I seem to have picked up a rangefinder habit, lately. The Canon 7 is the latest symptom of it.
It’s the Zorki’s fault. I love shooting with it, and the Jupiter 8 is a great lens. But it had some, er, quirks. It has the classic CCCP rangefinder requirement of winding before shooting. Winding itself has the typical Soviet walnut grinding noise that seems to be a requirement of being a Soviet camera. When the shutter is released, it’s not really stealthy. The rangefinder is only set up for 50mm focal distance. Shooting with my 35mm was guesswork. And mostly, I was guessing wrong when I shot with it. While these are gripes, I wasn’t going to abandon the Zorki. For all its quirks, it’s a great camera and very enjoyable to shoot with.
But I wanted a bit more. A meter, for instance, is nice to have, and makes shooting faster. Initially I looked for a meter that would mount on a shoe, but then found out about the Bessa R. All that plastic kind of turned me off of it, so I had decided on a Bessa R2, but they were pricey, so I just carried on. Then a Canon 7 Rangefinder came up.
The 7 was Canon’s last line of rangefinders. They’d done like the Soviets and other Japanese companies and started by copying the Barnack Leica bodies, then moved on to their own designs. The 7 and it’s two variants co-existed with the new line of SLRs that would replace them. They were designed for the epic 50mm/f 0.95 lens, the fastest glass Canon made. Those lenses are neither cheap nor easy to find, and they require a mounting adapter, so it’s doubtful I’ll ever have one.
I bought a Canon 7 so that I could use my existing two M39 lenses, the Jupiter 8 and the Jupiter 12. Opinions varied as to whether the Jupiter 12 would work. I’ve tested mine for clearances and it fits just fine. The rear element clears the shutter with enough room. I haven’t shot with it yet, but that’s on the agenda for the next few days.
The meter was responsive, but it wasn’t reading correctly. I spent a little while adjusting it to mirror the readings of my handheld light meter, using the adjustment wheel on the back of the top plate. I realized it had a high and low setting, and I needed to use different readings to get the correct one. Once I did that, it’s been right on the money. While it’s uncoupled and requires me to take a reading then shoot, it’s still faster than using a hand-held and a vast improvement. It is limited to 400 ASA as the highest speed. Anything faster and I’ll have to go back to the hand-held meter or do a little math. Still, it’s useful to have.
The film transport is nice and quiet. So is the shutter, even though it is not cloth. It’s a rubber coated metal shutter. Compared to the Kalashnikov bolt sound of the Zorki, it’s almost silent. It is not as quiet as the Olympus XA, though. The viewfinder is nice and bright, with parallax correction and selectable frame lines that you can adjust to the focal length of the lens you have on it.
I do have a problem finding the shutter release. It isn’t where I think it should be and so I’ve missed a few shots fumbling around for the thing in the moment. The 7 definitely has the ergonomics of the early 60s. It’s basically a chrome box, with no thought as to how the hand is to grip it. It hangs oddly from the strap as well, something I may address with a case, like I did with the Zorki’s strap problem.
Still, it’s a significant upgrade to what I’ve previously been shooting M39 lenses with, and it set me back a little more than a quarter of the price of the R2 I was looking at previously. It’s an excellent camera to use.
Hi there! I found your blog by chance, while ranting about having miss for a triffle a very (actually mint, in box, as new…) Canon 7sz, the rare and latest version of the Canon 7. The 7 is a nice camera, but for a more up-close experience with Canon rangefinders, you should take a close look at the Canon P. Despite its name (the “P” stands for “Populaire”), the P is a very well built camera, perhaps bettering the 7 by a nice margin, this being evident in the overall finish and the quality of the chrome. It is also quite minimalistic and represents excellent value for money, especially if you can find a nice example, with clean viewfinder and intact chrome and enamel paint.
I’ve looked at one but not bought yet. I just might get one for back up.
If you can get one in excellent or mint condition, go for it. You won’t regret the purchase!
Btw, I am sorry for having been so rude in the first comment: I forgot to mention that you have a great blog, full of interesting stuff on film photography and bikes, two of my favourite pursuits. Congrats and keep up the good job!
No worries, not rude at all. Thanks for the tip, and the complement!
Hey look what I found looking for Canon7 + Jupiter! Nice work!
Thanks man!
My thought here, have you considered Canon glass on your 7 ?
I have. I actually want a 28 for landscapes, and probably a fast 50 as well.
I have used the 7 for two decades now and aside from the imprecise rangefinder spot and the annoying meter which doesn’t work have to say the beast is built to last! And you have a whole slew of lenses to choose from Voigtlander skopars to Canon to Leica.
What were the results like with the Jupiter 12?
Typical of what you would expect with the lens. There’s an example taken with the Canon 7 on the review of the Jupiter 12- https://shootfilmridesteel.com/problem-child-the-jupiter-12-lens/
Great review yet again, your writing style is honest not pompus and right on the money..excited to get my Canon 7.
Thank you!
Great review. I just got myself a 7 but I am puzzled by how to read the lightmeter. Do you read where the arrow is pointing to the grey stripe and then the aperture next to it?
Basically, yes, you set the shutter speed, aim in the general direction of the subject, then read the F stop the needle is nearest. You have to make sure it’s in the correct mode, though. That’s the knob by the eyepiece on the back you can set for high or low sensitivity. I would set that, then the shutter, then read the meter, then pull out an iPhone and meter. Those selenium meters are famous for no longer being accurate.
Ok thank you
The Model 7 is a really nice camera to work with. I got lucky and the meter in mine not only works, but is accurate on both levels. I usually carry an incident meter with me anyway as that is how I prefer to work, but nice that the meter functions. The finder is super, focus plenty accurate, the shutter and wind mechanism is smooth and quiet. What’s not to like? I use a mix of the 50 f1.8 Serenar (superb lens!), some Jupiters and a couple of Leitz on mine and they all focus and function perfectly. Even the Jupiter 12 works without problem contrary to what I keep reading about it.
My Jupiter 12 worked with mine, but had internal issues and was replaced. If you can get one with good quality control, they can’t be beat for the price.
My Jupiter 12 was completely out of whack when I got it as someone seemed to have dismantled it and then reassembled out of alignment. It took my tech about four minutes to resolve. Fascinating lens design! I’m not sure where the notion that the 12 contacts the shutter on a Model 7 originated as it simply is not so. I know several people who use one on their 7 and none had any issues at all. The Contax mount one won’t work on my IIa, sadly. I gather there does exist a version that does, but how to tell when buying?
Another factor that is often forgotten is that the rangefinder mechanism on the 7 series will actually work down to .8 meters which would allow focusing from the newer voigtlander ltm lenses to a more adequate distance than the old standard 1 meter.