This is Canon's first intermediate-class, Lens-Shutter 35mm camera. The first prototype looked very orthodox.
The camera had the EE (Electric Eye) feature which was also developed. With shutter speed-priority auto-exposure, the camera could take nice pictures. You just had to press the shutter button.
The camera industry went into an uproar upon learning that Canon, maker of high-end cameras, was to introduce a mid-class 35mm camera with a fast f/1.9 lens for less than 20,000 yen. However, the Canonet safely went to market in January 1961. A week's worth of stock was sold out in only two hours. It was the start of the Canonet boom. Two and a half years later, a million Canonets were sold.
| Shutter | - |
| Viewfinder | - |
| - Magnification | - |
| - Coverage | - |
| Power | - |
| Size | - |
| Weight | -- |
I used one of these for a few years before giving it to a friend. I had gotten the matching hood and a yellow filter with this Canonet.
The Canonet is the first item of the series. It has a selenium meter around a 1:1.9 aperture lens, which is very decent and gives very sharp images at f/4 and below. The film advance lever is in the bottom of the body, with an articulated end.
Autoexposure mode is shutter priority, with aperture is shown in the viewfinder. It has a flashmatic feature in which you set the guide number of flash and aperture is automatically set depending on the focusing distance. It may be operated in fully manual mode, which is good insurance in case the selenium meter goes dead.
The camera is relatively large but it has very good handling. It is excellent for general use and street. A very convenient RF, which usually goes for much less than later models.