Yashica Lynx 1000

I've been using this camera a lot more lately and in doing so I've come to

appreciate it a lot more. As much as I love compact RFs from the 70s, this one

sure has them beat in terms of features, with shutter speeds from 1s to 1/1000s

and apertures from f/1.8 to f/22. Not to mention the excellent lens! Anyway,

here are a few shots I took with it over the last week or so. Nothing to write

home about, but they were fun to take.<div></div>

Here's another...<div></div>

And the last one...<div></div>

Andy - I loved these shots. The sunset is gorgeous and very moody. I would love to have a print of that sunset.

Hi Ralf, I had one in the '60's and I shoot a few basketball games with it for a small newspaper in Michigan.. That's back when tri-x was rated

160 asa and we would buy 100ft rolls and spool our own. the camera worked good in cold weather too. I think after 7or8 100ft rolls , I just replaced it with a new SLR. have a nice day

Denny

Nice shots! Thanks for sharing. Yashica made a range of good cameras. Their twin lens series was also very good. Perhaps they tried to please everyone and tried too many things. Perhaps it is not their fault either. All businesses are now getting centralized into a few conglomerates; that seems true from steel to software and soft drinks!

These ranger-finder cameras make classic forum busy, beautiful pictures from a real classic.

has them beat with features????

those 70s rangefinders often had faster glass, aperture priority, smaller size, and spot metering (35sp)

 

i hardly call 1/1000th and f22 features

How did you get the cows to pose so perfectly?

Great color. Yashica lenses were top drawer. I guess that's why Contax partnered with them.

Nicholas, you make an excellent point. I think the excitement of the camera clouded my perspective. That being said, in comparison to Yashica's own Electro 35 GSN, the Lynx 1000 is more compact (but heavier, which I like!), and has a more useful meter (which requires no battery or adapter), in my opinion, as opposed to the lighted arrows of the GSN. Even though the GSN has aperture priority, I like knowing exactly what my camera is set on, and being able to quickly control all of the settings, and therefore control the outcome more precisely. The 1.7 lens of the GSN versus the 1.8 of the Lynx isn't a significant enough difference to matter much, but you're right about the features the later RFs had. Aperture priority, flash output coupled to the aperture, spot metering as you mentioned, and a backlight feature on the Oly 35DC and XA. Perhaps I should have said that considering its age, the Lynx 1000 can certainly hold its own against later RF cameras in terms of its performance and the control it offers the photographer. And it's not that 1/1000 is such a great feature (although it makes a huge difference with ISO 400 film in sunlight), but that the camera offers 11 speed settings plus 'B' compared to the Oly 35RC's six or even the GIII QL17's 8--again, these just allow more fine control as does the extra f-stop. Thanks for making the point though, and snapping me out of my fanatical myopia! If you've read any of my posts you'll know that I'm a hopeless fan of the RFs from the 70s. This Lynx just happens to be one of those timeless cameras in which everything came together perfectly.

Ralf, thanks for the very nice feedback. That sunset was very pretty, enough so that I took several pictures with several cameras.

 

Subbarayan-thank you very much, and you're welcome.

 

Minh-your comments are much appreciated as well. The Lynx is a great classic, underrated by most people I think, but certainly not by those of us here who use it.

 

Russ-the cows are part of our menagerie of animals, so they're used to seeing the end of a lens barrel. Almost as much as our cats...

im by no means putting down the lynx 1000. i've bid many times on the bay only to be ousted at the last minute. im mainly interested in the auxillary lenses available. until then my ancient cannonet and 35sp suit me fine

The Lynx is a lovely camera. My own favourite is the 14e, with its stonking great f/1.4 lens. When I go out with it slung around my neck, I sometimes feel a little bit like a photographic Crocodile Dundee. I see someone with an Oly 35RC and I say "Call that a classic compact rangefinder? THIS is a classic compact rangefinder!"

 

(Oly enthusiasts need not take offence, I have two of these adorable peaches.)

Andy,

 

Really nice .. the sunset is great! The Cows posing also .. the color

just jumps out! A fine lens.

I wonder historically or model-centric where this camera fits. I'm not an expert, but I have the one each of the Lynx 5000e, and the Lynx14. Now the "e" I think implies a kind of aperture priority

exposure? And I know both models (5000/14) were offered in both

configurations. Where does this 1000 fit? I guess I'll have to get one too?

Chuck,

 

The "e" is just for the integrated circuit. It's still a fully manual camera, the meter is just activated by a button on the front of the camera, which activates two lamps in the viewfinder for over- and under-exposure. When both lamps are out, exposure is correct. If you're not used to the camera, this can be a little disconcerting, since if the aperture/speed combination is fine already, a press on the button gives nothing, and can lead you to think the meter has stopped working.

I want to add again, I LOVE the crimson sunset. Andy, what film? DO you yemember the settings on your Yashica at the time?

Good stuff from a good camera. Here's some stuff from mine - <a href="http://westfordcomp.com/classics/yashicalynx/index.htm"> CLICK<a>

Ralf, I used Fuji Superia 400 but I don't remember what my settings were...sorry! Probably somewhere in the f/5.6-8 range with speeds somewhere around 1/60-1/125 I would guess.

 

Gene-great pictures of the camera and of the locale!

Nice shot of the cows, you don't very often see them amongst the trees.

Andy,

 

The trhee pictures are magnificent but the first one is my favourite due to the difficulty to shot against the light, keeping some detail in the foreground.

 

Thanks for sharing them

Alex, Chuck, thanks for your comments. I've also got a 14e but it has issues, so I'll save it for another post. Chuck, you need to get a Lynx 1000 for sure.

 

David-thanks for the compliment. These cows actually live in the woods most of the time, around a nice pond that they can drink from.

 

Luis-thank you for your comments. This scene is one I've shot a million times, it seems, both with film and digital. I also like how this one turned out.