Consider setting your sights for a Canon 7s, which has a more useful CdS meter instead of the probably non-functioning selenium meter of the 7. The meter on the 7s only goes up to ASA 400, but then I don't shot film faster than this, so it's no worry. The 7 is also missing an accessory shoe for placement of your finders when you decide to shoot a 28, 24, 21, 15, or 12mm lens. Be aware that the Canon LTM cameras used either silk shutter curtain, or in the case of the 7, a steel foil shutter. The steel shutter foil is easily crinkled if someone is a klutz while loading film, and they touch it. </p>

<p>I'm not sure what Walter is going on about. The Canon 7 and 7s have a swing open back for easy film loading. Even the Leica LTM and earlier Canon LTM cameras that require bottom loading are not so hard to load as long as the leader is trimmed properly.</p>

<p>As for price, I bought a very pristine (virtually mint) Canon 7s body with NO crinkles on the shutter curtains for about $300 in 2011. It was a local seller, so we met and did the trade in a coffee shop. You should factor in a cost for servicing these older cameras (about $150). Clarence Gass CLA'd mine, and made sure that the Canon 50mm 1.4 lens that I had would focus with pinpoint accuracy wide open and at 1m distance with this camera. A Wein cell or a silver oxide cell with a CRIS converter takes care of the meter power requirements. Exposures on Provia 400X slide film are dead on.</p><div></div>

<p>I lied. There is a tiniest dimple in the rear shutter curtain. But, this is about as clean a shutter curtain that I've seen on a Canon rangefinder.</p><div></div>

<p>" going on about" bottom loaders are never as easy to load as those with<br>

removable or hinged backs. I read the cameraquest articles<br>

and knew that the opening backs were part of canons advances over the early german cameras<br>

cameraquest talks about the 7 and earleier even some knob wind canon models with opening backs<br>

( they did not show a photo of the later wind knob models that aparentlu did have an opening back.</p>

<p>I admit that I have handled some older barnack cameras but never tried to load one.<br>

sounds and according to posts her quite tricly to do.</p>

<p>despite not having the feauires of a slr like my canon ae-1.<br>

the canons rf with opening backs were excellent cameras<br>

if I could afford one I would use it. </p>

<p>If you want a better cost factor and essentially not giving up on features and build quality, look for a Canon P model. The metering can be had handheld or an aftermarket slide onto cold shoe model. My Canon P came with a non working coupled Canon meter cold shoe feature. I use a Retina meter tiny, handy and rides on the cold shoe. By the way, most of these L39 Canons with metal shutters are wrinkled and pose no problems.</p>

<p>I have a great fondness for the Canon 7. I paid $250 for a mint one some years ago, with a fully working accurate meter, so I don't know if that is helpful to you. See my post <a href="/classic-cameras-forum/00XHsX">HERE</a><br /> Robert is right on all points about the 7s. Additionally, the hi/lo knob near the viewfinder of the 7 has a tendency to scratch eyeglasses. I put a tiny rubber O-ring around mine and it works like a champ. (Hey, Robert, check out my shutter curtain...perfecto!)</p>

<p>Paul is also correct that the P model is a great choice too at around $175-200 for a clean example last time I looked on eBay. I would expect somewhat more for a truly mint example. See my post about it <a href="/classic-cameras-forum/00ZjJv">HERE</a></p>

<p>Good luck, Anthony, the Canon's are fine shooter's</p>

<p>Shucks, Paul beat me to it. I recommend the P also. It's uncomplicated, with cleaner lines than the 7. And shoot, I just think it looks prettier. In fact, I'd have to say that, to me, the P is Canon's prettiest LTM camera. From some angles, the 7/7s's humped back makes it look like Quasimodo to me. However, I gotta say that the 7s in the photos above is just about the cleanest one I've ever seen.</p>

<p>I own one of Canon's "bottom feeders." It's a IIIa. If you're not familiar with the IIIa, think IVsb. They're almost identical. I don't see what the big deal is about bottom loading. I take my time when I'm using that camera, and that includes loading the film.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the great info. Lots to think about.</p>

<p>Lou - I believe it was your post that inspired me to get the Canon 7s in the first place. I envy your truly mint shutter, though mine functions just fine with its little dimple.<br>

Come to think of it, your post on the Aires III inspired me to get that camera too. That's how I got to meet Clarence and Betty Gass over the telephone lines.<br>

<br />As someone pointed out in your Canon 7 posting - "You're bad for my wallet".<br>

But, when you make a trip to Chicago, I'd love to meet you.</p>

<p>If you ck on fleabay, there is, or usually is, a seller that has these at good prices. He tends to list several at once, and they tend to be users but work fine. I would say $125 to $200 is what I would pay, depending on condition. All of them will probably have the wrinkled shutters, which seems to not have any ill effects, they just look odd. I thought they were excellent cameras w/ great focus patches, but they are big, and I found the the shutters weren't always running at indicated speeds. I got good exposures, but not on the money like a good Leica. Now I have an inexpensive shutter tester and know what my cameras are doing before I run any film in them. Wish I'd done that a long time ago. I used to have an L-1 and though it was great, even nicer than the 7, but it was even bigger and longer. I finally went to a Bessa R because they had such great meters, and the shutters were so accurate and ran up to 1/2000. Once you get past the fact they're a plastic camera, you learn to love them because they're so much fun to use, and cheap too. </p>

<p>Try www.igorcamera.com or the classified ads on RFF. The V/F of the 7 makes it arguably the best Canon RFDR model. It also usually costs less than the P or the earlier models. Crinkled shutter curtains work as well as clean ones. The meter is usually not of any use.</p>

<p>The Canon 7 is the best "deal" of the P, 7,and 7s, since the selenium meter is pug-ugly. It also sold very well, so there's a lot of them. But<em> ignore</em> the 7 if you have any intent of ever using a 28mm or 21mm lens, since there's no finder shoe.<br>

The finder of the 7 and 7s is lovely, with nice frame lines.<br>

The meter of the 7s is useful, which it's hard to say about the selenium meter on the 7.<br>

The frame lines in the P are not projected, and are limited to 35mm (full frame) 50mm (first frame line) and 100mm (second frame line). But the P was popular, high production, so prices are very reasonable.<br>

The problem with the 7s is low production, so it can be pricey. <br>

You can buy any of these from jiri_e on eBay with complete trust.</p>

<p>There is a Mirror Box 2 for the Canon 7 series that allows mounting of special short-mount breechlock telephoto lenses for reflex viewing:<br>

<a href="http://taunusreiter.de/Cameras/Canon_MB2.html">http://taunusreiter.de/Cameras/Canon_MB2.html</a><br>

These are the two M lenses designed for the mirror box:<br>

<a href="http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/s/data/100-1000/s_m135_25.html">http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/s/data/100-1000/s_m135_25.html</a><br>

<a href="http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/s/data/100-1000/s_m200_35.html">http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/s/data/100-1000/s_m200_35.html</a><br>

I have the M135mm/2.5 lens. With a 25mm long FL or FD extension ring (or "life-size adapter"), it focuses not quite to infinity when mounted on a Canon SLR camera body that takes FL or FD lenses.</p>