i got mine the Canonet QL-17 (2nd gen.) made in Japan. totally love it!!! the 40mm f1.7 lens just feel right in between 35mm and 50mm. i think the only downside of it is the filter thread (48mm) which not a mainstream size. luckily, i'm using the 48mm Canon LTM filter and it works really great! the shutter priority, quick load system, medium size rangefinder, hands down to one if not the best 35mm rangefinder film camera.
The AE lock, (not mentioned) on the Canon, by partialy depressing the shutter button. Not just the Olympus has this feature. The light meter on the Olympus does not take into account any lens filters used, unlike the Canon.
Actually, the canonet does have auto exposure lock, which will let you expose for the shadows too. All you need to do is half press. At least this is the case on my ql17 giii
I have several of the rangefinders, including two of the QL17, which I've always loved. One was my grandfathers and the other one was sent to me by a friend. Leaf shutter works great with flash!
I'd love to see a lens comparison of single lens rangefinders. There must be one or two that really stand out, but I've never seen an actual group test.
Lovely video!!! Please oh do please make a video on the beam split replacement. I've done it in the past on QL17 but would love to see how another technician do it
In an earlier video you mentioned another channel you produce about cycling around Tokyo. Do you have a link please as I cannot find the other video? Thank you.
My dad had a 35SP and it was the camera that got me into photography 50 years ago. I have both cameras now and still prefer the 35SP, but the QL17 is more fun to shoot.
I had a QL17 G3 for about 4 frames before the shutter stopped doing anything at all and I had to return it. I thought I wanted a replacement until my wife gave me a Canonet 28. Now all I can seem to think about is how much I'd like to have a Canon P... Such is life
Used both - still have the Canon which I always felt was more better made than the slightly fragile Olympus. My only complaint with the Canon is that the shutter release has to be pressed in too far. Pretty minor - nothing prefect 😎👍
Excuse me, sir, may I confirm with you whether the front lens of the QL19 or QL28 cameras is indeed less prone to fogging compared to that of the QL17? If this is the case, would the QL19 be considered a better camera?
The QL19 is the best choice if you can’t find a QL17 with a clean lens. The lenses on the QL17 are prone to haze and fog only if they are not properly stored. Exposure to humidity and heat are the main causes of these problems
I have a 35SP. It seems to have an extraordinarily long shutter release throw, which makes operating the camera to avoid blur somewhat problematic, even if I use a soft release button. Is this normal or a fault which needs repair? My 35RC also has a long throw but nowhere near as long and a soft release button easily solves the issue.
@@russellyoung2852 There is the classic sticky shutter problem that they all seem to get eventually, but that isn't too bad. They just have a reputation for crapping out and dying (look online for these opinions), and are very complicated to take apart. I inherited my dad's 35RD recently and it has been a mission to get it sorted out by my local (very experienced) camera repair guy. It had been sitting in a drawer for 30 years prior to this. It looked perfect on the outside... First it locked up completely, and he had to properly take it apart. There was some corrosion on the inside, which may have caused the issue. I eventually had to take it back to him as it locked up again, and he replaced the whole lens assembly with a donor one. Taking apart the lenses to clean (especially the inner elements) is also very complicated as you have to dismantle the whole camera, and doing so is risky as the threading for screwing the lens elements in is weak and wears down easily. It just seems like a camera that was not designed to be maintained, as the others in the same line of cameras don't seem to have as many problems! The mask for the light meter is also very weird, and the auto mode doesn't really let you shoot faster shutter speeds with lower ISO. Try looking at the light meter with the camera set to ISO 100 and 1/500s. Do you see the edge of the mask over the light meter too? It is a beautiful small camera though, with a great lens. I really hope my repair guy can get it properly sorted so that I can use it more. It is a bit clunky in fully manual mode (that aperture ring placement...) but still so lovely.
Couple pf comments: (1) The Oly SP was replaced by the RD, which is almost exactly the same weight, size, feature set, and optical performance as the Canonette QL17. The only difference I know of between them is that the RD lacks a battery check. (2) Neither the SP nor QL17 have a specific meter on/off switch. The QL17 can switch off its meter by setting the aperture ring to any manual setting. The SP has no way to switch off its meter. Both cameras were designed to use mercury batteries, which were robust enough to handle that waste. For both cameras, use of a lens cap cut the power draw on the battery to almost zero. Today's low capacity batteries will die quickly under continuous draw, so that is a distinct factor in favor of the QL17 if buying one of these cameras to use. (3) From the mid-1980s to early 90s, I really wanted an SP. Haunting camera shows, The Shutterbug listing, and early internet. I connected with at least ten units of condition and price I would accept, but none of them had a functioning spot meter, although the regular meter usually worked. I finally gave up and bought A QL17 GIII when found at a show for $35. I liked it enough that I picked up another Canon at another show for $15. My intent was to gift it to a young, beginning photographer, but his interest faded, so I now possess two. My intent is to overhaul both and convert the electronics as necessary to use a 1.5 volt battery without further changes to ISO or other compensations.
@@Invincibleagent You are correct. The light for the meter in the SP is routed through a window next to the viewfinder. It is blacked out, not with a lens cap but by storing the camera in its "everyready case" when not in use. In my seeking of an SP, I do not recall ever seeing an SP in its everyready case. It would be so simple to install an on/off meter switch, particularly in the SP, which already had a switch to shift from the image area meter coverage cell to the spot-readng cell. It could have been a multi-function switch, adding the "off" control with almost no effort or cost. It really becomes one of those "what were they thinking" design flaws we see in some cameras.
@@randallstewart1224I found my 35SP with its case:) I don’t use it though. I just try to remember to pull the battery out when I’m not using it. Def wish there was a switch though lol
In 1989 the Nikkei closed at nearly 40k, and during that time Japan edged out the USA as the world's largest economy. An expat apartment in Tokyo at that time could cost about $30,000 per month, or about the price of a new Corvette sports car.
funny story here. joined a Leica group on Facebook a few months ago and i posted some shots using the 35SP, but i for fun sakes, i wrote in the post using the M6 with 35 cron and they all went "nice shots" ... "excellent exposure and tones"... "sharp images" ... "i have the same lens and i love it!" 😂 😂😂 that how good the 35SP is .
i got mine the Canonet QL-17 (2nd gen.) made in Japan. totally love it!!! the 40mm f1.7 lens just feel right in between 35mm and 50mm. i think the only downside of it is the filter thread (48mm) which not a mainstream size. luckily, i'm using the 48mm Canon LTM filter and it works really great! the shutter priority, quick load system, medium size rangefinder, hands down to one if not the best 35mm rangefinder film camera.
Another wonderful video my friend. I have the SP and have to say it’s a terrific camera. Great work again by you JVC! 📸
The AE lock, (not mentioned) on the Canon, by partialy depressing the shutter button. Not just the Olympus has this feature. The light meter on the Olympus does not take into account any lens filters used, unlike the Canon.
Oh wow, thank you for mentioning this, I've been using a QL17 for a couple of months and didn't realise that this was a thing
Actually, the canonet does have auto exposure lock, which will let you expose for the shadows too. All you need to do is half press. At least this is the case on my ql17 giii
I have several of the rangefinders, including two of the QL17, which I've always loved. One was my grandfathers and the other one was sent to me by a friend. Leaf shutter works great with flash!
I'd love to see a lens comparison of single lens rangefinders. There must be one or two that really stand out, but I've never seen an actual group test.
Lovely video!!! Please oh do please make a video on the beam split replacement. I've done it in the past on QL17 but would love to see how another technician do it
I second thissss
I used to have both of these. I much preferred the Olympus, but the Canon was a nice camera.
How would you fix a missing spot meter button on the 35 SP? That’s the only flaw with mine…
In an earlier video you mentioned another channel you produce about cycling around Tokyo. Do you have a link please as I cannot find the other video? Thank you.
Very informative video, thanks for sharing!
My dad had a 35SP and it was the camera that got me into photography 50 years ago. I have both cameras now and still prefer the 35SP, but the QL17 is more fun to shoot.
I think the Minolta 7sII is better 🎞️
I had a QL17 G3 for about 4 frames before the shutter stopped doing anything at all and I had to return it. I thought I wanted a replacement until my wife gave me a Canonet 28. Now all I can seem to think about is how much I'd like to have a Canon P... Such is life
Thanks again for a great video.
This was helpful. Thanks!
I have both love the oly not used the canon yet though
You mentioned the Canon has parallax correction, does that mean the frame line will move during focus, or just a marking for close focus use, tnx !
movement of framelines
@@amaniahnuar Thanks !
Rangefinders typically aren't the best for close-up photography, unfortunately
@@matthathaway5015 Not for tele more than portrait too due to the tiny framing area
Used both - still have the Canon which I always felt was more better made than the slightly fragile Olympus. My only complaint with the Canon is that the shutter release has to be pressed in too far. Pretty minor - nothing prefect 😎👍
Yashica 35ccn is a hidden gem
Excuse me, sir, may I confirm with you whether the front lens of the QL19 or QL28 cameras is indeed less prone to fogging compared to that of the QL17? If this is the case, would the QL19 be considered a better camera?
The QL19 is the best choice if you can’t find a QL17 with a clean lens. The lenses on the QL17 are prone to haze and fog only if they are not properly stored. Exposure to humidity and heat are the main causes of these problems
@@japanvintagecamera8869 Thanks a lot！
I have a 35SP. It seems to have an extraordinarily long shutter release throw, which makes operating the camera to avoid blur somewhat problematic, even if I use a soft release button. Is this normal or a fault which needs repair? My 35RC also has a long throw but nowhere near as long and a soft release button easily solves the issue.
My 35SP also has a long springy release. I’m not sure when the shutter is going to release. Will certainly try a soft release button
@@tedcrosby9361 Worth a try, but it's useless on my copy.
Owned them both; much prefer the Oly 35RD.
They seem to be very unreliable though
@@Invincibleagent mine has not blinked in about 12 years of shooting it. What are the problems?
@@russellyoung2852 There is the classic sticky shutter problem that they all seem to get eventually, but that isn't too bad. They just have a reputation for crapping out and dying (look online for these opinions), and are very complicated to take apart. I inherited my dad's 35RD recently and it has been a mission to get it sorted out by my local (very experienced) camera repair guy. It had been sitting in a drawer for 30 years prior to this. It looked perfect on the outside...
First it locked up completely, and he had to properly take it apart. There was some corrosion on the inside, which may have caused the issue. I eventually had to take it back to him as it locked up again, and he replaced the whole lens assembly with a donor one. Taking apart the lenses to clean (especially the inner elements) is also very complicated as you have to dismantle the whole camera, and doing so is risky as the threading for screwing the lens elements in is weak and wears down easily. It just seems like a camera that was not designed to be maintained, as the others in the same line of cameras don't seem to have as many problems!
The mask for the light meter is also very weird, and the auto mode doesn't really let you shoot faster shutter speeds with lower ISO. Try looking at the light meter with the camera set to ISO 100 and 1/500s. Do you see the edge of the mask over the light meter too?
It is a beautiful small camera though, with a great lens. I really hope my repair guy can get it properly sorted so that I can use it more. It is a bit clunky in fully manual mode (that aperture ring placement...) but still so lovely.
Couple pf comments:
(1) The Oly SP was replaced by the RD, which is almost exactly the same weight, size, feature set, and optical performance as the Canonette QL17. The only difference I know of between them is that the RD lacks a battery check.
(2) Neither the SP nor QL17 have a specific meter on/off switch. The QL17 can switch off its meter by setting the aperture ring to any manual setting. The SP has no way to switch off its meter. Both cameras were designed to use mercury batteries, which were robust enough to handle that waste. For both cameras, use of a lens cap cut the power draw on the battery to almost zero. Today's low capacity batteries will die quickly under continuous draw, so that is a distinct factor in favor of the QL17 if buying one of these cameras to use.
(3) From the mid-1980s to early 90s, I really wanted an SP. Haunting camera shows, The Shutterbug listing, and early internet. I connected with at least ten units of condition and price I would accept, but none of them had a functioning spot meter, although the regular meter usually worked. I finally gave up and bought A QL17 GIII when found at a show for $35. I liked it enough that I picked up another Canon at another show for $15. My intent was to gift it to a young, beginning photographer, but his interest faded, so I now possess two. My intent is to overhaul both and convert the electronics as necessary to use a 1.5 volt battery without further changes to ISO or other compensations.
The 35RD also has a god-awful aperture ring placement that makes it a bit annoying to shoot manually
Btw, isn't the light meter on the body of the SP and not the lens? So a lens cap will do nothing to stop the battery usage
@@Invincibleagent You are correct. The light for the meter in the SP is routed through a window next to the viewfinder. It is blacked out, not with a lens cap but by storing the camera in its "everyready case" when not in use. In my seeking of an SP, I do not recall ever seeing an SP in its everyready case. It would be so simple to install an on/off meter switch, particularly in the SP, which already had a switch to shift from the image area meter coverage cell to the spot-readng cell. It could have been a multi-function switch, adding the "off" control with almost no effort or cost. It really becomes one of those "what were they thinking" design flaws we see in some cameras.
@@randallstewart1224I found my 35SP with its case:) I don’t use it though. I just try to remember to pull the battery out when I’m not using it. Def wish there was a switch though lol
I’ve owned both and sold the QL17. Not impressed by it. Kept the Oly 35 SP, which had a much better overall feel to me and produced excellent images.
둘 다 있는데, QL17이 기계적으로 만듦새가 더 좋지만 렌즈는 SP가 훨씬 좋았음
lol the single square mile in tokyo has not been worth more than the entire lower 48 in the last few centuries.
In 1989 the Nikkei closed at nearly 40k, and during that time Japan edged out the USA as the world's largest economy. An expat apartment in Tokyo at that time could cost about $30,000 per month, or about the price of a new Corvette sports car.
I uave this cmaera
Aww c'mon, we all know the Fujica Compact Deluxe wins this shootout😁
funny story here. joined a Leica group on Facebook a few months ago and i posted some shots using the 35SP, but i for fun sakes, i wrote in the post using the M6 with 35 cron and they all went "nice shots" ... "excellent exposure and tones"... "sharp images" ... "i have the same lens and i love it!" 😂 😂😂 that how good the 35SP is .