Jason Schneider
the Camera Collector
In Search of the Best Vintage Canon Rangefinder 35, Part 2
Back-loading Canons of 1956-1968: Going up against the Leica M’s
By Jason Schneider
When Leica unleashed the landmark Leica M3 in 1954, its leading Japanese competitors were caught flatfooted by the numerous technical challenges it posed. Indeed, the new Leica incorporated a host of refinements, such as auto-indexing, parallax-compensating projected viewfinder frame lines for different focal length lenses, that neither Nikon nor Canon ever fully duplicated, though both came close in their very last models. Even as the last of the bottom-loading Barnack-Leica-inspired Canons rolled off the production line in 1956, Canon had already developed the Canon V prototype that reached production as the Canon VT in April 1956. The VT was produced with 3 small variants in eyepiece construction and 2 types of body shells, but all are essentially the same in terms of basic features.
Canon VT body showing permanently mounted trigger wind baseplate.
The Canon VT looks like a revolutionary departure from its bottom-loading predecessors, and in many ways it is. While it incorporated the same improved shutter mechanism that had debuted in the Canon IVSB2, the iconic side flash rail was replaced by a PC outlet with a bayonet lock ring, on the side of the top below the rewind knob. The bottom loading system was scrapped in favor of a hinged door for more convenient loading, and a non-removable rapid trigger wind unit was built into the baseplate. But the VT’s most significant innovation was its vastly improved, enlarged version of Canon’s venerable 3-magnification viewfinder that provides a minified full coverage view for 35mm lenses, a 0.7x view for 50mm lenses, and a circular 1.5x view to maximize rangefinder focusing accuracy. There are no frame lines or parallax compensation, but Canon devised in ingenious workaround—a small domed pin in the front of accessory shoe moves up and down as the lens is focused to provide accurate automatic parallax compensation by differentially tilting any V-type accessory viewfinder mounted atop the camera. This remained a signature feature of all subsequent V- and VI-series Canons, and nobody—not even Leica—ever duplicated it.
The VT incorporated many other refinements, such as a built-in self-timer, a rewind knob that remained flush with the top cover in retracted position and popped up by pushing on an elegant spring-loaded “wing” lever, a rewind clutch controlled by a collar around the shutter release, and an unusual way to bypass the trigger wind when, for example, the camera is mounted on a tripod or copy stand. To raise the flat wind knob to operating position you align 2 dots on its inner ring with a third dot on the central wind shaft and pull it upward until it locks in place. You can now wind the film conventionally by turning the wind knob clockwise until it stops, and then fire the shutter. To return the wind knob to its flush, non-operational position, press a small button on the back of the camera right below the wind knob, and it drops back down, instantly. Amazing!
The Canon VT is readily available at online auctions and retail sites at $150-$250, body only, in chrome, and $350 and up in black.
Canon L1, top view, showing rewind crank, 1/1000 sec on fast shutter speed dial, flash sync selector tab behind it, and classic wind lever.
Hiroshi Suzukawa, who headed up the Canon V design team, was obviously a huge trigger wind fan, and he thought this would be a key selling point for the new VT. However, building a non-removable trigger wind permanently into the camera makes the body taller, heavier, and more expensive to manufacture, and many Canon fans clamored for a lighter, more compact V-series Canon with a conventional lever wind. The result was the Canon L2 released on December 1956—basically a VT with lever wind, a 1/500 sec top shutter speed (one step down from the VT’s 1/1000 sec), M (flashbulb) sync only, and no self-timer. It was succeeded by the Canon L1 of 1957 that added a 1/1000 sec top speed, an MX flash sync selector, and a rewind crank. The L1 and its cousin the Canon VL, are the finest, most elegant lever wind V-series Canons.
Canon VL: My favorite V-series lever wind Canon has metal shutter curtains, 1/100 sec top shutter speed, and built=in self-timer.
Canon L1: $250-$400 in chrome, body only; Canon L2, $125-$200 in chrome, body only; Canon VL (rare) $350-$450 body only, chrome Canon VL2 (Same as Canon VL but with 1/500 sec top shutter speed), $125-$250, body only, in chrome.
Whatever marketing issues the trigger-wind Canon VT faced, it was successful enough to have sired the much-admired Canon VT DeLuxe (VTD) that was produced in 3 slightly different variations, all marked “Model VT de luxe” in red or black letters on the front-facing part of the baseplate. All feature a Canon L1 style rewind crank in place of the VT’s pop-up rewind knob but are otherwise almost identical to the VT. The second version of the VTD has a Canon film magazine opening key in its baseplate, and the last version of 1958 has metal shutter curtains like those in the Canon VL, VL2, all subsequent VI- and 7-series Canon rangefinder 35s, and the Canon P.
Canon VT De Luxe (any version) $150-$300 body only, in chrome; $350-$500 and up in black, body only, in very clean condition.
Canon focal plane shutters: Cloth vs Metal
The traditional rubberized or “treated” cloth focal plane shutter curtains in all early Canon rangefinder cameras are commendably durable, and the shutter mechanisms themselves are well made, accurate, and hold their settings. The metal focal plane shutter curtains Canon introduced starting in 1957 are fabricated of very thin sheets of stainless-steel, coated on both sides with a semi-matte black chemical compound. Despite being made of metal these shutter curtains are lighter than cloth ones, potentially enhancing shutter speeds accuracy at the fastest shutter speeds, and of course they can’t burn through like cloth ones occasionally do when the camera is left out in the sun with its uncapped lens pointing upward.
The main problem with the metal shutter curtains in Canon rangefinder cameras is that they’re extremely delicate and susceptible to dents or dings even with the slightest impact from, say, an errant fingernail or a film leader end. To their credit these shutters usually continue to function perfectly even when they’re covered in creases and indentations, but many (including yours truly) find badly dinged in metal shutter curtains unsightly.
What can you do about it? You can have Canon metal shutter curtains replaced with cloth ones, but that may cost more than finding a similar Canon body with undamaged curtains. Unfortunately, parts are no longer available to replace the original metal shutter curtains in rangefinder Canons—though they could be cannibalized from an existing parts camera. Personally, I’ve learned to live with lightly dented curtains in otherwise pristine Canons. I treasure the few rangefinder Canons I have with flawless metal curtains, and I’m determined to keep them that way.
The Canon VI-series of 1958-1961 was Canon’s next attempt to upgrade the existing V-series Canon concept to compete with the Leica M3, M2, and the new Nikon SP of 1957. The Canon VI-L and VI-T debuted in June, 1958 and both feature metal-bladed focal plane shutter controlled by a single non-rotating shutter speed dial on top with geometric speeds of 1-1/1000 sec plus B and X (about 1/60 sec), and a higher-magnification version of Canon’s venerable 3-position (35mm, 50mm and Mg for 1.5x) viewfinder that displays reflected, parallax-compensating white frame lines for both 50mm and 100mm lenses at the 50mm setting. The serrated shutter speed dial allowed direct coupling to a shoe-mounted accessory selenium meter that Canon offered in several styles until about 1963, and both models featured a narrower version of Canon’s folding rewind crank.
According to the official stats, Canon turned out about 10,000 lever wind VI-L’s and a bit over 8,000 trigger wind VI-T’s, but the latter are more common in the U.S. These are rock solid, elegantly proportioned cameras that were manufactured to the highest standards and according to specialists in Canon repair their internals are more robust than those in the Canon P and their 7-series successors. Weak points: their reflected finder frame lines are not as easy to see as the true projected frame lines in 7-series Canons, and they tend to diminish with age. Also, Canon never achieved the crisply defined rangefinder patch that’s a hallmark of M-series Leicas, most likely due to Leitz patents.
Canon VI-L: $250-$400, body only, in chrome; Canon VI-T, $275-$375, body only, in chrome, $2,500 and up, body only, in factory black.
The Canon P of 1958-1961 was Canon’s last and best attempt to create a broad-spectrum, interchangeable lens, precision rangefinder 35. It was wildly successful—Canon sold twice as many Canon P (for “Populaire”) cameras as any previous model, turning out a total of 87,875 over 2-1/2 years of production. With roots going back to earlier “basic” models like the L2, L3, and IID, it’s essentially a simplified Canon VI-L that uses the same metal-bladed shutter, but in place of Canon’s classic 3-position viewfinder it has a big 1:1 viewfinder that simultaneously displays reflected, etched, parallax compensating frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, and 100mm focal lengths. The parallax compensating pin in the accessory shoe was also eliminated in favor of a new line of accessory “P” viewfinders that offered manual parallax correction.
Everybody loves the Canon P for its simple straightforward design, light weight, and bright 1:1 viewfinder. It’s a great user camera, but it’s not as robustly constructed or finely made as a V- or VI-series Canon, its viewfinder tends to flare in backlight, and its simplified viewfinder frame line system cannot compare to the individually selected, true projected frame lines built into 7-series Canons.
Canon P: $125-$250, body only, in chrome; $400-450, body only, in black.
The Canon 7-Series: The end of the line
The Canon 7 of 1961-1964 employs a reworked version of the same shutter mechanism and shutter speed dial (both with an added T setting) used on 6-series Canons, but its somewhat larger body and enhanced feature set represent a complete departure from previous models. The most obvious visual difference is the huge honeycomb grid for its built-in, coupled, selenium meter that occupies almost the entire front surface of the top cover on the film wind side. The meter has a high/low sensitivity switch and reads out directly in f/stops via an arcuate color-coded aperture scale to the left of the shutter speed dial. it’s remarkably accurate and sensitive for a built-in meter of its era, but like all selenium meters it has a very wide acceptance angle.
Perhaps even more important than the built-in meter is the Canon 7’s brilliant new range/viewfinder, which includes highly visible user-selected, true projected, parallax-compensating frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, 85/100mm and 135mm focal lengths, all presented at about 70% of life size. To enhance focusing accuracy, the rangefinder’s effective base length (EBL) was increased by about 50%, enabling the camera to precisely focus Canon’s remarkable new 50mm f/0.95 Canon “Dream Lens” that was released simultaneously. The Canon 7 was, not surprisingly, the first Canon with an external, 3-lug bayonet flange around the screw mount to provide precise, secure mounting of the humongous 50mm f/0.95 lens. Incredibly, the Canon 7 has no accessory shoe! A shoe adapter was available at the time, but they’re hard to find nowadays.
So what’s the best
Overall, the Canon 7 is a very competent, capable camera that’s a pleasure to shoot with, and it’s undervalued because many consider its great hulking front-mounted selenium cell ugly. Fortunately, you don’t see the front of a Canon 7 while you’re shooting with one, and its range/viewfinder is virtually identical to the one in the admittedly prettier, but much more expensive CdS metering Canon 7s. If you take the plunge, make sure the meter’s working—they’re generally reliable, but often unrepairable when they go south.
Canon 7: $100-$250, body only, in chrome; $700-$1,300, body only, in black.
Canon 7s: In 1965 Canon finally dispensed with the “ugly” selenium meter and brought forth the 7s, which has a much more discreet CdS meter cell located on the front, below the wind knob. While they were at it, they installed the “missing” accessory shoe on the top. The 7s meter has more clearly marked “H” and “L” sensitivity settings on the round meter port bezel, and the mercury battery to power it is nestled in a port on the bottom, below the film wind shaft. The meter needle appears in a rectangular readout window on top and points to the proper exposure aperture, which varies with the shutter speed in use—it other words, it’s a coupled transfer-the-setting system. The glorious multi-frame range/viewfinder with true projected, user-selected, parallax-compensating frame lines for 5 different focal lengths from 35-135mm (described above in the Canon 7 section) was thankfully retained and is one of the camera’s most endearing features. Like its illustrious predecessor, the Canon 7s has bayonet tabs around the lens mount for securing the 50mm f/0.95 Canon lens.
Since the CdS metering system in the Canon 7s was designed to be powered by a 1.3v mercury cell, it must be modified to give correct readings with currently available 1.5v alkaline or silver-oxide cells. This entails permanently installing a diode in the circuitry which costs about 100 bucks. Another annoyance: the film speed window inset in the shutter speed dial tops out at ASA 400 so if you use faster films you’ve got to interpolate. Withal, the Canon 7s is one of the great rangefinder 35s of the ‘60s and it’s a joy to shoot with. It may not exude the sheer mechanical finesse and solidity of a V- or VI-series Canon but it’s superior viewfinder may be more important in day-to-day shooting.
Canon 7s: $275-$450, body only, in chrome.
Canon 7sZ: In 1967, as the Canon 7s was still in its final year of production, Canon stealthily released a revised model with the same markings and improved viewfinder optics designed to enhance clarity and minimize the flare and ghosting users occasionally experienced. The new model also has the larger rewind knob found on the late standard production Canon 7s, but the round rangefinder adjustment port was moved from in front of the shutter speed dial to in front of the final “n” in Canon engraved on the top plate. This is the defining feature that determines whether the camera is a 7s or a 7sZ. This last and greatest member of the Canon 7 series is certainly a desirable user-collectible with an awesome viewfinder, and, as the very last of the Canon screw-mount rangefinder cameras, it’s also a piece of history. Since no more than 25% of the roughly 16,000 cameras marked Canon 7s is truly a 7sZ, the latter commands a premium price and is a Canon collector’s prize.
Canon 7sZ (unofficial designation, not marked as such), $450-650, body only, in chrome.
Back-loading Canons of 1956-1968: Going up against the Leica M’s
By Jason Schneider
When Leica unleashed the landmark Leica M3 in 1954, its leading Japanese competitors were caught flatfooted by the numerous technical challenges it posed. Indeed, the new Leica incorporated a host of refinements, such as auto-indexing, parallax-compensating projected viewfinder frame lines for different focal length lenses, that neither Nikon nor Canon ever fully duplicated, though both came close in their very last models. Even as the last of the bottom-loading Barnack-Leica-inspired Canons rolled off the production line in 1956, Canon had already developed the Canon V prototype that reached production as the Canon VT in April 1956. The VT was produced with 3 small variants in eyepiece construction and 2 types of body shells, but all are essentially the same in terms of basic features.
Canon VT body showing permanently mounted trigger wind baseplate.
The Canon VT looks like a revolutionary departure from its bottom-loading predecessors, and in many ways it is. While it incorporated the same improved shutter mechanism that had debuted in the Canon IVSB2, the iconic side flash rail was replaced by a PC outlet with a bayonet lock ring, on the side of the top below the rewind knob. The bottom loading system was scrapped in favor of a hinged door for more convenient loading, and a non-removable rapid trigger wind unit was built into the baseplate. But the VT’s most significant innovation was its vastly improved, enlarged version of Canon’s venerable 3-magnification viewfinder that provides a minified full coverage view for 35mm lenses, a 0.7x view for 50mm lenses, and a circular 1.5x view to maximize rangefinder focusing accuracy. There are no frame lines or parallax compensation, but Canon devised in ingenious workaround—a small domed pin in the front of accessory shoe moves up and down as the lens is focused to provide accurate automatic parallax compensation by differentially tilting any V-type accessory viewfinder mounted atop the camera. This remained a signature feature of all subsequent V- and VI-series Canons, and nobody—not even Leica—ever duplicated it.
The VT incorporated many other refinements, such as a built-in self-timer, a rewind knob that remained flush with the top cover in retracted position and popped up by pushing on an elegant spring-loaded “wing” lever, a rewind clutch controlled by a collar around the shutter release, and an unusual way to bypass the trigger wind when, for example, the camera is mounted on a tripod or copy stand. To raise the flat wind knob to operating position you align 2 dots on its inner ring with a third dot on the central wind shaft and pull it upward until it locks in place. You can now wind the film conventionally by turning the wind knob clockwise until it stops, and then fire the shutter. To return the wind knob to its flush, non-operational position, press a small button on the back of the camera right below the wind knob, and it drops back down, instantly. Amazing!
The Canon VT is readily available at online auctions and retail sites at $150-$250, body only, in chrome, and $350 and up in black.
Canon L1, top view, showing rewind crank, 1/1000 sec on fast shutter speed dial, flash sync selector tab behind it, and classic wind lever.
Hiroshi Suzukawa, who headed up the Canon V design team, was obviously a huge trigger wind fan, and he thought this would be a key selling point for the new VT. However, building a non-removable trigger wind permanently into the camera makes the body taller, heavier, and more expensive to manufacture, and many Canon fans clamored for a lighter, more compact V-series Canon with a conventional lever wind. The result was the Canon L2 released on December 1956—basically a VT with lever wind, a 1/500 sec top shutter speed (one step down from the VT’s 1/1000 sec), M (flashbulb) sync only, and no self-timer. It was succeeded by the Canon L1 of 1957 that added a 1/1000 sec top speed, an MX flash sync selector, and a rewind crank. The L1 and its cousin the Canon VL, are the finest, most elegant lever wind V-series Canons.
Canon VL: My favorite V-series lever wind Canon has metal shutter curtains, 1/100 sec top shutter speed, and built=in self-timer.
Canon L1: $250-$400 in chrome, body only; Canon L2, $125-$200 in chrome, body only; Canon VL (rare) $350-$450 body only, chrome Canon VL2 (Same as Canon VL but with 1/500 sec top shutter speed), $125-$250, body only, in chrome.
Whatever marketing issues the trigger-wind Canon VT faced, it was successful enough to have sired the much-admired Canon VT DeLuxe (VTD) that was produced in 3 slightly different variations, all marked “Model VT de luxe” in red or black letters on the front-facing part of the baseplate. All feature a Canon L1 style rewind crank in place of the VT’s pop-up rewind knob but are otherwise almost identical to the VT. The second version of the VTD has a Canon film magazine opening key in its baseplate, and the last version of 1958 has metal shutter curtains like those in the Canon VL, VL2, all subsequent VI- and 7-series Canon rangefinder 35s, and the Canon P.
Canon VT De Luxe (any version) $150-$300 body only, in chrome; $350-$500 and up in black, body only, in very clean condition.
Canon focal plane shutters: Cloth vs Metal
The traditional rubberized or “treated” cloth focal plane shutter curtains in all early Canon rangefinder cameras are commendably durable, and the shutter mechanisms themselves are well made, accurate, and hold their settings. The metal focal plane shutter curtains Canon introduced starting in 1957 are fabricated of very thin sheets of stainless-steel, coated on both sides with a semi-matte black chemical compound. Despite being made of metal these shutter curtains are lighter than cloth ones, potentially enhancing shutter speeds accuracy at the fastest shutter speeds, and of course they can’t burn through like cloth ones occasionally do when the camera is left out in the sun with its uncapped lens pointing upward.
The main problem with the metal shutter curtains in Canon rangefinder cameras is that they’re extremely delicate and susceptible to dents or dings even with the slightest impact from, say, an errant fingernail or a film leader end. To their credit these shutters usually continue to function perfectly even when they’re covered in creases and indentations, but many (including yours truly) find badly dinged in metal shutter curtains unsightly.
What can you do about it? You can have Canon metal shutter curtains replaced with cloth ones, but that may cost more than finding a similar Canon body with undamaged curtains. Unfortunately, parts are no longer available to replace the original metal shutter curtains in rangefinder Canons—though they could be cannibalized from an existing parts camera. Personally, I’ve learned to live with lightly dented curtains in otherwise pristine Canons. I treasure the few rangefinder Canons I have with flawless metal curtains, and I’m determined to keep them that way.
The Canon VI-series of 1958-1961 was Canon’s next attempt to upgrade the existing V-series Canon concept to compete with the Leica M3, M2, and the new Nikon SP of 1957. The Canon VI-L and VI-T debuted in June, 1958 and both feature metal-bladed focal plane shutter controlled by a single non-rotating shutter speed dial on top with geometric speeds of 1-1/1000 sec plus B and X (about 1/60 sec), and a higher-magnification version of Canon’s venerable 3-position (35mm, 50mm and Mg for 1.5x) viewfinder that displays reflected, parallax-compensating white frame lines for both 50mm and 100mm lenses at the 50mm setting. The serrated shutter speed dial allowed direct coupling to a shoe-mounted accessory selenium meter that Canon offered in several styles until about 1963, and both models featured a narrower version of Canon’s folding rewind crank.
According to the official stats, Canon turned out about 10,000 lever wind VI-L’s and a bit over 8,000 trigger wind VI-T’s, but the latter are more common in the U.S. These are rock solid, elegantly proportioned cameras that were manufactured to the highest standards and according to specialists in Canon repair their internals are more robust than those in the Canon P and their 7-series successors. Weak points: their reflected finder frame lines are not as easy to see as the true projected frame lines in 7-series Canons, and they tend to diminish with age. Also, Canon never achieved the crisply defined rangefinder patch that’s a hallmark of M-series Leicas, most likely due to Leitz patents.
Canon VI-L: $250-$400, body only, in chrome; Canon VI-T, $275-$375, body only, in chrome, $2,500 and up, body only, in factory black.
The Canon P of 1958-1961 was Canon’s last and best attempt to create a broad-spectrum, interchangeable lens, precision rangefinder 35. It was wildly successful—Canon sold twice as many Canon P (for “Populaire”) cameras as any previous model, turning out a total of 87,875 over 2-1/2 years of production. With roots going back to earlier “basic” models like the L2, L3, and IID, it’s essentially a simplified Canon VI-L that uses the same metal-bladed shutter, but in place of Canon’s classic 3-position viewfinder it has a big 1:1 viewfinder that simultaneously displays reflected, etched, parallax compensating frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, and 100mm focal lengths. The parallax compensating pin in the accessory shoe was also eliminated in favor of a new line of accessory “P” viewfinders that offered manual parallax correction.
Everybody loves the Canon P for its simple straightforward design, light weight, and bright 1:1 viewfinder. It’s a great user camera, but it’s not as robustly constructed or finely made as a V- or VI-series Canon, its viewfinder tends to flare in backlight, and its simplified viewfinder frame line system cannot compare to the individually selected, true projected frame lines built into 7-series Canons.
Canon P: $125-$250, body only, in chrome; $400-450, body only, in black.
The Canon 7-Series: The end of the line
The Canon 7 of 1961-1964 employs a reworked version of the same shutter mechanism and shutter speed dial (both with an added T setting) used on 6-series Canons, but its somewhat larger body and enhanced feature set represent a complete departure from previous models. The most obvious visual difference is the huge honeycomb grid for its built-in, coupled, selenium meter that occupies almost the entire front surface of the top cover on the film wind side. The meter has a high/low sensitivity switch and reads out directly in f/stops via an arcuate color-coded aperture scale to the left of the shutter speed dial. it’s remarkably accurate and sensitive for a built-in meter of its era, but like all selenium meters it has a very wide acceptance angle.
Perhaps even more important than the built-in meter is the Canon 7’s brilliant new range/viewfinder, which includes highly visible user-selected, true projected, parallax-compensating frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, 85/100mm and 135mm focal lengths, all presented at about 70% of life size. To enhance focusing accuracy, the rangefinder’s effective base length (EBL) was increased by about 50%, enabling the camera to precisely focus Canon’s remarkable new 50mm f/0.95 Canon “Dream Lens” that was released simultaneously. The Canon 7 was, not surprisingly, the first Canon with an external, 3-lug bayonet flange around the screw mount to provide precise, secure mounting of the humongous 50mm f/0.95 lens. Incredibly, the Canon 7 has no accessory shoe! A shoe adapter was available at the time, but they’re hard to find nowadays.
So what’s the best
Overall, the Canon 7 is a very competent, capable camera that’s a pleasure to shoot with, and it’s undervalued because many consider its great hulking front-mounted selenium cell ugly. Fortunately, you don’t see the front of a Canon 7 while you’re shooting with one, and its range/viewfinder is virtually identical to the one in the admittedly prettier, but much more expensive CdS metering Canon 7s. If you take the plunge, make sure the meter’s working—they’re generally reliable, but often unrepairable when they go south.
Canon 7: $100-$250, body only, in chrome; $700-$1,300, body only, in black.
Canon 7s: In 1965 Canon finally dispensed with the “ugly” selenium meter and brought forth the 7s, which has a much more discreet CdS meter cell located on the front, below the wind knob. While they were at it, they installed the “missing” accessory shoe on the top. The 7s meter has more clearly marked “H” and “L” sensitivity settings on the round meter port bezel, and the mercury battery to power it is nestled in a port on the bottom, below the film wind shaft. The meter needle appears in a rectangular readout window on top and points to the proper exposure aperture, which varies with the shutter speed in use—it other words, it’s a coupled transfer-the-setting system. The glorious multi-frame range/viewfinder with true projected, user-selected, parallax-compensating frame lines for 5 different focal lengths from 35-135mm (described above in the Canon 7 section) was thankfully retained and is one of the camera’s most endearing features. Like its illustrious predecessor, the Canon 7s has bayonet tabs around the lens mount for securing the 50mm f/0.95 Canon lens.
Since the CdS metering system in the Canon 7s was designed to be powered by a 1.3v mercury cell, it must be modified to give correct readings with currently available 1.5v alkaline or silver-oxide cells. This entails permanently installing a diode in the circuitry which costs about 100 bucks. Another annoyance: the film speed window inset in the shutter speed dial tops out at ASA 400 so if you use faster films you’ve got to interpolate. Withal, the Canon 7s is one of the great rangefinder 35s of the ‘60s and it’s a joy to shoot with. It may not exude the sheer mechanical finesse and solidity of a V- or VI-series Canon but it’s superior viewfinder may be more important in day-to-day shooting.
Canon 7s: $275-$450, body only, in chrome.
Canon 7sZ: In 1967, as the Canon 7s was still in its final year of production, Canon stealthily released a revised model with the same markings and improved viewfinder optics designed to enhance clarity and minimize the flare and ghosting users occasionally experienced. The new model also has the larger rewind knob found on the late standard production Canon 7s, but the round rangefinder adjustment port was moved from in front of the shutter speed dial to in front of the final “n” in Canon engraved on the top plate. This is the defining feature that determines whether the camera is a 7s or a 7sZ. This last and greatest member of the Canon 7 series is certainly a desirable user-collectible with an awesome viewfinder, and, as the very last of the Canon screw-mount rangefinder cameras, it’s also a piece of history. Since no more than 25% of the roughly 16,000 cameras marked Canon 7s is truly a 7sZ, the latter commands a premium price and is a Canon collector’s prize.
Canon 7sZ (unofficial designation, not marked as such), $450-650, body only, in chrome.
Mackinaw
Think Different
Nice writeup. Thanks for posting these. I chanced upon a mint Canon VI-T a few years back, that has quickly become one of my favorite rangefinders. And I do love the bottom-wind.
Jim B.
Jim B.
Jason Schneider
the Camera Collector
Glad you like your Canon VI-T; I like mine too. Trigger wind does let you shoot faster, about 2-3 fps on a good day, but you have to reach under the camera and deploy the trigger, unlike a wind lever, which is always right there. Also, some left hand focusers (I'm not one of them) complain that you have to take your hand off the trigger to focus. I think the reason Canon fans at the time clamored for lever wind versions of this camera (and the Canon V-T De Luxe that preceded it) is that the trigger is permanently affixed, and this makes the camera taller and heavier. You can add a Leicavit to an M-series Leica that has a wind lever, so Canon theoretically could have given us a removable trigger and a wind lever, but they never did.
das
Well-known
Thanks, Jason. This is a great write-up, and I really enjoyed it!
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
A Canon 7 with the 50mm Canon f1.5 " Sonnar" is my current favourite RF camera, the VTs with their unremovable trigger wind get a bit too heavy and cumbersome and the Canon bottomloaders are getting difficult to use with their squinty finders in my old age.
AlwaysOnAuto
Well-known
Thanks for the write up Jason. I've got a VI-T I inherited from my dad. Paired with a Canon 35mm lens it makes a nice kit. The Nikkor LTM 50 1.4 does a great job on it too.
DavidC
Established
I bought a Canon 7Sz a while back from an Ebayer in Japan who claimed the meter worked. When I got it the meter was as dead as a doorknob. The seller claimed the meter had "died" in transit (!!!) He gave me a $40.00 credit so I kept the camera. Can these Cds meters be fixed? Also when I looked at the viewfinder, the ghost images around the rfdr patch were still visible though not as pronounced as in my 7. I suppose Canon never did resolve this issue -- How did Leica get rid of ghost images?
hilltime
Well-known
Was thrilled when I found a fantastic 7Sz about 12 yrs ago and have paired it with a 50/1.4, 50/1.2, 35/2, and 85/1.9 Black. It has to be the ultimate in RF camera bodies and even though it is a bit large in size, I will still say it is the equal to the M3 I once owned. Also have a VI-T, just because I found a couple of the attachable meters, which I've always thought were way cool. Not as convenient as the built in CDS meter of the 7Sz, but still love that late 50's nostalgic look.
newst
Well-known
I just have a thing for Canon rangefinders. My normal rotation involves two L1 bodies, a VI SB, and a IIf (mistakenly sold as a IV SB). I keep a ready bag in the car with a P and a couple of lenses, just in case. I have owned both a 7 and a 7s, but they never felt quite comfortable to me, so I sold them on.
ranger9
Well-known
All the 7/7s cameras have a dark halo (is that what you mean by ghost image?) around the rangefinder patch, and there's no way to get rid of it. It was caused by Canon's effort to get the viewfinder image as bright as possible.
This issue arises because of the beamsplitter -- a partially transparent mirror or prism that allows a light beam to be split in two directions. Every camera with a combined range/viewfinder needs at least one beamsplitter to mix the main viewfinder image and the secondary rangefinder image together. Usually the beamsplitter sits at a 45-degree angle, allowing the main viewfinder view to come in through the front and the rangefinder patch to come in from the side.
The Canon 7 and 7s actually use two beamsplitters. The rear one (closer to the eyepiece) reflects the framelines into the field of view; the front one inserts the rangefinder-patch image. I assume they used separate beamsplitters to bring the framelines and the rangefinder image to the same point of focus, which is one of the nice features of the 7/7s viewfinder compared to a lot of lesser cameras with simpler viewfinders.
The downside was that if they had made both beamsplitters fully semi-transparent, as was the common practice, the finder would have been very dim, because each beamsplitter would have subtracted part of the light that came through. Combine both subtractions, and your viewfinder would be dim.
You can see how they solved this problem if you look at your camera's viewfinder from the front. You'll see that the front beamsplitter has been carefully masked so it is semi-transparent only in the center, where it reflects the rangefinder patch. The rest of the block is completely transparent, so it doesn't subtract any light from the outer finder image.
Meanwhile, the rear beamsplitter has been masked so it's semi-transparent only outside the center ( and if you look carefully, you can see two thin vertical lines that represent the supports that held the mask in place during silvering.) This beamsplitter is completely transparent in the center, so it doesn't detract from the brightness of the rangefinder image. It's semi-transparent only outside the center, so it can reflect the framelines into the viewing field.
The result is two beamsplitters that add up to only the same amount of darkening as one conventional beamsplitter -- adding up to reasonable brightness plus good focus of both the framelines and the rangefinder image.
The fly in the ointment was that these two beamsplitter blocks had to be mounted at different distances from the finder eyepiece, meaning they could not be brought into focus simultaneously for the user's eye. So, when you look through the finder of your 7 or 7s, you see an out-of-focus dark halo where the front and rear beamsplitter "holes" don't quite line up.
Leica avoided this (and other issues) in its M-series cameras by using a much, much more complicated and expensive "fully collimated" rangefinder/viewfinder system. This required a complete optical system behind the rangefinder window to bring the rangefinder image into focus at the plane of an internal mask, plus another optical system for the eyepiece so that the viewer's eye could be brought to the same focus on the mask, the viewfinder framelines, and the viewfinder image simultaneously.
Canon certainly could have engineered a similar system for the 7 in time for its 1961 introduction. Why didn't they? Well, it would have made the camera much more expensive, and probably even larger and heavier. Also, you have to remember that the modern practice of gazing lovingly into the viewfinder for minutes at a time really only became popular with the rise of SLRs. The typical RF camera user was more likely to observe the passing scene, then bring the camera quickly up to his/her eye, focus on the chosen subject, frame the image, and take the picture. Having a "perfect" viewfinder image wasn't as big a deal in this scenario, and both Canon and Nikon evidently decided that the benefits of having a lighter, less expensive, less complicated camera should win out.
Of course today fully collimated range/viewfinders are the norm, although they remained a Leica M exclusive (AFAIK) until the Leica/Minolta CL appeared, followed by the Minolta CLE, all of which had them. It's hard to remember now what an amazingly big deal it was when Cosina figured out how to engineer a bright, clear, fully-collimated yet not crazily expensive range/viewfinder into the original Bessa R!
Bonus fun Canon 7/7s fact: Ever wonder how they got those nice, crisp finder frames, complete with a tidy little number designating each focal length? You wouldn't be able to tell this without taking the camera apart, but the finder mask actually is exposed onto a small piece of high-definition, high-contrast photographic film! Leica and everybody else made finder framelines by cutting tiny slots into a thin metal plate... which worked, but precluded including those handy little numbers that let you be sure you know what lens you're using!
ranger9
Well-known
Another fun Canon fact: I had used a Canon VI-T as a primary camera for shooting stage performances well into the 1980s, and always had good memories of its clear, simple, 1:1-magnification viewfinder (it's much easier to keep track of stage action when you can keep both eyes open as you shoot.) Plus, the trigger wind was perfect for short sequences. (Tip: The cylindrical grip that screws into the tripod socket helps a LOT, as it transfers the force of the winding action into the palm of your hand, keeping the camera steadier.)
A few years ago, when I acquired another VI-T and later a P out of nostalgia, I noticed the finders didn't seem nearly as clear as I remembered. I bought into the commonly-expressed view that these finders (with their complex reflected-frameline system) deteriorate as they age.
Then I broke down and had cataract surgery -- which I had been avoiding, because of course I was much, much too young to need such a thing. But after having the surgery, I was amazed to discover that the VI-T and P finders had miraculously improved themselves!
They're still not as clear and well-defined as a modern fully-collimated, projected-frame finder... but they're now just as bright and pleasant to use as I remembered them from the old days.
A few years ago, when I acquired another VI-T and later a P out of nostalgia, I noticed the finders didn't seem nearly as clear as I remembered. I bought into the commonly-expressed view that these finders (with their complex reflected-frameline system) deteriorate as they age.
Then I broke down and had cataract surgery -- which I had been avoiding, because of course I was much, much too young to need such a thing. But after having the surgery, I was amazed to discover that the VI-T and P finders had miraculously improved themselves!
They're still not as clear and well-defined as a modern fully-collimated, projected-frame finder... but they're now just as bright and pleasant to use as I remembered them from the old days.
ranger9
Well-known
Yet another fun Canon fact: (Hey, it's a dreary, icy New Year's Eve and I don't feel like going out, so I'm sitting here writing stuff...) What's the difference in the viewfinder design that makes the Canon 7sZ better than the plain 7 and 7s? It's actually a very small thing.
On the original models, the rangefinder image is reflected into the viewfinder by a small, front-surfaced mirror that sits just behind the rangefinder window. It sits on a small, springy, shiny piece of metal (stainless steel, I'm guessing.) The way you adjust the vertical alignment of the rangefinder image is to unscrew a small round port near the shutter speed dial, insert a tiny screwdriver down into the hole, and turn a tiny screw that jacks this springy support up or down. It's almost impossible to do this adjustment while looking through the viewfinder, because the springiness of the support makes the image very jiggly as you adjust it, but you can sneak up on the correct adjustment pretty easily by turning the screw a tiny bit, checking the finder view, and then repeating as necessary.
One downside of this was that (as noted) the support was very shiny, and stray light entering the finder system -- typically through the frosted frameline-illumination window -- could bounce off it, producing flare and ghost images, There were several other shiny surfaces along the path of the rangefinder image as well, and these contributed to the problem. Canon tried to address it by sticking tiny patches of flat-black, hexagonal-patterned antireflective material here and there, but the view was still pretty ghosty under some conditions.
For the final 7s model (aka 7sZ, a name invented by Peter Dechert) the ghostbusters finally cracked down and redesigned the vertical-adjustment system. The rangefinder image still reflected off a front-surface mirror, but now it was solidly mounted on a dark support that didn't need to move up and down and didn't have to be shiny. Instead, vertical adjustment was assigned to a tiny cylindrical prism stuck to the side of the beamsplitter at the front of the viewfinder. Turning the cylindrical prism (via a tiny toothed wheel accessible through the same round port, now moved over the second "n" in "Canon") moved the rangefinder image up and down to provide vertical alignment. Conceptually, it's very much like a miniaturized version of the round prism (behind the round knurled guard ring around the rangefinder window) that you turn to adjust vertical alignment on a Canon VI or P.
Getting rid of the jiggly bits let Canon apply more effective anti-reflection materials throughout the rangefinder's image path. It's still not perfect, you understand, but it's better. Also, I'm sure repair technicians appreciated the fact that they could finally adjust vertical alignment while sighting through the viewfinder, since the prism didn't introduce any jiggle as you turned it. The prism did mean that infinity adjustment would change slightly as you adjusted the vertical alignment... so you'd need to take care of the vertical first, then touch up the infinity adjustment through the port covered by the chrome screw at the lower inside corner of the finder window, just as on previous Canon models since time immemorial. The whole system was tiny and intricate but straightforward, and tends to stay set for a long, long time once adjusted by a competent technician.
To me it seems charming and quixotic that Canon would go to such lengths to redesign its flagship rangefinder camera to make it easier to maintain... and then kill it after producing only about 4,000 units of the improved version! Sic transit gloria mundi, as I think Dechert might have written in his book...
On the original models, the rangefinder image is reflected into the viewfinder by a small, front-surfaced mirror that sits just behind the rangefinder window. It sits on a small, springy, shiny piece of metal (stainless steel, I'm guessing.) The way you adjust the vertical alignment of the rangefinder image is to unscrew a small round port near the shutter speed dial, insert a tiny screwdriver down into the hole, and turn a tiny screw that jacks this springy support up or down. It's almost impossible to do this adjustment while looking through the viewfinder, because the springiness of the support makes the image very jiggly as you adjust it, but you can sneak up on the correct adjustment pretty easily by turning the screw a tiny bit, checking the finder view, and then repeating as necessary.
One downside of this was that (as noted) the support was very shiny, and stray light entering the finder system -- typically through the frosted frameline-illumination window -- could bounce off it, producing flare and ghost images, There were several other shiny surfaces along the path of the rangefinder image as well, and these contributed to the problem. Canon tried to address it by sticking tiny patches of flat-black, hexagonal-patterned antireflective material here and there, but the view was still pretty ghosty under some conditions.
For the final 7s model (aka 7sZ, a name invented by Peter Dechert) the ghostbusters finally cracked down and redesigned the vertical-adjustment system. The rangefinder image still reflected off a front-surface mirror, but now it was solidly mounted on a dark support that didn't need to move up and down and didn't have to be shiny. Instead, vertical adjustment was assigned to a tiny cylindrical prism stuck to the side of the beamsplitter at the front of the viewfinder. Turning the cylindrical prism (via a tiny toothed wheel accessible through the same round port, now moved over the second "n" in "Canon") moved the rangefinder image up and down to provide vertical alignment. Conceptually, it's very much like a miniaturized version of the round prism (behind the round knurled guard ring around the rangefinder window) that you turn to adjust vertical alignment on a Canon VI or P.
Getting rid of the jiggly bits let Canon apply more effective anti-reflection materials throughout the rangefinder's image path. It's still not perfect, you understand, but it's better. Also, I'm sure repair technicians appreciated the fact that they could finally adjust vertical alignment while sighting through the viewfinder, since the prism didn't introduce any jiggle as you turned it. The prism did mean that infinity adjustment would change slightly as you adjusted the vertical alignment... so you'd need to take care of the vertical first, then touch up the infinity adjustment through the port covered by the chrome screw at the lower inside corner of the finder window, just as on previous Canon models since time immemorial. The whole system was tiny and intricate but straightforward, and tends to stay set for a long, long time once adjusted by a competent technician.
To me it seems charming and quixotic that Canon would go to such lengths to redesign its flagship rangefinder camera to make it easier to maintain... and then kill it after producing only about 4,000 units of the improved version! Sic transit gloria mundi, as I think Dechert might have written in his book...
DavidC
Established
A belated Thanks ranger 9! I missed your input since I have not surfed the RF for a while. Your knowledge of rangefinder systems is truly impressive and your observations spot on!
Dustfinder
Member
I was about to post a question on the differences between the 7sz and the 7s, but this thread covers about everything that I would like to ask, and then some. My only remaining question is for people who actually have or had the 7s and 7sz in good condition and would be able to say if there are really any differences between the view from their the rangefinder patches, besides the natural and expected unity variation (which, as I'm starting to notice, might really be the most determinant factor on people's judgment about the functionality of old cameras).
raid
Dad Photographer
This is very useful information. Thank you all.
ranger9
Well-known
I prefer the rangefinder view through the 7sZ, but it's not a dollars-to-donuts difference. A lot of people probably wouldn't notice the difference if they hadn't been told there's a difference. I remain convinced the change was made mostly to make the repair technician's life easier. The rangefinder spot on either one is very usable, but neither is as good as the one you'll find on a Leica M, a Bessa R3, or (dare I say it) a Pixii. The viewfinder frame lines, on the other hand, are identical and superb on both models (and the original 7 as well) — they're clear, well illuminated, and show a good amount of the frame area (no skimpy lines like on some Leica models.) They're even plainly labeled with numerals that show positively what lines you've got selected. This is the best frameline set on any RF, in my opinion.
Another reason to prefer the 7sZ is to make sure you get all the little incremental improvements Canon sneaked onto the 7s model during its production run. The most significant from the user point of view are the larger rewind crank (which looks dorky, because it doesn't fit into the body recess provided for the smaller original crank, but is less likely to fold up unexpectedly when you're trying to rewind in a hurry) and the “shouldered” meter readout window. The original 7s used a plastic window that fit flush with the camera top and was glued in place. This looked neat and smooth, but accidental hard pressure on the window could make the glue let go, and then the window would push down into the camera top— possibly mangling the delicate meter needle movement in the process. Canon later switched to a window that sat slightly above the camera top and incorporated a “shoulder” around it to keep it from being pressed down through the hole in the top cover. Some later-model plain Canon 7s cameras had one or both of these improvements, but the 7sZ almost always has both. (If you've got one that doesn't, please speak up… but don't overlook the possibility that somebody swapped parts with an older model…)
Mackinaw
Think Different
Ranger summed it up nicely. I have a 7 and 7sZ, and the main difference between the viewfinders is that the 7sZ has less ghosting than the 7. But we're splitting hairs here, the difference isn't major. The rangefinder patch on either camera works perfectly well, but is not as well-defined as the hard-edge patch on a Leica M. I really like that Canon added focal length numbers into the framelines. I actually like the viewfinder of a 7/7s/7sZ better than an M, but the M's superior rangefinder patch makes it a better choice for picture taking. I find myself grabbing my Leica M(s) before my 7 or 7sZ.
Jim B.
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
The only thing I noticed and this was mentioned in Dechert's book was the 7sz finder was not biased to nearsighted-ness any more. This might be an improvement or not... depending on what type of eyesight you have.
Dustfinder
Member
You probably summed up for me the general experience the other guys, Mackinaw and xayraa33, have. The new VF doesn't represent a really relevant improvement, from a user's perspective, but an incremental mechanical improvement that would be nice to have. The emphasis that you and Mackinaw put on the rangefinder spot being not equal to the one on the Leica M saved me 500 bucks, because I was about to fork that amount on a 7sz, that wouldn't bring anything much over my perfectly fine 7s (which, by the way, suffers from the loose plastic window cover that you referred to).
Thanks a lot guys.
ranger9
Well-known
I remember reading that in Dechert's book, but he offered it as just a personal impression, and my personal nearsighted eyes are skeptical (or as skeptical as eyes can be.) Here's a little-known fact, although it can be seen in the PDF service manual (really just a set of parts diagrams) for the 7/7s that can be found floating around the internet: When these cameras were new, Canon offered eyepieces in five different diopters; AFAIK they're all unmarked and there's no way to distinguish one from another. So if you happen to have two 7-series Canons and one is easier on your eyes than another, it's possible it got a replacement eyepiece back in the day.