B. Film camera Canonet G3

[RogerMac]

I bought my Canonet GIII QL 34 years ago. QL stands for Quick Load – you only have to insert the cassette, place the tail of the film across the film gate and close the back. Three pumps of the wind on lever and you were ready to go, a small window at the back showing via a vibrating indicator that the film was in fact moving. My first SLR (an AE1) was frankly a pig to load and in this way at least was a major come down from the GIII.
The camera is fully manual – apart from the metering which relies on a mercury battery that is no longer available. I believe that one can get it re-calibrated for modern batteries but I will just rely on an external meter for the rare occasion when I want to use film. Metering is standard shutter priority with a needle in the viewfinder showing the aperture selected. The viewfinder is “bright frame” showing the area just out of shot (very useful) and is parallax corrected as the focussing distance varies.
Having the shutter in the lens itself means the camera is flash synchronised at all speeds (1/4 to 1/500 sec plus B) which in turn means that fill in flash is (fairly) easy to use. Talking of flash the Canonlite D was fully coupled with the camera - set the aperture to auto and if the flash is attached the aperture is varied according to the focussing distance
Some descriptions say that the lens is prone to develop fungus, however mine seems perfectly clear.
What is it good at?
Small, light, with a very fast high quality lens, and near silent it could be hung unobtrusively around my neck and take pictures almost anywhere. In those days I was heavily involved with our local PTA and I became the semi-official school photographer, taking pictures at all the school plays and fetes, the selling the prints on behalf of the PTA. Nowadays I think that’s banned so the PTA has lost a useful source of income.
It was not just PTA events - I also did shots at family parties – here is a snatched shot of one of my cousins.



Could it be improved?
Within its class I do not think so, some people compare it unfavourable to the Leica CL which had interchangeable lenses, but to go down that route would have lost the high speed flash sync.
All in all, a little beauty.

[Malcolm_Stewart]

Thanks for posting your review.

I sought one out after hearing about it on the web, and eventually found one in good order, but without any flash. I made the mistake of trying it (before the correct mercury batteries disappeared) with slide film, and got rewarded with a mixed bag of good exposures, and quite seriously under-exposed slides due to me not realising that the cell was picking up bright light from the sky. I've since tried it with B&W negative film with much better results, but now I can't get the batteries, and with all my other gear begging for attention, it tends to be forgotten.

As a unit, it is nicely put together and feels reassuringly solid with an easy to use viewfinder/rangefinder for someone who wears bifocals all the time.

[beejaybee]

now I can't get the batteries

Wein zinc/air cells? MR9 adapter?

[Benchista]

now I can't get the batteries

Wein zinc/air cells? MR9 adapter?

Quite. I've got a couple of MR9 adaptors that get shuffled round those cameras that need mercury batteries, and they work fine. It's what I'll be using to give my G III a whirl.

[RogerMac]

now I can't get the batteries

Wein zinc/air cells? MR9 adapter?

Thanks but TBH I do not trust either the meter or shutter accuracy after this length of time, so for the moment I will continue to rely on an external meter (a DSLR) and a bit of bracketing.

Nick,

It would interesting if your meter / shutter worked with zinc-air, please let us know all is OK.

I hope this is not getting competitive but I will be in York next week and if I can get a good view of the Minster with the G3 I will post it here

Roger

[zx9]

I hope this is not getting competitive but I will be in York next week and if I can get a good view of the Minster with the G3 I will post it here

Roger

You need a Yashica Min(i)ster for that

[RogerMac]

Well the whole house has been re-arranged, we have enough food to last till February and the ravening hordes do not arrive for another few hours - so I thought I would look at the photos I took in York last week using the G3

First lesson was how far we have come in 30 years, both backwards and forwards. For starters I expected to take it in daylight so got in a 200ASA film. Then when my wife and daughter were listening to the Minster carol service I decided that what I really wanted was to walk round York doing some night photography and a faster film would have been much more appropriate. Second lesson was how much I had got used to using wide angle for almost everything. Third lesson was how comforting it was to have a silent shutter that does not shake the camera.

After I had got used to using a fixed 40mm again I did manage to get a fairly respectable shot of the Minster


Then I just set the camera to 1/30sec and f1.7 and walked around with it buttoned under my jacket. Nobody noticed, not even the Community Liaison Officers.


As you can see from the last shot there is a lot of flare when the lens is wide open and a light source is included in the frame. Apart from that all went well.

Nick,
Hope that you manage to use yours and it goes as well

Roger

[Malcolm_Stewart]

Looks like quite a heavy "police" presence for a quiet(?) English Cathedral City. Were they expecting visitors?

Good to hear your experiences - mine hasn't been used for ages.

[RogerMac]

Looks like quite a heavy "police" presence for a quiet(?) English Cathedral City. Were they expecting visitors?

Good to hear your experiences - mine hasn't been used for ages.

Malcolm,

The Police are having a major crack down on drink in the Centre over Christmas. The bright rectangule in the centre of shot was a video screen showing the relationship of drink to domestic violence and just out of shot they have smashed up car parked as an awful warning!

Hope you manage to get yours going