Review 4 of 10
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary:A nice, quiet little pocket camera that has a lot going for it, even today. The one to get is the Canonet QL-17 GIII, which cost about $60 on eBay--as another reviewer said, about the same price as a Leica lens cap. That's the biggest advantage of the Canonet--they're all over the place and they're dirt cheap. I like the 40mm focal length, always have. The lens is outstanding; if you need a better lens, chances are you need medium format. The camera is quick and easy to learn and use. It's a great stealth camera, in that nobody thinks you are a serious photographer when they see it. The results are excellent. The one big drawback of the camera is reputed to be the mercury battery it requires, but the readily available 625A alkaline 1.5V battery you can get at any drugstore works just fine. Really a non-problem. Overall, a strong 4, but value pegs it up to a 5. Buy two or three, get 'em serviced, and never worry about having a camera with you--leave one in the car, one at home, one at the office. Lost or stolen? No big deal, just pick up another. No insurance needed. Strengths:Lens, size, quietness, price, availability, ease of use, short focus throw, focusing lever, quick loading, decent viewfinder, uncluttered finder, AE lock with half-press of shutter button (it took Leica till 2001 to add this feature to the M7, and for just the difference in price between the M6 and M7, you can buy a dozen Canonets. Kinda makes you wonder). Weaknesses:Shutter release is a little stiff for my taste--I would prefer a smoother and lighter release. Unmetered manual mode. Shutter priority--ideally, I prefer aperture priority. Camera won't fire on A when metered value is outside of the camera's range. Similar Products Used:Leica M6, M3, M4, CL, IIIc, Minolta CLE, Olympus RFs (most all of them), Minolta Hi-Matic, Konica Hexar, Konica Hexar RF, Konica Big Mini, Nikon 35Ti, Contax T2, others. Customer Service:not applicable
| 
More Products from Canon
Link to this page
3 of 5
5 of 5
2 of 5
4 of 5
