SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Hi Guys,
A friend just gave me this camera for my small collection. Can any of you Canon guys tell me anything about it...?
It has a button battery in the base but I don't know what it's for...?
It also came with a Rollei flash unit.
Luckily I checked before I opened the back, there was still a film in it which I was able to rewind and remove so she can get it processed just in case there's anything still retrievable...
The Serial Number is...3 1 4995, written just like this...
Cheers,
Ron.

(Download)

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Canon QL 25 : http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Canon_Canonet_QL_17_/_QL_19_/_QL_25

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Button battery for the meter I suspect.

CLF Loc: Raleigh, NC

Ron, you have excellent responses telling you what you need, both the URL for detail and that the button battery is for the light meter. You do not need to have the battery since the camera will still take good photos without it. Like it was stated, it is only need to run the light meter, the camera does everything else. Have fun shooting some 35mm film and use one of your DSLRs as a light meter if you need it.

Greg

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Definitely.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

BebuLamar

The battery is to power the meter and make the camera works in shutter priority mode. I have one and I use it without the battery. I don't need shutter priority mode or meter.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Thanks Guys...

miked46 Loc: Winter Springs, Florida

it looks like the camera I bought in Tokyo back in 1968 while on R&R

leftj Loc: Texas

That is a beauty. Looks to be in mint condition.

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

This little marvel Canonet - QL used to be my pocket workhorse (I still have it) for climbing expeditions where my Canon F-1 SLR's were too bulky and heavy - giving me prints size 16"x20"
Take a good care for it and get a battery for the exposure meter - so you can enjoy the automatic exposure camera?

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Just to clarify... the battery powers the meter, which in turn makes possible shutter priority auto exposure mode. You also can manually set everything, either referring to the meter reading in the camera (battery req.) or using a separate meter, or simply by eye (such as using the "Sunny 16" rule)... without need for any battery in the camera..

Earlier models of Canonet use a selenium cell meter that doesn't require a battery... however those cells degrade an lose accuracy or fail over time. Some of the later models were auto exposure only and are completely battery-dependent. Yours is ideal, in that it uses a type of metering cell that's not prone to problems... if you wish to get a battery and use it. But the camera is fully mechanical in function, so also is usable without any battery.

The battery originally used was a 1.3 volt mercury "625" size. Those are no longer available.

For short term use, I recommend using a common "zinc air" 675 battery. These are cheap and very close to the same voltage, but just don't last very long. Once unsealed, ZA batteries take about half an hour to come up to full power, then are typically only good for a month or two of use... maybe three months at most.

For longer term use, I recommend using "silver oxide" in the same 675 or similar sizes (LR44, 303 and some others are nearly identical). These are more expensive than ZA, but they last about a year with normal use. Silver oxide also are a bit higher voltage than the original batteries, which is likely to skew the camera's metering system. It may be possible to have it adjusted by a repair tech.... buy you also might be able to simply set an ASA (same as ISO) that compensates. For example, if you find the meter reads a stop low, when using ISO 100 film, set the camera's ASA to 50 and that should make for reasonably accurate meter readings.

DO NOT USE ALKALINE BATTERIES (which are available in these sizes, too). The "power curve" of alkaline causes many camera meters to be inaccurate more often than not. Some cameras have a power stabilizing circuit that allows them to use alkaline batteries... but many from that era don't, and I am not sure about the QL 25, in particular. Safest to just not use alkaline at all, because they also are more prone to leakage problems that can destroy a camera.

The problem is that the 625 batteries the camera originally used are larger diameter than all the batteries suggested above. An easy solution for this is to go to a hardware store with the camera and battery, and in the plumbing dept. find a rubber O-ring that fits the perimeter of the battery and makes for a snug fit inside the camera's battery compartment.

There are "625 batteries" available especially for old cameras such as this.... but they are expensive. And those really are just 675 zinc air batteries modified with a metal ring pressed on to make them the same diameter as the original 625 batteries. They have similar short life span as other ZA, but sell for 3X or 4X or 5X as much! Still, if you just want to have some fun using the camera shooting a few rolls of film, these modern "625s" might be the easiest alternative.

Canon offered a series of "Canonet" models for about 20 years... from around 1961 through the early 1980s.

Many of the models were also sold under the Bell & Howell brand name.

The earliest was simply: Canonet (45mm f/1.9 lens). That was followed by a whole series of the models, many of which were innovative for their day and quite popular. There were:

Canon Canonet
Canon Canonet Junior
Canon Canonet S
Canon Canonet QL 17
Canon Canonet QL 17 New
Canon Canonet QL 17-L New
Canon Canonet QL 17 GIII
Canon Canonet QL 19
Canon Canonet QL 19E
Canon Canonet QL 19 New
Canon Canonet QL 19 GIII
Canon Canonet QL 25
Canon Canonet 28
Canon Canonet 28 New
Canon Canodate E
Canon Canodate E-N
Canon Datematic


"QL" stands for "quick load".... an upgraded film loading system that makes it a little easier.

Yours is the earlier version of the QL 25... Slightly later versions of it and the other models have a simple hot shoe for the flash. Yours has a "cold shoe" (no electronic connectivity), to to use it with a flash you'd need a short cable to connect the flash to the PC socket that can be seen next to the lens.

If you want to use that camera, you might find a copy of the user manual helpful. It's available here: http://www.cameramanuals.org/canon_pdf/canon_cannonet_ql2.5.pdf

Some feel the Canonet QL17 GIII was the culmination and "best" of the bunch. While that's a nice camera, it's got relatively minor differences compared to your camera.

More info about the series:

https://petapixel.com/2015/07/18/a-brief-history-of-the-canon-canonet-rangefinder/
http://mattsclassiccameras.com/rangefinders-compacts/canon-canonet/
https://www.cameraquest.com/canql17.htm
http://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/film60.html
http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Canon_Canonet_QL_17_/_QL_19_/_QL_25
https://rangefinder-cameras.com/canon-canonet-ql25-1965/

RichJ207 Loc: Sammamish, WA

Talk about a thorough response. Wow!

clint f. Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa

I received a QL-17 as a graduation present in 1968. Upgraded to an Ftb in Da Nang in 1969.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Thank you Alan and everyone who has replied...great info...