Canonet 28

I have several Canonet 28 cameras, most of them say Made in Taiwan R.O.C., but I just noticed that one of them

says simply Canon Japan on the serial no plate. Is there any difference in these? Is one worth more than the other,

does anyone know the story? I was planning to keep one and sell the rest so now I'm not sure which to keep and

which to sell. Thanks in advance for any info.

You'll likely get a more informed response from others, but I believe made in Japan versions of most cameras are worth more than their counterparts manufactured in other far-east countries.

I have seen some of those advertised on ebay as made in Japan as opposed to ROC. They command slightly higher prices. If I recall correctly maybe about 20% more. But, the Canonet line is not collectible and the main issue is the condition of the camera.

It might have been common among the "70s rangefinders" that early units were produced in Japan, then later

offshored. My earliest Yashica Electro G's body is labelled Japan, for example, but not the later ones. I've

not heard of any value being attached to that fact, but sellers can always give it the old ebay try. Keep the

one that works best, or used most often, or the prettiest.

I think there is no reason to prefer Japan made items to those made outside Japan. Concerning the Canonet, I have a QL17 "new" (non G-III) made in Japan and I also wned a QL17-GIII made in Taiwan, there is no visible difference in workmanship and performance.

 

The early Yashica 35 electro were made in Japan, later ones were made in Hongkong (and have a s/n with the letter H). Workmanship of the early Y35 is not great, whether made in Japan or not.

 

Maybe it is similar to car manufacturing today. I own a Volkswagen Passat (also known as Quantum in the US) which was assembled in a VW plant in Belgium, NOT in Germany. It's 26 years old now and still going strong. Many of those cars made in the german plants are long gone. Any more questions about "offshore" manufacturing?

Made in Japan Canon products do not necessarily means higher quality. I had Canonet QL17 made in Japan, its shutter locked up, repaired then locked up again. A made in Japan Canon Elph 370 hanged up after a year, could not be reset, a Canonite flash unit died long before other flashes bought about the same time.

Made in Japan Canon products do not necessarily means higher quality. I had Canonet QL17 made in Japan, its shutter locked up, repaired then locked up again. A made in Japan Canon Elph 370 hanged up after a year, could not be reset, a Canonite flash unit died long before other flashes bought about the same time.