Canonet 28 Repair Notes

Removing Top Plate
Remove the three screws around the top plate (sides and back).

Undo the rewind knob by placing a chopstick into the shaft fork and unscrewing the knob. Do not close the back after this.

Lastly, remove the wind lever. Use a rubber piece to unscrew (anti-clockwise) the retaining screw over the lever. It helps to clean the surface with some alcohol to give a better grip. Do not lose the two thin metal rings under the screw. Remove the lever and the thicker ring at its base.

The top plate slides off easily, and no parts should spring out.

Cleaning Viewfinder
On my sample, the viewfinder was fogged on the inner surfaces of the outermost glass as well as the two outer surfaces of the viewfinder. I used Windex and a Q-tip to clean these four surfaces.

This cleaning improved viewfinder brightness and contrast tremendously. It is now very easy to compose and focus.

Note that the blue viewfinder/yellow rangefinder tint is normal.

Flushing the Shutter Blades
Open the back of the camera. Use a lens spanner to unscrew the retaining ring surrounding the rear element. The entire rear element will lift off, giving access to the shutter. There is a ring of foam surrounding the rear glass, so be careful there as it can be messy.

In the end, I did not manage to get the shutter working. I believe it is a problem with the electronics and not so much the mechanical function of the camera.

Still, I hope that you find my notes helpful. As a disclaimer, you are following these instructions at your own risk.

If anyone has tips on getting a shutter that won’t open to work, please drop me a line. Thanks!