Yashica Electro 35 Film Rangefinder Cameras, Classic Collectibles

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Yashica Electro 35 Film Rangefinder Cameras

The Yashica Electro 35, a coupled-rangefinder, leaf-shuttered 35mm camera with aperture-priority automatic exposure, was one of the most popular consumer 35mm film cameras of the 1960s and 1970s and is still popular today among vintage camera buffs or the so called 'film junkies' of today's digital camera era.

The Electro 35 is the first in the Electro series, which also produced the Electro 35 G, the GS/GT, and the GSN/GTN. The Yashica Electro 35 GSN is perhaps the most sought after of the entire series.

There is aslo a compact line of the Electro GL, GX, and MG1...

In The Spotlight 

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Model development 

The original Electro 35, introduced in 1966, has a "cold" accessory shoe and the meter accepted film speeds from 12 to 400 ASA. Light levels are measured using a cadmium sulphide (CdS) photoresistor and powered by a mercury battery. The film speed adjustment is not implemented electronically; instead a simple twin-bladed diaphragm closes in front of the light sensor as the film speed is reduced.

The Electro 35 G, 1968 was largely of cosmetic changes. The range of usable film speeds was extended a little up to 500 ASA. The lens was labelled a "Color Yashinon" to reassure the buying public that it was colour corrected at a time when the use of colour film was growing quickly. The Electro 35 GT was released in 1969 with a body painted black instead of the satin chrome finish.

The Electro 35 GS and GT were introduced in 1970. These, and all later Electro 35's have all of their internal electrical contacts gold plated to prevent oxidation from impeding the flow of electricity around the circuits. The range of usable film speeds was doubled to range from 25 to 1000 ASA.

The Electro 35 GSN (satin chrome) and GTN (black) were introduced in 1973. The major change for these cameras was the addition of a hot shoe while keeping the PC socket.

Lens, shutter and metering 

All Yashica Electro models are fitted with a Yashinon 1.7 45mm lens with a 55mm filter thread. On the G and later models, the lens is branded as a Color Yashinon, although it was otherwise identical. The closest focusing distance is 0.8m.

The camera has three exposure modes: auto, B and flash. The first Electro has an ISO/ASA range of 15 to 500; all subsequent models have an ISO/ASA range of 25 to 1000. An ASA/DIN conversion chart is pasted to the inside of the back door.

When the shutter speed for the aperture selected is lower than 1/30s, the viewfinder shows an orange arrow pointing left and an orange light is displayed on the top of the camera. Similarly, when the shutter speed would have to be faster than 1/500s the viewfinder shows a right pointing arrow and there is a red control light on the top. Either situation can often be solved by changing the aperture, but anyway the shutter will still fire. With the underexposed indication on, the photographer may consider using a tripod.

Resource links 

Yashica Electro 35 - Camerapedia.org
In 1966 Yashica introduced the Electro 35, the first of a very successful line of 35mm rangefinder cameras with fixed Yashinon lenses. The rangefinder is coupled to the focusing ring and the viewfinder is parallax corrected...
Yashica Electro 35 G Series specifications
There are so many Yashica Electro 35 Rangefinder cameras on offer on the web, often with little in their description to differentiate them. Many of these offerings have supporting pictures of dismal quality or are partially cloaked in their cases...
Yashica Electro 35 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Electro 35 is a rangefinder camera made by Japanese company Yashica from the mid-1960s with a coupled and fixed 1:1.7 45 mm lens. It was the first electronically controlled camera, operating mainly in an aperture priority 'auto' mode. The only other modes of operation are 'flash' (1/30th) and 'bulb'.
Servicing Yashica Range-finder Cameras
Problems with the Electro Rangefinder Camera can frequently be solved that do not require sophisticated test equipment or tools. None of the information provided here will be found in Yashica's repair manual. If you intend to buy a junker for parts, there is an outside chance that even within a specific model, that some parts may appear as slightly different or do not interchange.

The Electro 35 GSN / GTN 

The Yashica Electro 35 GTN (black) / GSN (silver) was the last in the series, and the only model that comes with a hot shoe. The Electro series was revolutionary for its time, being the first series of film rangefindr cameras with fully electronic (electro-mechanical) aperture-priority automatic exposure.

The electronic leaf shutter is excitingly very quiet, quieter and and has less vibration than any of the clumsier focal-plane shutters of Leica and Nikon rangefinders of that period, and no flipping mirrors like every DSLR.

The forte is of course the lens, a Color-Yashinon 45mm f/1.7 (identical to an SLR lens) , same for all series model, which is still being raved and reviewed till today.

The following sections cast a quick glance on what's available for this series as it is being auctioned on eBay. All the best!

Yashica Electro 35 GSN / GTN 

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Yashica Electro 35 GS / GT 

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Yashica Electro 35 G 

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Yashica Electro 35 

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Battery Adapters 

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Accessories and Essentials 

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35mm Camera Films 

Slide Films

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Color Negatives

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Black & White Negatives

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...and more 

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Images to share 

Image streams tagged 'yashica electro 35' from Flickr Photos

Sur les pavés by Agacha

Sur les pavés

Mitsubishi MX-II 100 expired by Silvio Tanaka

Mitsubishi MX-II 100...

 by Adriano Agulló

natural sky by Haburashiko

natural sky

 by Igor.m

 by Igor.m

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Yashica Electro 35 GS by t-miki

Yashica Electro 35 G...

Portra Bubbles by t-miki

Portra Bubbles

Umayabashi Bridge by t-miki

Umayabashi Bridge

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varal by Fá#

varal

Seule by Agacha

Seule

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Les Nouveaux Monstres Lille3000 by Agacha

Les Nouveaux Monstre...

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Yashica Electro 35 by David Reber's Hammer Photography

Yashica Electro 35

Retro :) by Erháld

Retro :)

Kite festival by Low tech analogue

Kite festival

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fiori di campo

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jeep de barro

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Yashica Electro User on the Blogs 

Journal, 7 October 2009 – Yashica Electro 35 CC
No, I am not a collector but an user. This is a quite rare find of the Yashica rangefinder range. What I like about it is the 35mm f/1.8 lens! Wideangle and big aperture ? just the right camera for streets and portraiture. ...
Ep 35 Manual, Yashica Electro 35 Camera Manual, Easytouch 35 Manual
... sony Camera user guide, user guide view Camera, 35mm Camera Manual controls, casio Camera user guide, 36 Camera,. ? Graflex Century 35 Camera Instructions w Warranty card ? Yashica Electro 35 Gsngtn Instruction Manual Gvg ...
Using Yashica/Contax adapters with E30/ Four-thirds - Four Thirds ...
Using Yashica/Contax adapters with E30/ Four-thirds E-30.
Minolta Hi Matic Rangefinder, Minolta Hi Matic Repair, Minolta Hi ...
Manual Focus Lenses :: View topic - User Pics ... Hi-Matic E, Rollei 35XF, Minox 35 GL, Yashica Electro 35 GS, FED-3b and some ... I'm too, but the cap is also very nice. Forgot to add lens data: 1. Flek 2.4/35 . ...

See it on Video 

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Yashica Electro 35 GSN - "Yash...

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YASHICA ELECTRO 35 GT basic sl...

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Yashica Electro 35 G

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Yashica Electro 35 GT

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Film Photography in the News 

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