Canonet 28

Posted by: u5227470736789439 on 16 October 2006

Dear Friends,

I have a venerable Canonet 28 [and Braun Flash unit], which is a semi-automatic non-SLR 35 mm film camera from a very long time ago.

The automatic part controls the aperture according to the built in light meter. Or you can overide this and use it in traditional style, but I almost never have, as it is so good. Focus is entirely manual, which I prefer. It was my grandmother's (she who gave me my CDS2) and I inherited the Canon six years ago.

In preparation for my holiday in a fortnight, I dug the old thing out and tried it. Light meter dead...

Took it to Jessops, who drooled over it, but could not supply a new miniature battery. Down to the other branch (in Worcester), and met one of the guys who used to work in the big High Street branch. He sent me to a tiny little shop where a safe replacement battery could be found. Apparently the old battery is mercury or lithium or some other dreadful poison based thing and illegal now.

But I came away with a safe, ecologically more friendly battery and normal function restored.

All for £1:50! I suppose I shall go digital like everyone else one day, but I am very fond of that old camera. Every photo I have posted here was taken with it, except one which was professionally done with a Hasselblad.

Also today I got a new distributor cap and rotor arm for the old Volvo 240 [been missing a bit these damp mornings], in preparation for a drive to Birmingham International on Wednesday giving friends a lift for their holiday back home in Poland. For myself I shall use the train, but their flight is too early.

I took the old bird to Johnsons [main Volvo dealers] who were staggered at the condition, especially as I don't exactly "baby" the car. Some times old fine things just go on and on! [They could not supply the parts but sent me to another tiny little shop}!

Like me I suppose, just going on and on! Fredrik

PS: Anyone else here with a Cononet?

Posted on: 17 October 2006 by SteveGa

A great "blast from the past"

Just in case you have mislaid the manual go here, it also features heavily in the Canon Museum launched 1968.

Posted on: 17 October 2006 by Rico

yes, I've hung on to my dad's old canonet from 1964. it's needing repair (I used it for a few years in the early 80's, dropped it and shutter jammed)... it uses a cds cell and hence needs no battery. lovely f1.9 55mm lens, crisp and lovely colour. I intend to have it serviced one day, and continue using it from time to time - the rangefinder is rather functional too. there's lots of info if you look around the interweb; older japanese rangefinder cameras are gaining a rather cult following.

Posted on: 17 October 2006 by u5227470736789439

Dear steve,

That is exactly it! I have a manual! In Norwegian! It was my grandmother's and a very great many of the photos of my brother and me weretalen with this very camera, on our our annual visit in the summer to our grandparents. The result is that I never been on a beech holiday or indeed stayed in a hotel in a foreign land! My grandmother's previous camera was a Lieca. Very heavy and required a good deal of effort to get really fine pictures, though she managed that rather often! I was offered it when I was given the Canonet after she died, and declined. I think you need to be really dedicated to use such a style of machine!

The Flash gun is a Braun, and there is a part missing, which does something automatic, but it not quite as old as the camera itself.

My grandmother retired the kit owing to the availability of light and very good point and snap cameras, but they did not get such beautiful photos!

Dear Rico,

I think the whole camera is a nice one for a keen amateur. In fact I have taken very few poor photos with it, and some very good ones, though mostly I am much too modest to post any here, because there are some real experts, who might think I was even more amateur than I think I am. My first cammera was an Agfa Box Camera, followed by a horrible Minolta, which had Autofocus! It worked in random fashion! But the Canonet is only my third and I have suit case full of mine and my grandmother's photos. A real treasury of happy memories!

Thanks for the replies! Fredrik