Yashica electro 35 GSN resuscitation

This week I picked up two Yashica Electro 35 GSN's. One camera had a

flash, wide angle, and telephoto set, although I don't think that I'll use the

auxiliary lenses much.

Karen Nakamkura's site on photogethnography gave me the idea to try a

small piece of rolled cereal carton cardboard for the battery chamber and to

pick up a spring from my local hardware store, so the small 6v battery I

purchased could fit. An hours work later and the camera was up and running.

I did have some real problems with the smaller battery sliding around and not

making contact with the electrodes in the camera.

In case someone else needs to do the same thing, I found that placing a

smaller diameter spring, about the size of the negative contact on the

battery, inside a large spring, about the size of the spring in the camera's

battery chamber, and then placing the springs and battery, in that order

inside the carboard lining of the battery chamber. This helped to alleviate

the shifting back and forth of the smaller battery that made contact touch and

go. The battery stayed in one position and contact was fine.

The Yashica GSN was an early camera for me, it made some lovely photos of

my pregnant wife and first child, but I did not appreciate the glass and

quality, selling it for the inevitable "got to have" of the photographic

fashion in the early 'seventies. With the old eyes finding it harder to

focus. I think I'll move back to rangefinders again and let the SLR's sit.

By the way, a little Kodak Retina IIa completed the week's shopping.

What a blast and they were a pretty good price !!

The correct batteries are still available. They cost $12 but last for years usually.

 

http://www.photobattery.com/PX32.html

 

Roger

Soooo much work. Just get a shorter battery with the right voltage, a short bolt to make up the difference. Now take a business card, trim it off heightwise so it fits in the battery opening. Roll it up, push it in the opening and just let it expand. Push in the battery and then the bolt. Presto. The card centers the battery, the bolt makes the connection. My expenditure: the battery, I had everything else. Time to take pictures.

Thanks for the information Roger. Point in question, according to the research I did the correct battery was 5.6 volt mercury, now outlawed. Several photographers found a 6v perfectly acceptable to the camera and got correct exposures with a .4 volt load more. The 6v alkalines I could find at Radio Shack were designated as as a PX28AB, A544,or an LR44. Each one was considerably smaller than the original 5.6 volt mercury. To use these in the camera I modified some of the suggestions other electro 35 gsn users had. I couldn't get to the web site you suggested so I assume it's a browser problem on my end. Thanks for taking the time.

John,

I guess it's learn and live time. Thanks for the tip to make the process shorter and to spend more time taking pictures. Photo net is here to help each other out. Right !

Its not a half bad camera. I've got 3 of them. Two of them work OK but in very bright Arizona light, the metering is off a bit, a common problem with many cameras. My first one came from a thrift store, badly damaged by somebody who overrotated the lens and stripped off the internal contact brush assembly. The other two came in a bulk buy and just needed a good cleaning. They look brand new. Film counter limit is 24 exposures, not a problem with snapshot film.

Um, John, I don't feel like going upstairs to check my GSN, but I'd swear it can count to at least 36. When GSNs were young we could buy only 20 or 36 exposure cartridges, 24 hadn't been invented yet, so it seems odd that yours can count only to 24.

I used a Retina IIa for years as my only camera, very compact for travel, hiking, and skiing. Then I discovered EBay and have a shelf full of cameras including a GSN which needed some of the wiring replaced. It's great for low light pictures.

Most Electro 35's have electrical faults, at least that's my experience based on half a dozen bought over the years. An alkaline battery is not a suitable replacement for a mercury battery due to the uneven discharge curve - the result - incorrect exposures. I use my Electro 35 with NO battery, I just calculate the exposure based on the 1/500 sec shutter speed.

I have not had any trouble with GSNs. The electrical systems on these cameras have a voltage compensator, so they can accept slightly higher and lower voltages, unlike Canon GLs.

 

I have had 4 GSN's and none of them had any electrical faults. I have gotten great results shooting slide film with them..and I tend to use the spring and cardboard tube trick to get the smaller batteries to work.

 

OTOH, my Electro AX died from electrical malfunctions, and a few Lynx's I've seen also had electrical problems, due to the design where the camera body itself is used as a conductor.

 

So IMHO, not all electros are built alike.

Oops my error. Yup, they go to 36 exposures. Anyway, this year all 3 mine will probably go up for sale. Its not my type of camera and after a couple of rolls I just put them aside.