# Canon Rangefinder



## JerrfyLube

Someone tell me what I have here...  All I can tell you about it is that its a Canon, it appears to be a rangefinder and its in FANTASTIC shape.  There is also a leather Canon brand case and a whole slew of filters and other accessories.  Even some of the original paperwork is there, although, quite frail.  

Found this camera in the attic of a house we are renting.  Landlord said "keep it"!  It really is quite a beautiful camera and makes even todays pro bodies feel like flimsy toys!  Talk about a tank!!


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## Derrel

I think it's a Canon IVSB2....but I'm not a Canon rangefinder aficionado....there were a number of of IV-model sub-variants...I cannot see the slow speed dial well enough to tell which IV model it is...

Photoethnography.com - Classic Cameras


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## compur

It's the original Canon IV model.  Made in 1951-52

The later IV-series models (IVSB, etc) had a different film 
advance knob with a reminder window.

These Canons can be very hard to tell apart.  I used my copy 
of _Canon Rangefinder Cameras_ by P. Dechert and it still took
some study to figure it out. Serial numbers don't help much
because Canon used overlapping SN ranges for their models
plus they made a number of variations and updates of some 
models and the models themselves are often so similar.

Looks like a well preserved example too. Congrats!


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## JerrfyLube

compur said:


> Looks like a well preserved example too. Congrats!



Id say its about as close to flawless as you can get for a camera thats 60-ish years old.

Ill snap some more(better) shots of it this evening.  Its an absolutely beautiful piece of engineering.


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## compur

Yes, they are great cameras. I have an L-1 and love it.  

The Canon RF cameras are as well-made or better than the Leicas of the same period IMO.


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## Mitica100

^
+1

Absolutely agree on that!


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## Derrel

It really looks to be in fine condition....I see a dent in the top of the shutter release button, and a little bit of accumulated environmental dust....but otherwise looks pretty nice. Is the viewfinder clean and bright? Man, finding that in an attic sure beats some old mousetraps and empty beer bottles...


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## usayit

check shutter curtain and slow speeds.....  those can deteriorate even when unused.   I found mine in mint condition cosmetically but had a cla and repair to truly end up with a fine example.   Repair included new shutter curtain.

I don't believe yours is an IVsb as mine has the reminder window on the rewind knob.   sn is 84xxx in the same location.  the rangefinder window is also different.


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## JerrfyLube

Blew off the dust bunnies and took a few more.  































Let me know if these give a better chance at a positive ID.

Upon closer inspection, there seems to be something floating around inside the lens.  Looks like an aperture blade but when stopped down, they all appear to be where they should be.  So much for actually using the thing...   The leather wrap is in flawless shape as is pretty much the rest of the camera.  A couple VERY light rub marks on the bottom of the camera but other than that, its pretty darn close to new.

Sure is a pretty camera though.  Ill probably detail it up really nice and put it in a display case in my studio or something merely as a conversational piece.  Doubt I would put any money into it to make it functional again...film...whats that??


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## JerrfyLube

Derrel said:


> I see a dent in the top of the shutter release button



Not a dent...just an odd reflection.


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## Proteus617

JerrfyLube said:


> Upon closer inspection, there seems to be something floating around inside the lens.  Looks like an aperture blade but when stopped down, they all appear to be where they should be.  So much for actually using the thing...


Head over to the rangefinder forum (RFF).  You will find great advice on where to send it for competant repairs and CLAs.  Also, The mount on that camera is plain old Leica Thread Mount (LTM) so lots of glass is available.  Great stuff made recently and inexpensively by Cosina/Voigtlander.  Also, there is some amazingly good Soviet glass available for under $100.



JerrfyLube said:


> Sure is a pretty camera though.  Ill probably detail it up really nice and put it in a display case in my studio or something merely as a conversational piece.  Doubt I would put any money into it to make it functional again...film...whats that??


Your camera is not an collectible oddity.  Oscar Barnak invented the Leica in the early 20s and the system continuously evolved for the next several decades with input from the best designers, manufacturers and photographers.  Your Canon sits pretty far along that evolutionary sequence.  It's very well made and highly respected.  It might be on of the best 35mms ever made.  Put some money into it and shoot!  If not, you should really sell it.  It's worth more than a few hundred and will be the prized shooter of some rangefinder fan.  It's just to nice to sit in a case.


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## JerrfyLube

Proteus617 said:


> Your camera is not an collectible oddity. It's worth more than a few hundred and will be the prized shooter of some rangefinder fan.  It's just to nice to sit in a case.



Oddity, no...but as a centerpiece for conversation or as a display in a studio enviroment, I think its way cool.  Ive actually had this camera for a while now and its been sitting on a shelf in my office.  Ive had more people strike up "wow, thats a really interesting looking camera" conversations because of it....

Hypothetically though, what do you think its worth?  Ive got a bunch of accessories for it too, including a factory Canon leather bound case, the Canon flash and some other odds\ends...  I might just hock it if it will bring a fair price as I would rather see it go to a collector or someone who will use and appreciate it rather than just sitting in a box rotting away.

Getting a positive ID on it is still the first step though...


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## Mitica100

JerrfyLube said:


> Hypothetically though, what do you think its worth?  Ive got a bunch of accessories for it too, including a factory Canon leather bound case, the Canon flash and some other odds\ends...  I might just hock it if it will bring a fair price as I would rather see it go to a collector or someone who will use and appreciate it rather than just sitting in a box rotting away.
> 
> Getting a positive ID on it is still the first step though...




If indeed it's a IV model, you need to know that there were only 1,400 of them ever made. They could go anywhere between $300-$800, depending on the condition of the camera (cosmetics, mechanics and optics).

Other variations of the IV model are:

IV F, IV M (the Skinner), IV S, IV SB, IV SB2.


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