Canon rangefinders family
Canon Rangefinders family model list
After the war, the Japanese camera makers embarked on making Leica clones, selling them like a fire in the bushes. The local GI contingent was the early target market and thereafter exported same to the US. Most makers are just a memory, such as Tanaka and Nicca, Reise and Leotax, Meguro and Zenobia, and more. Canon produced a long list of Leica clones and changed midway to a slightly different style, Canon’s own. There were slight changes between the models, and to keep them selling without being hindered by picky buyers, the Leica lookalikes carried no identifications.
I have a few on the shelf, so created the list below to finally get it in order. Note that some transitional models are not cut and dry, like an L1 I have which is sitting on the fence.
For more options, such as colours, special editions, and lens / body combinations, see the sister site, camdex.ca. To identify the camera model see Pacific Rim guide or Fotofix.
| Model | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Black | 1961 |  |
| 7 | 1961 |  |
| 7 .95 | 1961 |  |
| 7S | 1965 |  |
| 7SZ | 1965 |  |
| 7Sz .95 | 1965 |  |
| II B | 1953 |  |
| II F E-P | 1953 |  |
| Kwanon | 1933 |  |
| L1 Black | 1957 |  |
| L1 | 1957 |  |
| L1 Navy | 1957 |  |
| L2 Black | 1956 |  |
| L2 Imperial Navy | 1957 |  |
| L2 | 1957 |  |
| L3 | 1957 |  |
| P | 1959 |  |
| P Black | 1959 |  |
| P Red Cherry | 1959 |  |
| P Eagle | 1959 |  |
| VI-L Black | 1958 |  |
| VI-L | 1958 |  |
| VI-T Black | 1958 |  |
| VI-T | 1958 |  |
| VL | 1958 |  |
| VL-2 Black | 1958 |  |
| VL-2 | 1958 |  |
| VT Black | 1956 |  |
| VT | 1956 |  |
| VT Olive | 1957 |  |
| VT de Luxe Black | 1957 |  |
| VT de Luxe | 1957 |  |
| VT de Luxe M | 1957 |  |
| VT de Luxe Z Black | 1957 |  |
| VT de Luxe Z | 1957 |  |
More:
