Canon Canonet QL 19 |
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Manufactured or assembled in Japan from 1965 to (Circa) 1971.
Index of rarity in France: Infrequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 10201
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Canon
With the Canonet, Canon entered the international markets for amateur compact cameras. Until then, the brand had remained relatively obscure in the European market. Over a decade, various models of the Canonet succeeded each other. Almost all of them were rangefinders with exposure control.
The range primarily revolves around two lenses opening respectively at f/1.7 and f/1.9. To offer cheaper models, Canon released the Canonet Junior and the Canonet 28, with a 2.8 lens and without a rangefinder. The second-generation Canonet 28 has a rangefinder. The Canonet 25 remains an isolated case with a 2.5 lens.
Models with a Selenium cell have it around the lens. In the American market, some models bear the dual branding of Canon and Bell & Howell.
Year | Rangefinder | Lens | Shutter | Lightmeter | ||
Canonet | ![]() |
1961 | Yes | 1.9/45mm | Copal SV 1 to 1/500 |
Selenium speed priority |
Canonet 19 (Bell & Howell) | As previously mentioned, for distribution in the American market. | |||||
Canonet Junior | ![]() |
1963 | No | 2.8/40mm | Seiko L 1/30 to 1/250 |
Selenium program |
Canonet S | ![]() |
1964 | Yes | 1.7/45mm | Copal SV 1 to 1/500 |
CdS speed priority |
Canonet QL 17 | ![]() |
1965 | Yes | 1.7/45mm | CdS speed priority | |
Canonet 17 (Bell & Howell) | ![]() |
1965 | Yes | 1.7/45mm | CdS speed priority | |
Canonet QL 19 | ![]() |
1965 | Yes | 1.9/45mm | CdS speed priority | |
Canonet QL 19 (Bell & Howell) | ![]() |
As previously mentioned, for distribution in the American market. | ||||
Canonet QL 25 | ![]() |
1965 | Yes | 2.5/45mm | Copal SLV 1/15 to 1/500 |
CdS speed priority |
Canonet QL 19E | ![]() |
1965 | Yes | 1.9/45mm | Seiko SE 1/15 to 1/500 |
CdS program |
Canonet 28 | ![]() |
1968 | No | 2.8/40mm | Seiko LA 1/30 to 1/250 |
Selenium program |
Second-generation | ||||||
Canonet QL 17 (new) | ![]() |
1969 | Yes | 1.7/40mm | Copal 1/4 to 1/500 |
CdS speed priority |
Canonet 28 (new) | ![]() |
1971 | Yes | 2.8/40mm | Copal 1/30 to 1/620 |
CdS program |
Canonet QL 19 (new) | ![]() |
1971 | Yes | 1.9/45mm | Copal 1/4 to 1/500 |
CdS speed priority |
Third-generation | ||||||
Canonet G-III 17 QL | ![]() |
1972 | Yes | 1.7/40mm | Copal 1/4 to 1/500 |
CdS speed priority |
Canonet G-III 19 QL | ![]() |
1972 | Yes | 1.9/45mm |
The Canonet QL19 replaced the original Canonet from 1961 in 1965, retaining most of its features. The significant change was the replacement of the selenium cell with a CdS cell. This is particularly noticeable by the disappearance of the front crown around the lens.
It's a rangefinder camera equipped with a 1.9/45 mm lens. It features automatic exposure with shutter priority, which can be disengaged. Its range of shutter speeds from one second to 1/500th (including the B setting) is sufficient for most situations, although its somewhat limited slow speeds may be regrettable.
The flash shoe does not have any contacts, and the flash needs to be connected to the coaxial socket on the front.
In 1968, it was sold by the Grenier-Natkin network for 722 francs, which was a considerable sum for that time.
![Canon Canonet QL 19](../../canon/images/canon_canonet_ql19_1965.jpg )
Quick Load is the name of Canon's simplified film loading system, offered during the 1960s and 1970s on many of the brand's models. This system is patented.
Patent No. 1 455 252 for France, granted on September 6, 1966. The original patent, in Japan, dates back to 1964.
The present invention relates to an easy film loading device for cameras of the type in which the film, whose advancement is ensured by a pinion or similar element, is automatically wound onto a spool by the friction provided by a set of friction elements on the spool during the loading of the camera. In traditional cameras, when reloading with a fresh film, the leading edge of the film is either manually placed into a slot in the spool or folded and held by hand in the said slot. Such a manual operation is not only tedious but also yields uncertain results. Additionally, there is a device where the winding shaft for the film in the loading chamber is covered with a rubber or similar friction layer and where a pressure mechanism is provided to press the film against the winding shaft to allow the advancing film to wind around the shaft. However, since the leading edge of the film must advance against the pressure mechanism, this results in a loose section forming at the leading edge of the film and an interruption in the winding. A similar device, where the winding shaft for receiving the film in the loading chamber is provided with a suitable number of projections instead of a rubber friction layer, with these projections complementing the perforations in the film, exhibited the same flaw, namely the absence of the desired, secure, and uninterrupted automatic winding due to the shifting of the perforation area of the film as it winds.
According to the present invention, a cylindrical loading chamber is equipped with a spool having a set of friction elements that rise and fall, designed to assist in film feeding when the film is advanced into the loading chamber by a feeding mechanism. As the film's leading edge moves forward, coils form from the outside and deposit inward along the chamber wall, with the friction elements arranged so that the configuration of the set of elements reduces its outer diameter as the number of winding coils increases.
It is also noted that the device according to the invention is equipped with a film guiding element designed to simplify, speed up, and ensure the safe loading of the camera with a film strip by locking it with the rear plate of the camera body for the opening and closing operation.
During loading, the film perforations are engaged by the pinion teeth and the film is checked in the correct position before fully closing the camera's rear plate. After the rear plate is fully closed, the film can be automatically wound onto the spool during the winding operation. Moreover, according to the invention, in addition to the actual winding operation using the friction elements, there are means to prevent interruptions in film advancement that could be caused by the corner of the film’s leading edge catching in a perforation of the subsequent film.
One of the objectives of this invention is to provide a device for easy loading of a camera with a film, featuring a simplified mechanism, stable operation, and extremely easy handling.
Other objectives of the invention are as follows:
- To provide a device of the aforementioned type that includes a film guiding element allowing, during the loading operation, to maintain the correct position of the film perforations engaged by the projections of complementary shape to the pinion until the rear plate of the camera is fully closed, so that after the complete closure of the device, the film automatically winds onto the spool during the winding operation.
- To provide a device with means capable of ensuring very regular, automatic, and twist-free layer-by-layer winding of the film’s leading edge onto the spool, with the film advancing in the loading chamber via a feeding mechanism such as pinions, and this advancement being the result of friction action by a set of friction elements provided on the spool.
- To provide a device of the aforementioned type that ensures winding of a length allowing more exposures than what is permitted by the "Kodak Instamatic" system and the "Agfa Rapid" system, for cameras of similar dimensions.
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Sur mes-appareils-photos.fr, suggested by Eric Carlhan |
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