Canonet G-III QL19

This camera is in good user condition (“5C” according to the International Scale described on my grading and warranty page). It even has new back light-seal foam installed.
Tripod is not included.
I don’t have a printed manual to include with this camera, but I did manage to find an online copy of the Canonet GIII QL User Manual that you can view, download, or print. (I have no connection with that site, I just found it while searching the web.)

I’ve seen a lot of Canonet QL17 cameras for sale, which isn’t surprising, since Canon made so many of them during their lengthy product run. But, they made comparatively few of the QL19 variant, which makes this particular example fairly rare.

The two cameras – the 17 and the 19 – are nearly identical (so much so that they share the same user manual), built on the same frame, with most of the parts completely interchangeable, and, they both share Canon’s amazingly effective “QL” Quick Loading system that eliminates the need to thread the film leader onto a take-up spool. The main difference is the lens is a fraction of a stop different, and the battery check is in my opinion implemented in a much better way in the QL19.

The ’17 uses a small “grain of wheat” type light bulb as the battery check. This was before the heyday of the LED, and these tiny lamps were pretty common in many cameras back then. The ’19, on the other hand, has the battery check circuit deflect the light meter to a marked point on its scale when you press the test button.

This is a better design for two reasons. First, light bulbs will eventually burn out. When they do, you’re faced with the daunting task of finding an identical replacement, and, installing it into the camera’s mechanism.

If you enjoy classic cameras as much as I do, you’ll love this gem. It’s from the “golden age” of metal and glass cameras, back when they were hand assembled, made of machined brass, steel, alloy, and glass – and built to last.

It’s a sad truth that those days are over, gone for good. If a company wanted to build a camera like this today, they’d have to start from scratch, and even if they spent the millions on infrastructure, they’d still need to find people who had the training and skills it takes to assemble them. Sadly, the craftsmen from that era are for the most part gone to retirement, or to their eternal rewards.

Even at that, if somehow some erstwhile company managed to put together the right mix of tooling, supplies, and people, they’d be unable to market cameras for one simple reason: no one would be able to afford them! It costs a lot to machine the numerous precision parts that make a camera like this, and it costs even more to assemble, tune, adjust, align, and test each camera. The result would be a camera that cost a small fortune, that would have to compete in the marketplace with auto-everything cameras that cost a tiny fraction of the price necessary to cover the expense of building one of these treasures.

The second reason applies even if the bulbs would never burn out. It takes a lot of current to light up an incandescent lamp. And the tiny button cells the light meters use simply aren’t designed for that kind of current draw. Every time you test the battery (by lighting a bulb), you’re consuming a fantastic amount of the battery’s life. Test it often enough, and you’ll kill it in short order!

The light bulb issues don’t apply to this camera, of course, since it uses meter deflection to display the battery’s condition.

Do you relish the feeling of precision quality imparted by hefting a real piece of hand-built equipment, and using it to create top-notch photography? If so, consider bidding on this fantastic Canonet. It’s a prime example of a fine “user grade” camera, which, if taken care of, will provide you with years of excellent results. I believe in grading conservatively, and, I believe that cameras are meant to be used rather than spend their lives hidden in a safety deposit box, or relegated to “shelf queen” status in a display.

No more gambling!

What? Gambling? On eBay?

Gambling???

Yup. Gambling. And frankly, there’s too dang much of it!

The way I see it, the only type of “gambling” that should ever be involved in an eBay transaction should be the suspense of waiting to find out if you won the auction. Did your “bet” (in the form of your bid) “win”? If so, that should be the end of the “gambling” portion of the adventure.

Unfortunately, as I know from sad personal experience, all too often that’s when the real “gambling” begins. Will the camera arrive as-described? Will it even work? If it does work, will it keep working? Will the seller back it if there’s a problem? Will you be able to return it if you change your mind?

I used to have a camera store, and I sold used cameras. If I’d conducted business the way some online sellers have treated me, I’d have been run out of town on a rail.

Therefore, I’ve resolved to treat online buyers the same way I treated my customers when I was in business. Sure, it’s just a hobby for me now, but that doesn’t change anything from the perspective of the people who buy my cameras. They want to be treated the same way they’d expect to be treated in real life. (Heck, this is real life, isn’t it?!?!)

This camera carries a 90 day warranty, and a 10 day return privilege. I warrant that it’s going to arrive in its as-described condition, and if it doesn’t remain in that condition for 90 days, I’ll take care of it. Check out my warranty terms for the details.

Since this camera has a minor amount of “age marks” on the non-optical surfaces (i.e., a paint fleck here, a small cosmetic scratch there, etc., the inevitable dust specks in the finder, and small blemishing inside the corners of the finder, visible in the larger photos, which of course cannot appear on the film), but, excellent condition lens, new light-trap foam, and, perfectly operating mechanisms, I consider it to be “user” grade, and I’ve set a reasonable Buy it Now price.

In practice, I believe that my “user grade” rating corresponds to some other sellers’ “excellent condition” (speaking from unfortunate personal experience). By the way, I’m including a new “Wein Cell” zinc-air battery with this camera. These batteries sell for about $6.95 or so, but the price is included in whatever the closing bid happens to be.

A lot of the G-III cameras I’ve seen have had fairly loose lens/shutter assemblies. This camera has a very precise, smooth, tight lens/shutter/body interface. It really feels solid when I move the focus lever. (It’s the nicest-feeling GIII I’ve ever used!) I’m tempted to keep it, but, alas, my wife informs me that I can’t keep everything, so, I’m listing it for sale, so that someone else can benefit from owning it.

This is a great little camera (it is a very compact example of the classic rangefinder genre), and I think you’ll really enjoy it!