Lynx 14 vs GSN vs Electro CC (+ Auto S3)

Disclosure: I have owned none of these Yashicas, and I really do appreciate this report. But a couple of quibbles...

NickTrop said:
The Electro CC
Very good street shooter with some annoying flaws. It's small, black and stealthy, very nicely finished with an infamous F1.8 35mm lens. However, this wide a lens on a leaf shutter resulted in a top shutter speed of 1/250. I've had situations where in very bright situations (a bright summer day) with 400 speed film, the "Over" light goes on, at all apertures and there's not much you can do about it. (The 1/250 top shutter speed seems to be an engineering constraint with this wide an optic on a leaf shutter, as the 2/35 Hexar AF that was made in the 90's also has a 1/250 top SS)
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* Using a ND filter is a good option, as Todd said.

* The Olympus XA has a top shutter speed of 1/500, although it is an f2.8 lens. I really doubt that the lens speed is the limiting factor. I would suspect it was more price. Plus, as you mention below, the S3 has a top speed of 1/650.

Still, it's a very capable street shooter with a rare (and expensive) lens spec of 35/1.8, which costs a bundle in Leica-ville. In fact, some dude in Japan hacks the lenses off the CC and makes them Leica mounts.
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Which is why I still want one ...

Despite its annoyances, the CC would be my "Street Shooter" if I didn't stumble upon a deal for a Konica Auto S3. This camera has a 1.8/38mm and the difference in field of view is impreceptable from a practical stand-point. It's top Shutter Speed is 1/650, I think the lens is a hair better than the CC, it's considerably smaller than the CC, you can meter up to 800 speed film, and it has a unique and useful fill/flash metering capability. About the only thing that keeps this from being a "perfect" camera is its lack of manual control (shutter priority only). Given these advantages the CC has taken a "back-up" role. The Konica is simply a better camera, imo.
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And I want one of those, too. 😀
 
drec said:
I'd hesitate to use slide film with any rangefinder save a Leica, if just because you don't know what speeds you're really getting.
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As others have said, "Bah!" 😀

I have slides from XA, 35SP and C35 that are just fine. In all cases, I just have to make sure I meter properly and compensate if necessary .... same as with my OM-1 since its metering is pretty much averaging; I think the OM-2 metering is better than the OM-1 but I haven't done careful testing.

(OT Note: Aside from the spot metering of the OM-3, OM-4 and OM-2SP, the best Oly SLR metering was the Olympus ESP, IMO.)

Earl
 
Nick: Yellow filters are yet another option, as you mention, for b&w ... I would also recommend yellow-green; needs 2 stops more exposure, so with an ISO 400 film it also gets you in the right territory for shutter speed.
 
Voltage is not needed to adjust for the GSN. It's happy with silver oxide or alkaline batteries. It has a compensating circuit. Meter is dead on with these.
Physical size is smaller than with the old mercury batteries, so just fill up the space with cardboard (around thge battery) and some metal (to make the contact) and you are set.
 
Trius...

I have a 52mm ND and Y2 filter for the CC. I bought both shortly after purchasing the CC - the ND for color film and the Y2 for black and white both due to the 1/250 max shutter speed constratint. I like the CC - a lot, however, I find that I "fight" this camera too often:

1. In low light, the max film rating is ASA 400 and because the aperture and shutter are electronically coupled, I get a slower-than-I-want shutter speed (and warning lights) that results in subject motion blur, and there's nothing I can do about it because the camera lacks manual override. (I thought about plugging in an X plug from a flash - just the plug not the flash into the CC's X-socket to get a 1/30th speed, and use EV charts to overcome this as a makeshift manual override, albeit at 1/30th...) This camera fairly begs for a higher asa capability, the 400 asa constraint is strange given that this was one of the last Electros released in the mid-70's when all other cameras had higher speed settings. Don't get it...

2. The ND/Y2 solutiion is a bit cumbersome, imo, if I am going from outside bright sun, to ambient indoor light. I have to unscrew, screw, unscrew the filters... a bit of a pain.

The CC otherwise an excellent camera, and a great option if one doesn't want spring for a leica. Love the 35/2 focal length - the prefered speed/angle of view for street shooting, and even with these constraints a 400 speed film with this camera covers a lot of ground. The lens is up there with the GSN imo - a very good optic at any price, and an excellent value for this spec.

However, I find I'm "fighting" this camera quite often... Indoors (speed constraint), outdoors (shutter speed constraint)...

I find I don't fight the Konica Auto S3 at all - (800 max film speed, 1/650 shutter speed). The published lens spec of this camera is 62-85(?)lpm range across all apertures. The XA I recall reading, maxes at around 65lpm at optimal apertures (read that somewhere, can't cite) the Konica gives you that wide open at f1.8. It's also smaller by more than a bit than the CC.
 
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ARBIB,

GSN's are not voltage dependent. They allow for some varience but you will need a battery adapter. They can be puchased on ebay or they can be jury rigged. Mine is made of wood and works perfectly
 
januaryman said:
I wanted small, so I invested in the Canonet QL17 GIII and never looked back.
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I wonder how the Canonet holds up against the Lynx. Given that it's a 1/2 stop slower, it offers advantages in size and optional (shutter priority) automatic. I really like my Lynx 14e but for it's size and the inconvenience of having to carry the lens hood around (It's a metal Kalt).
 
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