Early Canonet: Should there be apetures in the vf?

[arnold_schmidt]

On my early Canonet (base winder, ISO range 10-200) should I be seeing aperture numbers in the viewfinder? All I have is a blank set of frame lines that will display arrows if I stray too far out of the AE range.

If it helps the serial is 613021<br /><br />This is confusing because Canon on their spec sheet (<a href="http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/film/data/1956-1965/1961_net.html?lang=us&categ=srs&page=net&p=2" target="_blank">http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/c...s&page=net&p=2</a>) say the camera features aperture an scale, however I’ve read elsewhere (<a href="http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00VL6N" target="_blank">http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00VL6N</a>) that the earliest Canonets feature no aperture display.<br /><br />The camera functions perfectly. I know its selenium metering system can be temperamental however I’ve shot slide film with mine it’s turned out nicely.<br /><br />Can anyone with Canonet experience or expertise set me straight, should my Canonet have a viewfinder aperture display or is my sample somehow faulty?

 

[gordon_yee]

<p>The original Canonet's viewfinder should have a white, parallax-corrected frame line with an aperture scale at the bottom. The frame is a projection of printed transparent sheets in the viewfinder. If the aperture scale is missing on your Canonet, the sheet with the aperture scale has probably become dislodged.</p>

[arnold_schmidt]

<p>Thanks for the reply Gordon. Could it be possible that my Canonet has had the sheet removed? All I have is a set of parallax corrected framelines.</p>

[gordon_yee]

<p>Hi Robert, I was probably editing my response as you were posting yours. Yes, I would presume that the portion with the aperture scale has become dislodged.</p>

[arnold_schmidt]

<p>I see, well that solves the mystery of why I have no apeture scale and yet the camera is still fully functional. I am glad someone has worked this out!<br>

Is reinstalling the scale an easy job? Or would the camera need a proper service?</p>

[gordon_yee]

<p>I haven't done any servicing of note on an original Canonet. However, removing the top cover is pretty simple and straightforward if you're curious and mechanically inclined. The chrome retaining ring on the film advance lever is a normal right-hand thread as is the rewind knob.</p>

[arnold_schmidt]

<p >Gordon: Since my last message I have done some ‘exploratory surgery’ on the Canonet. Upon removing the top cover I was shocked to learn that the aperture scale hasn’t dislodged itself as you speculated but has entirely vanished! I am presuming at some point my Canonet has been plundered for parts and someone else has made off with its aperture scale.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I now plan to buy another broken Canonet (they go for petty change on eBay) and use its aperture scale to complete my camera.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >May I take this opportunity thank you for your continued help, I couldn’t find a definitive answer to my dilemma anywhere else on the web!</p>