COPAL Shutters for RF

djmike · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Taiwan

I borrowed Minolta 7SII from a friend and found the leaf shutter is same as Canon QL17 GIII, from COPAL. 7SII is first introduced in 1977 with lens size 49mm while QL17 GIII in 1972 with 48mm. QL17 GIII has 1/4sec option.
Does anyone have the info of COPAL?
Mike

from QL17 GIII

from 7SII

wilson.c · Joined: 18 Jan 2010 Posts: 364 Location: Hong Kong

Do you know if these lenses can be taken off and adapted for m4/3 use?

djmike · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Taiwan

Oops. I attached to a wrong field. Could some one help me to transfer to "Film Rangefinder / Viewfinder Cameras"? Thanks.

Sevo · Expire: 2012-12-03

Seiko/Copal are and were the biggest Japanese shutter manufacturer, and the last one remaining globally (if we exclude parts OEMs for compacts). Pretty much every modular shutter ever built into a camera (except for pre seventies non-Japanese cameras) was made by them. Their shutters past the folder age generally were modified to fit the specifics of one particular camera, so they usually are not interchangeable, at any rate unless you (or rather, your camera repair shop) have the ability to re-thread the shutter and fit it with different levers and appendages.

Fixed lens camera lenses beyond the folder age (when there still was a high degree of standardization) cannot be transplanted to another camera short of adapting it to a different barrel and aperture mechanism - but it is not impossible. It has been done and there even are a few shops that provide it as a regular service - see e.g. here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84051.

Such a conversion is far from cheap, requiring many hours of work and usually a sacrificial lens from the target system. The conversion on the Yashica in the link cost $675, not including the lens!

djmike · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Taiwan

Sero, thanks.
There is few info about COPAL, but from http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Copal. My further question there are some versoin of COPAL, does any one has related information what is the difference? QL17 GIII is introduced 5 years earlier than 7SII but can support down to 1/4 sec. Does this mean 7SII has cost down version of COPAL but might have more "advanced" technique?
Mike

Sevo · Expire: 2012-12-03

These auto-exposure compact shutters are electronic - the camera electronics (usually not or only partially supplied by Copal) determine the time range supported.