Any idea what these Canons are?

Guy is selling these on Craigslist, and I was wondering what they are. One picture shows a manual for a Canon 7, but I can't tell what either of them are for sure. Also, any idea of their value?

Thanks!

The manual is for a Canon 7, but the rangefinder camera in the second picture looks to be a Canon P, although it could also be a VI L. Definitely not a 7.
The SLR is a Canonflex RM.
A Canon P in good condition can fetch $300. Probably about the same for a VI L, but they're rarer so I haven't seen many. If that's a 50mm f/1.4 on the rangefinder, that's also worth $300-$400 in good condition.
As for the RM, there are so few out there that I can't provide a reliable market price. It's one of Canon's very first SLRs.

Ainoko wrote in post #9122241
Guy is selling these on Craigslist, and I was wondering what they are. One picture shows a manual for a Canon 7, but I can't tell what either of them are for sure. Also, any idea of their value?

Thanks!

The upper one looks like it could be a VI, which was a good-quality rangefinder camera that used the Leica Thread Mount, made in the late 50's. It's newer than the IV, which was an early-fifties copy of the Leica III, but it's older than the 7, which had an integral meter and a flat top deck and was made in the 60's. The P, which came between the VI and the7, looks a bit different to me, so it must be the previous model.

The lower one is a Canonflex RM, which used the Canonflex mount that doesn't use the same aperture control mechanism as FL and FD lenses. You have to put those lenses in manual aperture mode (easy with FL lenses that have a switch) before they can be used on the RM. FL lenses will work on the Canonflex in stopped-down mode.

Some of the Canon rangefinders have value to collectors, and KEH gets between $300 and $400 for them depending on model and condition, but the RM looks to me like a doorstop.

Rick "who has enough doorstops" Denney

rdenney wrote in post #9122939
Rick "who has enough doorstops" Denney

I have a few doorstops myself, but not nearly as many as you, haha.

The P is a simplified version of the VI L, with P standing for "Populaire."
The VI L has a lever advance, while the VI T has a trigger advance. The camera pictured, if it's a VI, is probably not a VI T because the VI T has a thicker baseplate owing to the trigger winder. It also wouldn't make sense to put a VI T in an eveready case because you wouldn't be able to advance the film.

Don't expect the meter to be accurate, or even work at all. Check shutter curtains for wear; I think the VI and P had cloth shutters unlike the 7, which had a steel curtain which was prone to wrinkling. Check that the shutter doesn't stick and that the speeds sound accurate, and make sure the light seals are good (this is a cheap fix). As for the lens, check aperture and watch out for haze and fungus. Everything here is about 45-50 years old.

Lani Kai wrote in post #9122968
The P is a simplified version of the VI L, with P standing for "Populaire."
The VI L has a lever advance, while the VI T has a trigger advance. The camera pictured, if it's a VI, is probably not a VI T because the VI T has a thicker baseplate owing to the trigger winder. It also wouldn't make sense to put a VI T in an eveready case because you wouldn't be able to advance the film.

Thanks for that. I've seen a P, I've seen earlier models, and I've seen all the various 7's. The best I could do was fit this into the gap between earlier and P--you clearly know that gap much better than I do.

Rick "who has enough LTM cameras that never get used" Denney