GSN just arrived... Dim rangefinder... normal?

DRabbit

DRabbit

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...and it all looks pretty good. There's some very very minor seal goo. The lens has a small scratch but nothing unexpected for a camera so old. It appears to be working fine and I'm going to run a roll of film through tomorrow. From what I can tell, exposure seems to be working. It cleaned up fairly nicely.

My ONLY question is the rangefinder diamond seems pretty darn dim... almost barely noticeable, especially in darker lighting.... but I'm not sure what's normal for this particular camera and how much cleaning the inside would make a difference. I have another one coming, so I'll be able to compare (I guess) in a few days, but nothing says that one will be any better.

Anyone take theirs apart to clean it? I found the instructions on the web, but I'm having a heck of time getting the advance level off (and I don't want to break anything!)... Will cleaning the inside of the top cap and rangefinder glass help?
 
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I think it might be common. A friend of mine recently got a GSN, and I had my M2 with me when he showed me it for the first time--the difference between viewfinder brightness between the two was astonishing to me. The Leica was MUCH brighter. GSN is still a fun camera though, great fast lens on it! Just not great for very low light situations where focus matters, since it's really hard to do. Or, it oculd just be that both the one you got and the one my friend picked up had a similar problem that many old GSNs have...I"m not sure.
 
Mine is the same - usable in dayight, but a real challenge in low light situations. It was my only disappointment in an otherwise very nice camera....
 
A good GSN Rangefinder is bright. The semi-silvered beamsplitter is the culprit. These are not hard to replace from a parts camera. The end of the beamsplitter's glass is cut-out for alignment. The Lynx 14 beamsplitters are interchangeable with the GSN, and I've done that swap before.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
A good GSN Rangefinder is bright. The semi-silvered beamsplitter is the culprit. These are not hard to replace from a parts camera. The end of the beamsplitter's glass is cut-out for alignment. The Lynx 14 beamsplitters are interchangeable with the GSN, and I've done that swap before.
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This is great information.....especially as I am going to a camera fair on Sunday....
 
Brian Sweeney said:
A good GSN Rangefinder is bright. The semi-silvered beamsplitter is the culprit. These are not hard to replace from a parts camera. The end of the beamsplitter's glass is cut-out for alignment. The Lynx 14 beamsplitters are interchangeable with the GSN, and I've done that swap before.
Click to expand...

And instructions online how to do it?
Will opening the top and cleaning it help at all?
 
I have a real nice GS I bought here in the classifieds that just had a full CLA & its very hard to use in low light. great in the daytime, no comparison to my M2 viewfinder. I have yet to shoot a full roll yet. I like the quality of the photos for the price. Great little camera.
 
Yes clean it first. It should help quite a bit. My electros run from dim and poor contrast to dim and greAt contrast. :)
 
DRabbit said:
And instructions online how to do it?
Will opening the top and cleaning it help at all?
Click to expand...

If the beamsplitter is faded, cleaning will not help. If the view through the finder is simply cloudy, then popping the top and cleaning is going to make a difference. Shine a flashlight through the finder to assess the internal haze. You can clean the optics with lens cleaning fluid and paper- but DO NOT use it on the beamsplitter. Not hard to do, be careful of the soldered wires going to the PC socket and flash. I keep a box to set the top on while its open.

Look here for online resource:
http://yashica-guy.com/
 
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I use a pair of needle nosed pliers with very fine tips for the small retaining type screws with the two holes in them. On some of the really small ones, I use stiff tweezers. It's been a while since I took the GSN apart, but the soldered wire was the only real pain.
 
It was easy to pull the top deck and clean the viewfinder and rangefinder, although as always you should be very careful with the semi-gilded mirror (beamsplitter).
 
wakarimasen said:
Is it possible to use the beamsplitters from a Lynx 5000 too?
Best regards,
RoyM
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From my limited experience G-series usually serve as beamsplitter donor for Lynx 14 (not sure about 5000). All Lynxes I have seen have less contrasty VF than normal G-series Electro.

Right now I'm considering swapping BSP from junky GSN to L14 to make focusing a bit easier.
 
the dimness is normal for the age, but if you bring it in the shop for a swap, the tech can make it rival the leica. All my lynx, canonet came dim and after the shop, it's leica clear.
 
Mine is (was) also very dim. If you try to clean the viewfinder, you have to be very careful with the beamsplitter. As suggested, I think it is best to leave it alone. You can try a very useful and easy trick from Rick Olesson (I do not have just now the URL of his web). Take an opaque patch (a piece of electric tape will do) the same size and dimensions as the rangefinder patch, and stick it in the outer window of the viewfinder covering the rangefinder patch image. My rangefinder was almost useless, except in sunshine, and now I can focus in the dimmest light. Try it.

Javier
 
I have cleaned at least a hundred Yashica viewfinder beamsplitters with a puff of breath and a light touch with a Q-Tip with absolutely no problems. I tried it on a Canonet once and the coating came right off... :eek:

Yashicas seem to be a bit more hardy... :D


Russ
 
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