Anyone know about a Canon QL19E?

[krimple]

My brother and I were cleaning out my late stepmother's effects and found this

little old QL19E sitting in a box, still in the everready case.

 

Looks like the battery was dead, although no corrosion occurred. The dials are

a little stiff, and the battery as far as I can tell is a MP-1 mercury oxide

battery. I did a search, and found absolutely nothing on replacement batteries.

Are there any adapters or conversion kits?

 

Can anyone tell me whether it's likely I can get it working? I think the

shutter is electronically controlled, which is why it isn't firing (I think it

probably has been sitting in a drawer for 20 years or more).

 

Specs on it: up to ISO 400 film, looks like electronic aperture control (can't

find a setting anywhere) and seems you can set the shutter speed if you want to,

so auto shutter? The rangefinder is a bit cloudy but seems to be aligned well,

and you can make out the patch well.

 

One other thing, a few small spots looking like condensation or cleaning marks

on the inside lens. I hope it isn't fungus, but it doesn't look bad to me so I

was going to give it a good clean.

[torben_daltoft]

Ever heard of Google? Or Cameraquest??

[krimple]

Yes, I have done that. I found the manual online using Google. I was really looking for someone with experience using the camera. If you do a google search you'll not find any useful information on the battery, which was my primary question.

 

Also, the CameraQuest site has info on the Ql17 GIII, mentioning the QL19 (not E) and nothing about that specific battery (MP-1). URL: http://www.cameraquest.com/canql17.htm

 

Ken

[leicaglow]

Well, that answer is uncalled for. Maybe Google is what brought Ken here.

 

At any rate Ken, one of my favorite sites on old cameras is a French site. Here is a link to it, translated by Yahoo's Babelfish: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=slv&lp=xx_en&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.collection-appareils.fr%2Fcanon%2Fhtml%2Fcanon_canonet_19.php

 

It was made in 1965 on. They are not terribly valuable, though I remember as a kid how much I wanted one. They were pretty well made, but I can only imagine parts would be very difficult to find. Also, I read where they made very few of these cameras in the f/1.9 ("19") variant.

 

As for the battery, I found a reference saying "The Canon QL19e took a PX1 Mercury Battery which was 1.35 volts and which is not produced any more." I have many old cameras and it seems most batteries can be replaced with safer, more modern versions. Here's a link to a company I've used before: http://www.atbatt.com/digital-camera-batteries/b/Canon/m/QL19E.asp

 

If you can get a battery to work, I would think the shutter might work also, but you may want to get it cleaned and checked for accuracy (though electronic shutters are generally pretty accurate).

 

It is probably Shutter Priority, meaning the camera controls the aperture after you set the shutter speed. If the rangefinder is cloudy, then the lens may have fungus. I'd spend the money to have a professional Canon repair shop take a look at cleaning it. BTW, cleaning marks would not be on the inside of the lens. I also would not try taking it apart myself. I would think it would be a good shooting camera if you had it cleaned up.

[krimple]

Thanks, Michael. Great information!

 

Ken

[james_cooke]

"Ever heard of Google? Or Cameraquest??"

 

By that ridiculous logic no one would ever post a question here if they have to check everywhere else first! LOL

[marc_bergman1]

"Ever heard of Google? Or Cameraquest??"

<p>

Or maybe the Leica and Rangefinder forum on photonet?

<p>

As far as batteries, I have been using 1.35V Wein Cell batteries.

<p>

They can be found here.

<p>

<a href="http://www.weincell.com/">Wein Cell batteries</a>

<p>

[miles_s.]

See

 

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/film/chrono_1956-1965.html

 

I have an E but I don't recall if it is a 17E or 19E.

 

Agreed "few of these cameras in the f/1.9 ("19") variant" however unless new in box not valuable. It has a famous lens. Use either a hearing aid battery (zinc air) or a wein cell to get it up and running. The foam inside will likely be degraded. Search for user "interslice" on Ebay to get all you need for replacing it.

[michael s.]

<< ... <i>Ever heard of Google? Or Cameraquest??</i> ... >><p>

 

Or that other great resource:<p>

 

"How to make new friends and help people who share your interest in photography... "<p>

 

By Torben D :-) <p>

 

Another link below contains a comment that supports your hunch, Ken, that the shutter (unlike the ones on the QL17, which I have, and QL19) is fully electronically controlled:<p>

 

<a href=http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/forum/messages/6900/4454.html?1113856706>QL19 E</a>

[michael s.]

And here's one more <a href=http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/film/data/1956-1965/1965_ql19e.html?lang=us&categ=crn&page=1956-1965>Canon link</a>, though it may be one you've already seen.<p>

 

Congratulations are in order: Indeed the QL19E appears to have been the very first Canon with an all-electronic shutter.

[rod_sainty2]

Hi Ken, My dad bought a Canon QL19E in early 1967 and we used it to record family events and our extensive travels and camping trips around Australia through my high school years. We have many well-exposed Kodachrome and Ektachrome slides of those times that I value greatly. I recall that the rangefinder was easy to use and its simple program exposure operation meant that all of us could pick it up and get good results. The lens was sharp. Unfortunately, by 1974 at the latest, the electronic shutter had died. When Dad went to Canon in Sydney to get it repaired, a technician said that it was not repairable and that it was "the only bad camera that Canon ever made". I'm sure my dad would have persisted with the repair if it had been possible, as he wasn't one to dispose of nice things readily. It wasn't a simple issue of the shutter blades being gummed up with oil. It certainly is a nice-looking camera, and a historic one at that.

[krimple]

Thanks again all for the answers. I'm curious about getting the little bugger fired up again--my stepmother would have loved to know I got it working. The only thing I noticed is that the battery size doesn't seem to match anything directly (it's a bit deep and very small in diameter; I had an old CL that took a Zinc Air button battery and it fit great so I'm familiar with the concept.)

 

Ken