Battery Light On, Light Meter Not Working

[lenina]

Hello, everyone!

I am the once-proud owner of a Canonet GIII QL17 and a Canonet 28. I recently picked up the Canonet GIII after ignoring it for about 3-4 years, eager to play with it again. I was not surprised when the light meter didn't respond, figuring that the battery (a Wein Vartas 625 U) was long dead. Indeed, the battery check gave me no feedback, either. This camera was fully CLAd (professionally, but by a previous owner) in 2000 and calibrated for 1.5v batteries. I bought a couple 625 alkalines at Radio Shack, popped 'em in and ... nothing. The battery light comes on but the light meter is unresponsive still. Now the weird thing is this: when I first put in the battery, the meter read 2.8 always. The next time I picked the camera up, the needle seemed stuck in the red zone above 1.7. (In that location, it "jogged" when I pressed the shutter) Now, the needle has dropped to the red zone below 16. I've tried cleaning the battery contacts, they looked O.K.

Ack!

I'm very attached to this camera and have fond memories of it's trouble free use, what could be the problem? It works fine in manual mode, but I'm rather attached to the convenience of a light meter.

I've tested the alkaline batteries in the Canonet 28 (which unfortunately has the dreaded gummy light seals), and they both work fine.

Does this sound like it might require a professional repair job?

-abby

[lenina]

Thanks!

It seemed to me that the contacts were a little wonky, one wasn't quite aligned right. (Aha!, I thought) I cleaned the contacts and gently nudged the errant contact back in line but, still, no luck. I'm getting same respone (ie, none) from the light meter. It rests in the red zone below 16.

Any other thoughts? This is so frustrating - it was working fine when I last used it years ago. I think the only insult it has received has been in the form of neglect. It has been in a camera bag, etc.

-Abby

(picture of contacts before tweaking)

[lenina]

Thank you for your attention, in any case. Can anyone recommend a photo repair shop in Portland, OR?

[MrRanger]

Originally Posted by greyhoundman

Here is a picture of what they look like.

Ahhhhhh, I remember those when I had my G-III apart. In particular, I remember that return spring below the contacts - I accidentally hooked it and it shot across the room! I thought I'd NEVER find it!

Mike

[ErnestoJL]

If the needle pointer is allways "stuck" at f 16, it means that some kind of short circuit is present, i.e. the cell is shortcircuited. I would check for any short due to humidity, or chemical attack perhaps inside the lens barrel, or close to the battery compartment.