QL17 GIII frame spacing problems

ghostganz

ghostganz

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I recently got a Canonet QL17 GIII, which I've put a few rolls through. Apart from light leaks and an unreliable light meter, it seemed to work fine. But in the fourth roll I put through it there was one overlapping frame, between the first and second frames. I checked the earlier negatives, that turned out to have very random frame spacing, between almost-zero and a few mm.

The frame advance felt and sounded smooth all the time when it did this, so it didn't seem to be skipping any holes in the film. (I didn't think it was possible to get uneven spacing without those cogs skipping holes?) Now however, on the fifth roll, it has twice made a loud noise when advancing that definitely sounds like holes skipping. Most of the time it still advances smoothly though.

I should have figured out there was a problem when I found a tiny film fragment inside it when changing the light seals... :bang:

Any tips on what could be causing this? Some part I should oil or clean?
 
Sounds like the film transport pressure plate is bent or twisted. It is the plate with the rollers that flips up when you open the back. Most folks don't know you can't open a GIII all the way, without damage.
 
I've noticed the same thing. Usually around frame 14 & 15. It madee the noise once when I had turned the rewind knob rather tightly like I do with all my mechanical 35mm cameras. So, I didn't do that any more but I still get the odd overlap. What's wrong?

Enquiring minds want to know.
 
I haven't forced it

I haven't forced it

greyhoundman said:
Sounds like the film transport pressure plate is bent or twisted. It is the plate with the rollers that flips up when you open the back. Most folks don't know you can't open a GIII all the way, without damage.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I haven't forced it past where it naturally wants to come to rest. How do I tell if it's bent/twisted?
 
The plate has two tabs that rest on two chrome posts. These have to contact at the same time. Also check to see that the plate is not bowed in the middle.
 
greyhoundman said:
Sounds like the film transport pressure plate is bent or twisted. It is the plate with the rollers that flips up when you open the back. Most folks don't know you can't open a GIII all the way, without damage.
Click to expand...
Mine opens a full 180 degrees. If it's not supposed to do that, then it's probably what broke it. I may have messed it up even more when I had it open for replacing the light seals then... :(

Thanks.
 
greyhoundman said:
The plate has two tabs that rest on two chrome posts. These have to contact at the same time. Also check to see that the plate is not bowed in the middle.
Click to expand...
My plate seems perfectly symmetric in how it rests on those two posts, so it's not crooked. It looks straight in the middle too, so that's not it.

Haven't heard any noise from it when advancing on the last two rolls, but haven't had them processed, so I don't yet know if the problem has gone away by itself. :)
 
ghostganz said:
I recently got a Canonet QL17 GIII, which I've put a few rolls through. Apart from light leaks and an unreliable light meter, it seemed to work fine. But in the fourth roll I put through it there was one overlapping frame, between the first and second frames. I checked the earlier negatives, that turned out to have very random frame spacing, between almost-zero and a few mm.

The frame advance felt and sounded smooth all the time when it did this, so it didn't seem to be skipping any holes in the film. (I didn't think it was possible to get uneven spacing without those cogs skipping holes?) Now however, on the fifth roll, it has twice made a loud noise when advancing that definitely sounds like holes skipping. Most of the time it still advances smoothly though.

I should have figured out there was a problem when I found a tiny film fragment inside it when changing the light seals... :bang:

Any tips on what could be causing this? Some part I should oil or clean?
Click to expand...

The little rubber pads of the quick-load system have a tendency to slip as they age. What we used to do was to gently roughen the surfaces up a little bit with a hard typewriter eraser.
 
greyhoundman said:
Sounds like the film transport pressure plate is bent or twisted. It is the plate with the rollers that flips up when you open the back. Most folks don't know you can't open a GIII all the way, without damage.
Click to expand...

I see many Canonets overlapping more and more these days. The reason is the film spool needs to be removed and the internal shaft and washers need to be cleaned from rust dirt or whatever is inside the core of the spool. Water and moisture will get penetrate through the shutter button opening causing rust inside the spool.

The top counter assembly can be removed in whole first to gain entry to the large center screw that holds the spool in. I am in the process to build a good Canonet from a mass of bad bodies I accumulated through the past decade. I will post photos that exhibits my work upon my completion of the work of the spool
 
You might be having a problem with pressure plate pressure due to the new light seals. I notice on my Canon SLR's I do seals on at first they are hard to close due to the new seal material. So, when I replace seals to make sure there isn't a pressure problem, I close the back with the seals still moist with the alch I use to install them with. This is great because it makes sure they are all the way seated in the groove.
 
ghostganz said:
I recently got a Canonet QL17 GIII, which I've put a few rolls through. Apart from light leaks and an unreliable light meter, it seemed to work fine. But in the fourth roll I put through it there was one overlapping frame, between the first and second frames. I checked the earlier negatives, that turned out to have very random frame spacing, between almost-zero and a few mm.

The frame advance felt and sounded smooth all the time when it did this, so it didn't seem to be skipping any holes in the film. (I didn't think it was possible to get uneven spacing without those cogs skipping holes?) Now however, on the fifth roll, it has twice made a loud noise when advancing that definitely sounds like holes skipping. Most of the time it still advances smoothly though.

I should have figured out there was a problem when I found a tiny film fragment inside it when changing the light seals... :bang:

Any tips on what could be causing this? Some part I should oil or clean?
Click to expand...
Sniper X said:
You might be having a problem with pressure plate pressure due to the new light seals. I notice on my Canon SLR's I do seals on at first they are hard to close due to the new seal material. So, when I replace seals to make sure there isn't a pressure problem, I close the back with the seals still moist with the alch I use to install them with. This is great because it makes sure they are all the way seated in the groove.
Click to expand...
I see many Canonets overlapping more and more these days. The reason is the film spool needs to be removed and the internal shaft and washers need to be cleaned from rust dirt or whatever is inside the core of the spool. Water and moisture will get penetrate through the shutter button opening causing rust inside the spool.

The top counter assembly can be removed in whole first to gain entry to the large center screw that holds the spool in. I am in the process to build a good Canonet from a mass of bad bodies I accumulated through the past decade. I will post photos that exhibits my work upon my completion of the work of the spool
 
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