Yashica Electro 35 G lens quality

I recently bought a Yashica Electro 35 G with the fitted Yashinon

f/1.7 45mm on the bay but I have not yet received it. I am very

curious about the lens quality though, is good? Sharp, contrasty?

Examples anyone?

The lens quality is excellent at all apertures - as good as my Canon FD primes. It's a classic Gaussian 6-element design, anyway. Great color and sharpness, as well as a smooth tonal range that I haven't been able to reproduce with any other lens other than my old Canon FD 135mm f/2.5 S.C. I've used my GTN on travels as my only camera, and I loved the super quiet shutter, accurate automatic exposure, and sharp lens. Under some backlit situations, you'll have to watch out for flare, but that's about all you have to look out for when you use this camera. To use the excellent aperture-priority AE capabilities, you'll either have to get an adaptor from Yashica-guy.com or you can fabricate one from a PX28 battery wrapped in a thin layer of paper and a small coiled spring to make contact with the battery contact inside the camera. I've used the latter arrangement, and the PX28 battery has lasted over 2 years in my camera with frequent use. Enjoy your Electro!

I started with that camera before moving to Contax SLR in the 80s.

 

The lens is very good. Sharp but not really contrasty and prone to flare (probably because it is single coated). Today, i would use it for black and white.

 

The electronic is amazing : i was doing night shots on auto up to 30 sec. . A low light master. You can manage to control it via the light indicators (yellow = under 1/30s) and the manual iso setting. The auto mode (the only one available) is a nice aperture priority but metering is average, not center-weight. Without battery, it will work only at its maximum speed (1/500) wich could be used with sunny 16 rule.

 

On the minus side : flash sync is only 1/30s, batteries have become rare and expensive. And the camera is fragile : a small drop from a few inches sent it to repair. It would be silent if advancing the film did not make a loud 'clac' each time.

 

I bought 3 of these on the bay (not the same seller) and none works properly, even with the right imported batteries or sunny 16 rule. Repair was overprice for the worth. So, i gave up on them and turned to mechanical models (some with speed priority).

 

I you are lucky enough to get one that works well, it will be a nice fast shooter.

I agree with the last poster. They are great cameras if you can find one that works. I've owned five and only one worked properly and that was a mint example with a brand new mercury battery. Avoid if the over and under indicators don't light up or light up incorrectly. Never buy one without testing it with a good battery first to make sure the exposure system works. This is one camera I would never buy off an auction site. The lens is good but like any mass-produced camera some will be better than others.

The lens of the GSN models is NOT identical to that of the early G models. The GSN have a lens with Color-Yashinon DX designator, while the G lens is simply called Yashinon.

 

Coating was improved on the later lenses, and the lens design itself was slightly modified.

I bought a GSN on Ebay for $9.99 plus shipping. It looked pristine but there was corrosion in the battery compartment and there was no continuity betwen the battery terminal and the pad on the battery check button circuit board and the lead from that board to the test lamp was corroded through. I replaced the lead from the compartment to the board and put in a roll of Kodachrome 200. The exposures were fine including two pictures of a full moon through some tree branches. I haven't projected the slides yet but examined through a 10x magnifier they seem fine. I didn't see any flare but I wasn't pointing it anywhere near the sun. I never did rewire the test lamp. There are several websites outlining repairs on this camera so you should be OK. Good luck.

Winfried-

 

 

according to "Yashica Guy" there were no changes made to the "color" yashinon lens in the G(rade up) series.The "color" designation was simply a marketing tool.I would imagine over the years the coatings improved,but the Yashinon,and "color" Yashinon are reportedly the same lens.

a few shots with mine....

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=513272

Lens on this camera was excellent in quality. Buy one of those rubber lens hoods that doesn't compromise your VF image, and use it religiously. The 'full-size' RF cameras of the late 60's to late 70's were both reasonably priced and had terrific optical quality. I agree with other comments, that's IF the electronics are still working and you can deal with the mercury battery question.

I think you'll be STUNNED by how good the lens is. I think it's one of the two best lenses I own (the other is a Jupiter-9 85mm), and the camera is my overall favorite shooter. Action is smooth and construction is sturdy, and the shutter is damn near silent. And assuming the electronics are still good, just put it on a tripod and it's the best night-photography camera you'll ever use. And the aperture priority makes it fast and practical in all sorts of situations.

 

And oh, that lens! Fully usable at all apertures, even f/1.7. Bokeh is gorgeous. Contrast is moderate, the sweet spot between the softness of "vintage" lenses and the hard hyperrealism of modern lenses. It just looks... real. Go find some dappled sunlight and run a roll of Fuji Reala through it, and your jaw will hit the floor.

 

I really need to get another one for backup, in case the one I have suffers some terrible fate. But I wouldn't buy one unless I knew it was in regular use as a real shooter. Too many have been dug out of the basement with twenty year old mercury batteries still eating out the insides.

If anyone is looking for one of these in absolutely pristine condition, contact me off line. What Dave says about them is true.

I have 4 of them and no I am not selling any of them...<p>

The lens quality is really very good, even compared to my slr lenses (Yashica and Canon). At 1.7, it is still great and with the electronics, I can take low light photos easily.

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I would say that the problems would be the meter underexposing in backlit situations, and not being able to set your own shutter speed other than using the ISO dial/aperture trick.

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So far I have had no problems with the electonics, all of mine were bought on Ebay and the only problem was one with fungus on the lens (still very sharp, BTW).

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The mercury battery is not needed, as I have gotten the camera to work by using a 4LR44 battery with a paper tube, a coiled spring from a battery holder and a small coin.

<p>You will love that lens! Just try to keep jaw closed :) <br>

I am using Yashica GSN, sharp as Hell!<br>

M.</p>