help me identify these yashicas

Ms. dragonx:

YES-there are tons of shops selling old film cameras in Seoul--Koreans are generally in luv w/ the latest and greatest of everything which, of course, means digital in the camera world. Most old Japanese Rfs are $40-50.

Let me know what you are looking for and I'll look for it. While I can check it out in the shop, there may be some hidden issues I don't see. There is one caveat--there are no returns for used goods anywhere in this country. You can pay me back w/ no mark-up and shipping, which is cheap w/o insurance, and high with it.

Bill
 
ok, they just arrived. i feel excited, but most of them have taken pretty hard tumbles. i don't know much the inner workings get disturbed after big falls, but i have my fingers crossed.
as my dad used to say "it's not the fall, it's the sudden stop."

so here is the list, all 7. top row first:
1. small one was the yashica electro mc. it took a great fall. the metal on the filter ring and even the black plastic directly next to the glass are banged up. shutter not openely up all the way/correctly.
2. chrome mg-1. very dirty. dinged. corroded battery inside.
3. TL electro X. dropped hard enough that the film compartment won't stay closed. can this be taped shut for use? also, not firing consistently.

bottom row:
1. lynx 5000. major battery corrosion inside. speed won't change. is this battery related? how do i open the film compartment? the usual manner is not working.
2. electro 35. does not say gsn on it. looks different on the bottom from my current gsn. has a serial number engraved. has a little metal nub to open film chamber. electronics do not seem to be working, though i have to fiddle with the adapter i made.
3. black mg-1. shutter firing funny. not sure how to explain it. i can't get the battery compartment open...
4. fx-d. dropped hard enough to scrape pieces of metal off the area where yashica is printed above the lens. shutter isn't firing, but i don't know where to begin with this camera.

so they all feel nice to hold but are all in rough shape.

opinions now? was i bad girl or a good girl? should i go sit in the corner and not play on ebay anymore, or did i get a good deal?
 
i pried the 5000 lightly with a dental pick and it opened.
the second mg-1 that i could not open the battery compartment for, finally opened. of course i found a nasty corroded battery inside.
so 4 of 7 cameras have been dropped. 3 of the 7 had corroded batteires inside. the seller must have known they were duds. i should have known.
i give up.
i was not meant to shoot with a yashica. i learned my lesson. moving on to other cameras.
 
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I'll reiterate - you can't expect bargain basement cameras to be functioning.

Buy from a reputable seller. A proven camera.

I still think you'll be able to resurrect at least one, if not a few of the ones you just got.
 
If only Greyhoundman were still a member. I'm the lucky owner of one of his Lynx 14s - he was a veritable master of Yashica resurrection. Another Good Man lost to the forum...

🙁 Ian
 
You'll hear from him. He has been wondering where the camera is, you were supposed to send him.
 
well, i am calmer now. got a little emotional. and yes Michiel i am going to break some of them open. i am just mad that they are in such shoddy condition. obviously the seller knew the deal, but he did state "as is" so what can i do?
and Whisper-yes, open to trades. but i like the feel of the little one... not that i have a clue whether i would like shooting it. i could easily be distracted.
really feeling thankful that cbass was closet cleaning and donated a petri. people on here are great.

now for a serious question-how bad is corrosion in the battery area? i glanced at something on the yashica-guy's site that made me very worried:
"When a battery leaks, the caustic fluid will travel along the electrical wiring path unseen below the insulation and usually cause a connecting point to another metal or solder joint to be literally eaten away. Because the entire body of the single and dual battery Yashica Lynx is an electrical conductor, the caustic battery fluid may deposit and be seen on any part of the camera. The vent hole in the battery cap that was designed allow the escape of destructive gas, usually clogs up quickly, so the caustic fumes too will find their way throughout the body."

from this page:http://www.yashica-guy.com/document/lynxfix.html

so should i consider the ones with the corrosion bigger projects? i have some vinegar, some cups, bought some batteries, have some tools, and i can try this, but...i was not exactly prepared to open the whole camera up and have the entire innards carefully laid out, tiny screws everywhere.

(p.s. if i am not supposed to quote yashica guys site like that please let me know)
 
Whisper said:
The quote is accurate. If you plan on opening the Rf's. Be ready to have a table covered in parts.
Click to expand...
i was hoping to work up in the projects. was not expecting to get cameras that had such major issues.
so am i better off working on those which were dropped, or those which have corrosion?
and if they had corroded batteries in them, what are the percentage chances that the damage creeped further, as in yashica guy's description. i want to start slow. maybe it doesn't matter. shall i pick the worst camera here and then fully gut it to see how it all works?
i got the electronics/battery light/meter lighting working on the lynx (5000) but what does it mean that the 1.8 mark does not line up with the line that indicated which f stop you are at? is this a quirk of the camera or related to other issues? the lynx does not seem like it has been dropped. but it did have a corroded battery.
in other good news, i got the electrics of the electro 35 going. it's highest speed is 400, so obviously it's a bit older.
 
Hi again.

I bet against your present anger that you will be going to bid again at eBay, and you still will be buying Yashicas, sooner or later. The last is because they have an objective place in the used cameras field, and your nose is pointing in that direction. This was no accident, the accident was the illusion of getting rich by a single strike.

Therefore, like me when I break a camera or get one broken, smoke a cigarette, make yourself a coffee, and carefully package each camera and store them in a dry place. You still have there a lot of value in spare parts, lenses etc, that you yourself may need tomorrow, or may re-sell here as parts, or full parts-cameras.

Recently, to change the ugly and annoying rewind knob of my kievs 4am, I paid $ 15 before shipment for an olympus rd knob, and I bought 2 of them !.

So perhaps this week and next one will not be the best time to solve the issues, but time will come. Meanwhile you have got a living catalog of Yashicas, to feel each one size, weight, properties, etc, many things the rest of us find out when it is too late.

Another advantage is that from time to time, old cameras are auctioned fully working out of some specific problem or lacking part, making their price very low.

Now, suppose that you had got seven working Yashicas.... What a headache to choose among them ! ! !

So make yourself a coffee, smoke a cigarette, take it easy.

cheers,
Ruben
 
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ruben said:
...
So make yourself a coffee, smoke a cigarette, take it easy.

cheers,
Ruben
Click to expand...

hello my friend. thank you. you are right, i will be on ebay. i do realize i did not get totally hosed on the auction. it is just 7 cameras full of possibility, instead of one ok camera and all irreparable duds. fiddling with them brought progress and understanding today. i got some of the electrics working, and maybe some of them could be worked on and brought back to life. and others on this board might need parts for their own cameras. so all is not lost.
it might be quite fun to work on these. slowly at first of course.
 
Can't help much on any, but especially not the RFs. The SLRs however, may yet do something for you. The Electro X is a good camera if it works. Try a battery. I can tell you which if you don't know, but I don't recall without looking at one of mine. The FX D will also be worth trying, and again will need a battery. I don't recall if the X will work without a battery, but I don't think so. I haven't played with mine for too long. Certainly the D won't. The X is a screw mount and the D is bayonet as you have no doubt figured out. What is wrong with the X? Is the back bent or the latch broken? Although you might be able to tape it shut, that is less that a good solution. Another fixer with a good back is a better idea if your works otherwise. How are the lenses? Some of the old screw mount lenses were really great if not mistreated too badly. The D will take the Contax line of lenses. (Do you feel the GAS? 😀)
 
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