The EE (Electric Eye) feature's and viewfinder were made as small as possible and the internal construction was completely different from the original Canonet, making the QL17 a totally new model. However, it had a strong Canonet-like appearance.
The 'QL' stood for 'Quick Loading', a feature which made film loading quick and easy. At first, 'Quick Loading' was inscribed below the Canon logo. It was later replaced by 'QL'.
| Shutter | - |
| Viewfinder | - |
| - Magnification | - |
| - Coverage | - |
| Power | - |
| Size | - |
| Weight | -- |