New Canonet QL-17

Marketed at July 1969. The first of a new Canonet series developed for compactness and lighter weight.
The camera was about 20 mm narrower, 4 mm shorter, and 30 percent lighter than the previous Canonet. To make it more compact, the lens focal length was shortened to 40mm, resulting in a wider angle lens. A Speedlite (Canolite D) which did away with complicated Guide No. calculations was also introduced. The flash aperture was set automatically to suit the flash output and subject distance. This was the fully-automatic flash system called CATS (Canon Auto Tuning System) incorporated for the first time.

With this feature, picture-taking with EE was completely automatic for both night and day.

Guide Number (GN) indicator in aperture ring for flash photograpy (see photo bellow)

the QL (quick loading) system....

Type	35mm Lens-Shutter rangefinder camera with shutter speed-priority EE
Picture Size	24 x 36 mm
Lens	40mm f/1.7 (6 elements in 4 groups)
Shutter	Copal with B, 1/4 sec. to 1/500 sec., X-sync. Built-in self-timer. Hot shoe and German socket for automatic flash.
Viewfinder	Coincidence rangefinder integrated with reversed Galilean viewfinder. Automatic parallax correction with projected frames and marked finder. 0.6x magnification. On the right within the image area are the aperture scale, meter needle, overexposure and underexposure warnings, and battery check zone.
EE	CdS cell for shutter speed-priority EE. Manual exposure enabled by disabling AUTO. Metering range of EV 3.5 - 17 (at ISO 100). Film speed range of ISO 25 - 800.
Power Source	One 1.3 V H-D mercury cell. Battery check provided.
Film Loading & Advance	After opening camera back, align film leader at mark then advance to first frame with Quick Loading (QL) system. Advances with camera-top lever's 120° single stroke. Ready position at 26°. Partial strokes not enabled.
Frame Counter	Counts up. Resets automatically when camera back is opened.
Film Rewind	Camera-top crank
Dimensions & Weight	120 x 75 x 60 mm, 620 g

Canonet QL-17 (old version)

The EE (Electric Eye) feature and viewfinder were made as small as possible and the internal construction was completely different from the original Canonet, making the QL17 a totally new model. However, it had a strong Canonet-like appearance.

The "QL" stood for "Quick Loading," a feature which made film loading quick and easy. At first, "Quick Loading" was inscribed below the Canon logo. It was later replaced by "QL."

Type	35mm Lens Shutter rangerfinder camera with shutter speed-priority EE
Picture Size	24 x 36 mm
Normal Lens	Canon SE 45mm f/1.7 (6 elements in 5 groups)
Shutter	Copal SV; B, 1 to 1/500 sec. Built-in self-timer. Flash sync enabled with M-X switchable German socket
Viewfinder	Coincidence rangefinder integrated with reversed Galilean viewfinder. Automatic parallax correction with projected frames and marked finder. 0.7x magnification. Viewfinder bottom features aperture scale (f/1.7 - f/16) and match needle correct exposure window/exposure warning indicator.
Exposure Meter and EE	CdS comb-controlled shutter speed-priority EE. Metering range of EV 2.5 - 19 (at ISO 100). Film speed range of ISO 25 - 400. Manual exposure enabled by disabling AUTO.
Power Source	One 1.3 V MP mercury cell
Film Loading & Advance	After opening camera back, film leader is aligned at mark then advanced to first frame with Quick Loading (QL) system. Advances with camera-top lever. (120° single stroke)
Frame Counter	Counts up. Resets automatically when camera back is opened.
Film Rewind	Camera-top crank
Dimensions & Weight	140 x 79 x 37 mm, 830 g