scottwallick.com

Finally, a rangefinder. My monogamous relationship with 35mm SLR cameras has come to an end. Sure, I had my indiscretions with Holga, but we both knew that was only a fling. What I found with the Canon Canonet GIII QL17, however, is something real. This isn’t a novelty. This is an excellent camera with quality glass, great control, and a solid feel. I recovered my Canonet with a kit from Camera Leather.com.

The main dilemma I faced in buying a Canonet was with its battery. The Canonet (and about every other rangefinder from this generation) was designed to use mercury batteries that are no longer manufactured (banned in the US and abroad) and essentially unavailable.

I read an excellent write-up about the options available to address the mercury batter issue, Mercury-Oxyde Battery Problem. Frans de Gruijter’s article, The Mercury Cell Problem and Its Solutions, is probably the defining work on this subject. Both articles left me with three possible solutions:

• Recalibrate the camera meter for 1.5 volt batteries
• Use Wein cells or generic zinc air batteries
• Buy a MR-9 adapter, like one from CRIS Camera

Of course, having the camera meter recalibrated for the higher voltage 1.5 volt battery is the best choice. Yet I couldn’t find a single repair person who didn’t shrug and/or roll their eyes when asked about recalibrating the meter. Disappointing. In the end, I bought the $30 MR-9 adapter from CRIS and have been very satisfied with the results.

The Canonet GIII QL17 has a leaf shutter, meaning it offers flash sync at any shutter speed. I also have the Canolite D flash, the dedicated shoe flash for the Canonet GIII QL17. It gives extraordinarily even fill flash indoors and outdoors. Overall, the $100 I paid for the camera, the flash, and the adapter were a fantastic bargain.