rick_drawbridge Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Passing through a small town yesterday, I stopped at the local charity Thrift Shop, (as I am prone to do), and upon being asked if she had any old cameras the nice lady fished out a box of what looked like a rat's nest of old flash units, various cables, dead-looking old video cameras, I'm sure you know the kind of stuff. However, lurking in the mess were two cases I instantly recognised, one of which I knew would hold a Canon rangefinder and the other a Minox. To my carefully concealed delight the cases contained the items depicted below. Canon and Minox The lady said the box had been there for a couple of years and I could have the lot for say, $50. I wasn't about to haggle... I've trashed most of the other contents of the box, and cleaned and polished the two cameras, and they now look very respectable. I'm reasonably familiar with the Minox GT, having a couple of Minox EL's on the shelf, and this one contained an ancient battery that had just enough life to demonstrate that the camera was capable of taking a photograph, before it faded and died. The Canon 7 rangefinder is a learning curve; I've not handled a Canon rangefinder camera of this vintage. Cosmetically It's very tidy, the light meter is lively and the shutter seems fine, though I notice a few wrinkles in the shutter curtain. The rangefinder is aligned and I'm impressed by the bright viewfinder and moving frame lines. The 50mm f/1.2 lens is in nice condition with smooth focus and aperture adjustments, and just a few barely-discernible polishing marks on the front surface. There is what appears to be a little condensation behind the rear element, which may have been my doing; I toted the camera around in very cold conditions before opening the case in the warm car, and a layer of condensation immediately formed over the whole camera. I removed the rear retaining ring, intending to clean the rear element, but it's not that simple, as the whole assembly wants to come out as a unit and I'm not too sure I want to go there... As it's probably a reasonably valuable lens I might send it away for cleaning. Any comments regarding the Canon would be welcome; as I understand it, the Canon 7 was the last of the LTM rangefinder models, but I don't know if they are sought-after, or not. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Harpold Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Hello Rick I have a Canon P with a wrinkled curtain which does not effect the operation or photos. It looks like it is in great condition and should yield great photos. Hope it works well. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Thanks, Don, comforting remarks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Farrell Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 I think the last Canon 7 had a CDS meter - yours is slightly earlier, with the selenium meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajmohan. Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Great finds, Rick! The Canon 7 is a fine machine with a great VF/RF. It is sought after, not in the sense of being rare, but more due to its solid build and ease of handling. If the metering still works, I suppose that is a bonus. The lens is very good indeed - somewhat soft and low contrast wide open, but showing ample sharpness and contrast when stopped down. I think that as a package, you did very well!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Great find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Seaman Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Every time I find a box of old cameras in a charity shop, they are in an inseparable mass with straps etc all tangled together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Vongries Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Every time I find a box of old cameras in a charity shop, they are in an inseparable mass with straps etc all tangled together. That or displayed and priced as rare collectibles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Black are a little more valuable, and even more for the Canon VI. And yes, the Canon stainless steel shutters always have at least a tiny wrinkle, as far as I know. (I have the black Canon VI that took my baby pictures when it was new.) Still, that is a very good deal. I have a Canon P with the 50/1.4 lens, which I got from a Goodwill auction for somewhat more than your box, but still not a bad price. I once got a Diana in a thrift store for $3, which is about the most I would pay for them, but they go for much more than that new. (And they don't deteriorate very fast.) -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 For the Canon VI, (and I believe P) there is an add-on light meter that couples to the shutter speed dial. It is a selenium meter, and tends to not work so well after many years. Mine works some of the time, with a light tap sometimes improving it. Otherwise, for the 7: Canon: Canon 7 (Chrome) Price Guide: estimate a camera value -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_bergman1 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Looks like good things happen to good people. For the Canon 7 the wrinkled curtains are not a problem. It is rare to find one without some. Is the meter working? Mine still does and is accurate. I would be careful how you hold this camera. Make sure you don't put too much pressure over the meter cover piece. They can crack. There was the Canon 7S which used a CdS cell and needed a battery. There was also the Canon 7SZ. Here is some added information. Canon 7sZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 (edited) Marc_Bergman said: Looks like good things happen to good people. Thanks Marc, that was a kindly remark. Thanks also for the handling tips and for the link to Stephen Gandy's site; as usual, it's great read and an excellent source of information. Yes, the meter is still working and appears to be reasonably accurate. Thanks, glen_h, Sandie Vongries, JDMvW, John Farrell , rajmohanfotograf and John Seaman, for your input. Edited August 17, 2018 by rick_drawbridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julio Fernandez Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Rick, that is a awesome score. The Canon 7 is probably the best platform all-around for L39 lenses, considering cost / performance. Wrinkles in the shutter curtain are normal. Your 1.2 lens is a luxury item! I own a Canon 7 with 1.8 lens and it is a favorite. About the Minox, great lenses and good ergonomics, bad reputation on reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Awesome find. I look forward to seeing images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason_withers Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Nice looking cameras! I like the look of the meter on the Canon. Is it a selenium meter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 jason_withers said:Is it a selenium meter? Yes, still working and seemingly quite accurate. Always something of a bonus! Thanks, Julio and Mike, after I've had the Canon lens cleaned and found a new battery for the Minox I'll post some results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erko_podbicanin Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 That Minox looks good . I'll wait for the pictures before I get one . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 That Minox looks good . I'll wait for the pictures before I get one . There are a few samples from the Minox EL at the link below. Same lens, the GT was really just an update with a couple of small improvements. Minox 35 EL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Vongries Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Rick - my recollection from long ago days in camera sales was that the Minox 35, the Rollei 35 and the Petri Color 35 were all out at the same time I had the latter two but not the Minox. Might have been price, but didn't like it for some reason. Haven't a clue what I did with the cameras! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 Rick - my recollection from long ago days in camera sales was that the Minox 35, the Rollei 35 and the Petri Color 35 were all out at the same time I had the latter two but not the Minox. Might have been price, but didn't like it for some reason. Haven't a clue what I did with the cameras! Sandy, I think they were pretty much contemporaries. I'm ashamed to admit that I've never owned the Rollei, (mainly due to price considerations), though I have the Petri Color 35 and a couple of Minox . Even now, the Rolleis fetch quite high prices, and the Petri seems to be considered something of a classic. There's an old post of mine here: Not Quite a Masterpiece : the Petri Color 35 The Color-Minotar lens that's fitted to the Minox is really about as good as it gets for a camera in this league, but the cameras are renowned for shutter problems, usually caused by deteriorating electric circuitry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_bergman1 Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Here is a 1968 article from Modern Photography magazine about the Rollei and the Petri cameras. Smallest 1 sm 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles_escott_new Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Sorry about the false posts. Mr. Drawbridge, you write the most informative essays on classic cameras on photo net , you clean them to an inch of their lives and you take excellent photos of fascinating small town scenes and now you come up with this find at that price. This is too much! All the best, Charles, ps. do you play the lottery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 Sorry about the false posts. Mr. Drawbridge, you write the most informative essays on classic cameras on photo net , you clean them to an inch of their lives and you take excellent photos of fascinating small town scenes and now you come up with this find at that price. This is too much! All the best, Charles, ps. do you play the lottery? Thank you for the kind comments, Charles! As for the lottery, being a creature of habit, I've used the same $5.00 Lotto combination every week for about the past fifteen years, and by my reckoning my winnings have just about covered the cost of the tickets... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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