A Tale of Two Yashica Electro 35 GTNs

Pretty, and deceiving

A few posts ago, I reviewed my experience with a beater of a Yashica Electro 35 GTN.  Several weeks later, another example of the same model fell into my lap, and it was in pristine condition, shutter speeds and indicator lights were perfect.  I rewound the few frames that I'd shot in my "beater" GSN, and loaded the "new" GSN with the roll of Kentmere 400, and it went along inside my car for some brief photo trips, including my recent visit to Pittsburgh.  

I was shooting with it last week, and realized that sometimes the camera felt as though something wasn’t quite right - and I also saw that sometimes the rewind lever rotated as I advanced the film, and sometimes - most often, it did not.  I rewound the film and developed it the next day.  Much to my disappointment, almost all the frames were overlapped - some just by a sprocket width, some by a half frame, and others, barely overlapped.  Some were up to 3 exposures overlapped.  

As you can see in the video, I checked the advance AFTER the fact, and this is what I should have done in the beginning:

On the plus side, everything was in good focus and properly exposed, but as you can see, it was a bad film advance.  Afterwards, I loaded a many-times exposed test roll that I keep for testing cameras, and with the back open, I could see that the advance would work, and then not.  I could actually hear a difference in the winding when that happened, and it matched what I heard when shooting with it.  Had I tested it that way initially, I would have been spared the disappointment.  So, I will put that lovely example in a box and sell it as a repair camera, and go back and use the beater GTN that works well.  Lesson learned -- and it’s a good thing that I mostly used the Nikon F3HP when I was in Pittsburgh.  Those shots came out great.

see the overlapping frames

So, remember to test a camera with a junk roll to make sure that the mechanical aspects of film winding go as they are supposed to.  In my desire to use that pretty GTN, I forgot to do the one thing that would have saved me from failure later on.

Here's a few photos from the roll - maybe I can call them "art!"

Taking A Chance on a Yashica Electro 35 GTN

 

I recently received a Yashica Electro 35 GTN in a box of old cameras.    My usual reaction to the Electro 35 series has been "meh." Going back over 20 years, I have seen far more non-working Electro 35 models than working ones. Part of that’s due to requiring the old 5.6V mercury batteries, sometimes bad electronics, and the PAD of death problem . In addition, I find that while I like aperture-priority, I also like to know what shutter speed the camera is using, and none of the Electro 35 series tell you the shutter speed. 

   

This example of the GTN was lacking the Yashica badge - hence the missing square near the CdS meter opening.  The front upper edge of the filter ring is also bent, making a filter or lens hood unusable.    Taking a chance that the camera might be operable,  I ordered a battery adapter from the Yashica Guy on Etsy, and it came with the 4LR44 battery.    After that, I saw that the battery test button wasn’t working, but I decided to give it a try with a roll of Kentmere 100 film.  The camera’s shutter speeds obviously changed under different lighting conditions/apertures, so I figured that once I developed the film I would definitely know if it was working appropriately.    

Battery adapter from the Yashica Guy

As you can see below, the film was exposed perfectly!    So, I have since reloaded the camera with Kentmere 400, and will see how that works.

The Yashica Electro 35 GTN is the same camera as the GSN, but is black instead of chrome.  The 45mm f/1.7 Yashinon DX lens is certainly a very good lens, and in low light, the wide aperture is a bonus, considering that a lot of cameras from that era have an f/2.8 maximum aperture.   The camera can use films from ISO 25 to 1000, which covers most films that you can buy. It has a hot shoe so that you can attach a flash.  The shutter settings are B, Auto, and flash, and apertures range from f/1.7 to f/16.    The focus patch on the viewfinder is easily seen.  Overall, the Yashica Electro 35 GTN is certainly a pretty nice carry-around aperture-priority rangefinder camera. However, I wish that the ability to go completely manual with adjustable shutter speeds was an option. But, that doesn't stop it from being a great camera.

I also have a nice Yashica Electro 35CC which is more compact than the large GTN/GSN models, and has a 35mm  f/1.8 lens, and I have used it quite a bit with excellent results.  Because the CdS light sensor on the 35 CC is within the front of the lens ring, I can use filters, and the camera will auto-adjust the exposure.  Comparing the two cameras, if I only could keep one, it would be the 35CC, which I have reviewed here.    

The GSN is the chrome version of the GTN

Finally, if you are interested in using any Yashica Electro 35, the GTN/GSN models are going to be the most likely candidates, as they can use a modern 6v battery with the adapter.    The big thing to watch, as I have previously stated, is whether the camera works properly after 50+ years.    I have seen some pristine-looking Yashica Electro 35s that just did not work, and I have seen some rather ratty-looking ones that work well.   There is no way to know until you test the camera.  So, if you are buying one from a seller, don’t pay a lot unless the camera is guaranteed to work properly.    While they only have aperture-priority exposure, the lens quality and ease of use makes them perfect for on-the-go photography.   

 I am not the world authority on the Yashica Electro 35 series, so take a look at the following links to learn more.  When these cameras were first introduced in 1966, they were considered quite advanced, due to the automated exposure system.   A later model, such as the Yashica MG-1, has a cheaper f/2.8 45mm lens and was introduced in 1975. Nonetheless, when working properly, the Yashica Electro 35 series delivers excellent results.

A few tips:

• Without a battery, the default shutter speed is 1/500 sec. 
• If you set the control to flash, the shutter speed is 1/30 sec.
• Make sure that you clean the battery compartment before testing.
• You can just pop in a roll of 400 ISO film w/out the battery and shoot at sunny-16
• Download a manual from butkus.org
• Use a lens hood (55mm filter diam) to avoid flare on a sunny day
• If you use a filter, you’ll have to adjust the ISO setting by 1 or 2 stops to compensate, as the electric eye is not on the lens bezel.

Some Recommended Links:

• Yashica Electro 35 - at camera-wiki
• The Phoblographer Review of the GSN
• Matt’s Classic Cameras review of the GSN
• Imaging Pixel review of the GTN
• Japan Vintage Camera video on the Yashica Electro series