Canonet by Contarama

[Contarama]

Hello RFF this is my first post glad to be able to join such a good forum. I am a 40 year dude very new to photography in the way of actually trying to be good at it. Up till a week or so ago I have owned exclusively SLR mechanical film cameras and a few modern P&S digital rigs. I now have a rangefinder - a black QL17 new model Canonet. And this is why I have joined RFF to explore further the rangefinder type of camera. Among my other cameras are a few Nikons...EM and FE (still after a F2) and my pride and joy an old Contaflex Super Kit. Digital is alright by me I wouldn't mind having a new micro 4/3's system or a few others but I am more so into old mechanical rigs. Being a glutton for pain I am trying to learn how to operate from the hip without metering but I think I am going to have to breakdown and buy a good meter someday. My skill level is very amateurish but I am on a fairly strong learning curve and the more I shoot and study the better I am becoming at photography I think.

I figured I'd post and introduce myself and include a couple of pics so...

The first pic is of the new Canonet and the second is from my first roll through the Canonet...it is a handsome camera and works extremely well and has been an excellent introduction to the rangefinder world for me.

[Brian Sweeney]

Welcome to to the forum, that is a beauty of a Canonet.

Do you have the dedicated flash for it, the "Canolite D"?

[konicaman]

Hi Contaram
Welcome to this nice and friendly forum. That QL is very beautiful indeed!
Rangefinders take a little time getting used to when coming from SLRs, but I am sure you'll master it. Rangefinders are quite addictive once you get the hang of it.
If you want to shoot without metering, Sunny 16 is a good way to go. Take a look here if you are not familiar with it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule

Happy shooting

[Gumby]

Welcome to the forum!

[Contarama]

Thank you for the welcome and comments!

Brian...don't have the flash...wish I had one that was black! haha How are you sir? Sweeney has been a great buddy to me folks. He has put up with a bunch of my amateur questions over the past few months on another forum. He is sort of who pointed me towards rangefinders and RFF and Canonets in a way...now I want a Minolta CLE or a M3...

Thanks Konicaman...you have some interesting informative threads sir...I am working on the Sunny 16 angle, like I said before I don't want to shoot with no stinking meter...haha

Hey Gumby thanks for the shout!

Here are a couple more pics for you all...first roll through the Canonet...testing things out...I am a take pics of people's face person....I am missing DOF and focus stuff with this camera but I think if I play with it awhile I can make it work like it should...plus I was shooting with just plain old 200 Kodak and asking it to do some wide open indoors stuff that would have probably worked better with a different sort of film. Canonets are nice machines and if someone knew exactly how to dial one's pics in with one I imagine the results would be bad to the bone...my pictures are off quite a bit...if I would have had more control of DOF I could have made some way better pics than these....

I'm green but I am trying to get better!

[peter_n]

Welcome to the forum! I like your first picture, particularly the angle of the bodies as they lean into each other. Obviously they are good chums... I had a Canonet, a wonderful camera with an excellent f1.7 lens, very easy to use and a great introduction to rangefinders.

[oftheherd]

Welcome to RFF. I think you will like the Canonet, and a black QL 17 at that. I have two myself, but only use one of them from time to time, and mine aren't black, BTW. FFL RFF are nice as a small camera to carry as a backup, or when you want a camera but don't want to carry a lot of gear. If you are like me, it is hard to carry an interchangeable lens camera and not carry a set of lenses and/or other accessories as well.

Look forward to seeing more of your photos.

[Contarama]

I joined RFF the minute I had a rangefinder in my hands. Well within a few weeks I had already given that black Canonet away!

But...look what I got in the mail the other day...I already have the Interslice kit for it and the body is cleaned...this one is a keeper...and I am back in the RF game!!!

Something tells me this Rokkor I have is gonna be deluxe...

[btgc]

Most exciting about this model is RF window is on opposite side that on any other RF camera I have seen.

[Contarama]

The weird thing about it to me is it's size - it is nearly as big as my F2 and about as hefty too. I seem to remember the Canonet being much smaller and more compact than this particular fixed lens RF. Maybe I am mistaken.

I installed the Interslice kit tonight and loaded the rig up with some drugstore 400 color film. I guess I'll see what she can do in the next day or two.

I forgot to mention I have two other similar cameras coming in the mail...

My idea is to try and do a black paint job on one of them...I've been researching this quite a bit the past week or so. I have a sort of plan of action in my mind just have to get the other cameras to see what I have to work with.

[Brian Sweeney]

Ansco-Rokkor! Wow.

I have a Revere-Nikkor on my old movie camera, a Revere 40.