Canon G-III QL/17

[Tony-S]

My QL/17 shutter won't fire. It's been working fine but today I discovered the problem. When I press the shutter button it doesn't trip the shutter, but it I press it several times the shutter eventually trips. Any idea what the problem might be and how it might be fixed?

TIA.

[Brian Legge]

The most common issue cause of something like this is sticking shutter blades. If you set the aperture to 1.7 and look at the shutter, does it look oily? Look at both the front and open the back and look it the back of the blades. When the shutter does trigger, does it seem like it moves slowly or erratically?

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, Tony;

Brian does have the idea, but if I can offer a slightly modified suggestion, try setting the aperture to something like f:16. Then with the shutter set to "B," depress and hold the shutter release while you look at the lens diaphragm or aperture leaves. If you can see sections on the leaves where there seems to be oil, then the lens will need a CLA.

With the lens set to f:1.7, the aperture leaves should be all the way open, and you probably will not see anything back to the film plane.

[Field]

Don't worry though because after you get the lens CLA'd it will stop cocking the shutter when you advance it QL17's are rad but it seems like pure luck to get a working one, that continues to work for long... Oh and no one likes to work on the inside of the body.

[Bill Burk]

By "pressing the shutter several times" do you mean opening the back, advancing and releasing the shutter several times? I find that when I do that I can restore my camera to operation (when it seems that my camera's only problem is need for exercise).

[Tony-S]

Sorry, been traveling. I meant pressing the shutter button on the top of the camera. I am willing to try to clean the shutter blades, but the sensor for the light meter makes me nervous. Is it a problem? I have spanner wrenches and I assume the lens cover can be removed to reveal the holes for the spanner?

[sangetsu]

You won't damage the light meter by accessing the shutter. To really get at the shutter blades you will have to remove both the front and rear lens elements. The rear elements come out easily as a group, you'll see two sets of notches for your spanner, use then outer notches. The front element group is more tricky, usually only the retaining ring for the front element will come off, leaving the rest of the lens group in place. There is a second set of notches for a lens spanner, but they are hard to get to without a special tool. The front retaining ring is made of aluminum, and is easily damaged, so be careful.

My experience with getting shutter blades clean on Canonets has been hit and miss. Sometimes cleaning them helps, sometimes it doesn't. They needn't appear oily to stick, and shutter blades which appear to have oil on them may work fine. If the shutter mechanism itself needs cleaning, you had best send your camera to an experienced tech, it is a more complicated job.