Vintage Love: Canonet G-III QL17

From Wikipedia: "The Canonet G-III QL17 is a coupled-rangefinder, leaf-shuttered, fixed-focal-length 35 mm camera first manufactured by Canon in 1972. It features fully shutter-priority automatic exposure and fully manual shooting modes.  The Canonet G-III is the third generation of Canonet, following the original Canonet and the New Canonet. The G-III features a 40 mm f/1.7 with six elements in four groups. The integrated lightmeter provides shutter priority and manual modes. The sensor is located on the forward part of the lens, which allows use of filters without manual compensation of exposure. The Canonet can use standard flashes, or the Canonlite D which was custom-designed for the Canonet."

TL;DR :) You'd be better off with this review, which described it as a "poor man's Leica." "Give Canon some well-deserved credit for producing such a nicely executed and finished camera for those poor, unfortunate slobs who just didn’t have the cash for your Leica, the impoverished dears...." (Do read the entire thing. It's a good piece.) 

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Got this from a flea market for PHP50 (~USD1.15). Seriously.

It's working fine, except for the light seal, which has already deteriorated (I will just DIY this, crossing my fingers), and the exposure meter, which is powered by a PX625 mercury battery, which is now discontinued. My fingers are itching to remove the grain-like black leatherette and replace it with pink leather, but it seems like a travesty.