brian_m.1

Canonet QL 17, 45mm f1.7 on Kodak Ultramax 400

First outing with my Canonet QL 17 on Kodak Ultramax 400. 

Was it the contemporary of the ESO 650? I bought that camera in the early 90s and it is still the camera I use for serious work. It looks and works as a brand new camera. I have been tempted many times to go digital but my lens collection has made me stay put. Oh, two more things. Optical viewfinder and full frame view are hard to come by in the digital world. 

Wow! I've had this camera since the 70's and have handled it thousands of times. Never noticed that little hole, which doesn't even look like a socket. Thanks for the offer Gordon, I'll just use the camera  for natural light photography, but it's nice to know the feature.  I just finished my first roll. As soon as they come back, I'll make sure to share them. I've heard the caution you bring up regarding older flashes. Luckily, it didn't hurt my 650. I also have the fully dedicated 430EZ flash but I have to say that little Vivitar when set to Auto works great under 15 ft, depending on film speed.

I have an assortment of manual and dedicated(Canon, all film) flash units. The simplest one is the Vivitar 200

. https://www.keh.com/200-gn-56-1.html?aid=271319-2500046&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Vivitar&utm_term=271319-2500046&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwz42xBhB9EiwA48pT75B3SruRW6eu58geYU0vQbfO1yC9-Dpekmoo1CgCMeOx8Pphe4DAxxoCd9AQAvD_BwE

Light and simple. Some of the best pictures I have taken. It has worked on the FTb, and later on EOS 650. Might just use the QL in natural light. Not a fan of too many adaptors. 

5 hours ago, gordon_yee said:

Brian, what flash units do you have currently? If any of them can accept a PC sync cord, they'll work with your Canonet. I have a bunch of spare cords and I can send a couple to you. Here's a link to a scan of the manual for your camera:

canon_canonet_ql17.pdf (cameramanuals.org)

This is the earliest version that uses the larger mercury battery.

Thanks for the link and the offer, Gordon. The most basic flash I have is a small Vivitar thyristor flash with a single contact. Every camera I have triggers it, including my Canonet 28. Since the camera already has a "hot shoe", do I still need the adaptor? I wonder if the hotshoe is  electrically connected to anything. Seems dead to me. 

Thanks Gordon, very informative. SO much history. I indeed have the 45mm lens. It looks gorgeous in 1.7.  Do I need to get a new flash that accepts a PC cord or is there some kind of adaptor to use with standard flashes?

I see no contacts on the hotshoe. Just a flat surface. There is just a socket on the camera for a trigger cable. I am still going through my first roll. Curious how they will turn out. I also have Canonet 28 and on first pass it seems to be a simpler camera. Certainly, much lighter, which makes a big difference for street photography. 

Doesn't seem like a place to post Canonet questions but here we go. With much trepidation, bought a very clean copy of the Canonet QL17. After some tense moments, the meter and other vital signs came to life. One oddity of this came is that it has a hotshoe but no pins. Am I missing something? I see a GIII designation online as well. Did it come in different models and I may have an earlier one? Surprisingly, Canonet 28 has a hotshot with pins. 

Whatever it is, that's gorgeous glass. Looks like a f1.2.

Seeing vintage cameras in old movies always intrigues me.  I have couple of screenshots of Run for The Sun where Jane Greer is holding  what is obviously a rangefinder of good quality. Can anybody spot the brand and the model? It is probably German as the movie predates the rise of Japanese cameras. I hope I am not violating some copyright law.(Fair Use perhaps?)

Canon EOS 650, 50mm/f1.8 on Fujifilm 200.

This is the flash I used https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/4TcAAOSwbWhkvhUc/s-l1600.jpg

It's a relic from my FTb days. I too was concerned with frying the EOS but nothing happened. Have used it thousands of times with no issues. In fact, I took some of my best pictures by simply setting the camera to 60/f5.6 and shooting away. It would cover up to 10' with 100 speed film. Will definitely look into getting the 200E though. They are almost giving it away. As for the shots, I m not sure the flash did not fire the second time. I turned the flash off but did not remove it from the camera so it might have gone off.  That may be the reason why the two shots are so alike. There is a glint in her left eye in the second shot that I don't see in the first. Would such a tiny flash made any difference in such bright sun light?

I have a workhorse of a camera in the EOS 650. I have several dedicated flashes such the 300EZ but they are bulky and heavy. Decided to try a simple Vivitar auto Thyristor flash. I didn't even try to use the chart on the back of the camera. Set the camera to P and fired away in intense sun. As a dumb flash, I didn't expect it to balance the ambient light and flash exposure and all the rest. I took two pictures. One with flash off and one with flash on. Both on P. Can you even tell which one even had a flash? What is the lesson here? How .would it be different had I used a dedicated flash. Film: Fujifilm 200.

Came out up side down

Canon FTb with Canon 50mm/f1.4

Yashica Electro 35

Canon FTb with Canon 50mm/f1.4, Kodak Tri-X 400(expired)

1 hour ago, Ken Katz said:

At $30 per 24 exposure roll for film and processing, you hit $1K with about 800 shots.  I can do that in week when on vacation shooting my granddaughter and animals at the SD Zoo/Safari Park and La Jolla Cove (more pelicans than sea lions since they wisely precluded visitors from the rocks the sea lions usually habituate).  

Assuming you are using Canon (based on previous posts), a 5Dii, 5Diii, 6D and 6Dii, are all under $1K used.  

It was shocking to see the limited availability of film at Freestyle and also Adorama.  Each his own, but given the scarcity of film at times, makes sense to store a pile of it in your freezer when it is available. Best of luck.

Understood. That move might still happen. The thing is my snap rate with film is a fraction of digital. Every frame must count.  It takes forever for me to go through a roll of film unless I am on travel or some special occasion. I have gone back and forth on this and yet to pull the trigger. 

5 hours ago, robert_bowring said:

You might want to try Freestyle. Have not bought any film recently but they have always had what I wanted.

Tried Freestyle too. They all "have" film. It's just that they are out of stock. It's everywhere.  Not sure if this is a passing phase or what. It wasn't like this a few months ago. It now costs about $30 for film and processing, and that could be for 24 exposures. The reason I have not moved  to  digital is that the camera I want costs a minimum $1000, if you can find it,  and does not replicate the feel of my film camera.