Metering system on Yashica Lynx 14E

[Autoluminescent]

Hi all! I'm fairly new to the rangefinder game, and very new to the forum, so I apologise if this is a newbish question. I bought a Yashica Lynx 14E about half a year ago (though unfortunately only started using it yesterday due to my forgetting to take it to uni with me when I went back after the christmas holidays...). I got hold of two weincells and stuck them in along with a spring to make them fit. Having done some crude experiments with it alongside my DSLR and a hand-held lightmeter, it appeared that my Lynx was telling me to overexpose by about two stops - I had meant to do better tests now I'm back home but sadly I need new batteries again as I left the weincells in and one has leaked...

I got the weincells in order to have the correct voltage, is there any other reason my metering should be out? Or should I simply trust it for a roll and see what happens?

(Also on a seperate note, does anyone know if the rewind knobs on Electro 35 GTNs are interchangable with the GT's? I don't feel it's a big enough question to be worth making a seperate thread for and since I'm in the Yashica forum anyway...)

 

[Frontman]

Hi all! I'm fairly new to the rangefinder game, and very new to the forum, so I apologise if this is a newbish question. I bought a Yashica Lynx 14E about half a year ago (though unfortunately only started using it yesterday due to my forgetting to take it to uni with me when I went back after the christmas holidays...). I got hold of two weincells and stuck them in along with a spring to make them fit. Having done some crude experiments with it alongside my DSLR and a hand-held lightmeter, it appeared that my Lynx was telling me to overexpose by about two stops - I had meant to do better tests now I'm back home but sadly I need new batteries again as I left the weincells in and one has leaked...

I got the weincells in order to have the correct voltage, is there any other reason my metering should be out? Or should I simply trust it for a roll and see what happens?

(Also on a seperate note, does anyone know if the rewind knobs on Electro 35 GTNs are interchangable with the GT's? I don't feel it's a big enough question to be worth making a seperate thread for and since I'm in the Yashica forum anyway...)

Yes, you can use a rewind knob from a GT on your GTN, the cameras are identical with the exception of the flash hot shoe (earlier GT cameras have a few more minor differences).

The meter on your 14e may well be off by a couple of stops. The cell may be dirty, and not allowing it to catch the full light, or it's possible that one or both of the batteries you were using were not at full voltage. Once you remove the plastic tab from a Wein cell, you need to allow time for air to get into the battery and react. I have also bought new batteries a couple times and found them to be no good. Get a fresh pair of batteries and see what happens.

I am no sure if this is the case with the Yashica, but some old camera meters were designed to be used like incident meters, not reflective meters, meaning that to get a correct reading you need to point the camera toward the source of light which is illuminating your subject, rather than the light which is reflected off the subject toward the camera.

The Lynx is a great camera, I hope you have fun with yours,

 

[Autoluminescent]

Yes, you can use a rewind knob from a GT on your GTN, the cameras are identical with the exception of the flash hot shoe (earlier GT cameras have a few more minor differences).

The meter on your 14e may well be off by a couple of stops. The cell may be dirty, and not allowing it to catch the full light, or it's possible that one or both of the batteries you were using were not at full voltage. Once you remove the plastic tab from a Wein cell, you need to allow time for air to get into the battery and react. I have also bought new batteries a couple times and found them to be no good. Get a fresh pair of batteries and see what happens.

I am no sure if this is the case with the Yashica, but some old camera meters were designed to be used like incident meters, not reflective meters, meaning that to get a correct reading you need to point the camera toward the source of light which is illuminating your subject, rather than the light which is reflected off the subject toward the camera.

The Lynx is a great camera, I hope you have fun with yours,

Thanks, I've ordered a GTN knob now 🙂 One more question about the GT - I've noticed just now that when the Slow/Over lights are unsure and flickering between on and off that the camera makes a sort of electronic squealing noise - is this normal?

Does this mean I should leave the wein cells out after removing the tab for a bit before putting them in the camera? I'll order another and have another shot.

I don't know much about Yashica or metering systems but surely it can't be that sort of meter, with the over/under display being inside the viewfinder?

Thank you - I am enjoying it so far. My only previous experience of rangefinders was a rather manky Rank Aldis with a dodgy shutter and an even mankier Kiev 4 with a dodgy everything. After buying the Lynx on impulse (thought process along the lines of: "f/1.4 for £40!? Done!") I am converted!

 

[farlymac]

On your GT squeal, that could be dirty meter contacts making the solinoid shudder. Try working the aperture ring back and forth rapidly for a little bit, and see if that doesn't improve things. It worked on an MG-1 I have.

PF

 

[Autoluminescent]

Thanks farlymac, I shall give it a go tomorrow! 🙂

 

[Frontman]

There are contacts in the aperture dial as well as in the shutter button mechanism. You can wind the shutter and hold the winding lever in the forward position while working the shutter button, this usually helps to clean off the shutter contacts. It is not unusual for the meter lights to flicker, or for the camera to squeal, it will probably work fine regardless of the commotion.

I have a couple/few Lynxs, but mine are versions with the meter on the top. You were lucky to find a camera with a meter which responds at all. I generally use a handheld meter, even if the meter in my camera works.

 

[Autoluminescent]

There are contacts in the aperture dial as well as in the shutter button mechanism. You can wind the shutter and hold the winding lever in the forward position while working the shutter button, this usually helps to clean off the shutter contacts. It is not unusual for the meter lights to flicker, or for the camera to squeal, it will probably work fine regardless of the commotion.

I have a couple/few Lynxs, but mine are versions with the meter on the top. You were lucky to find a camera with a meter which responds at all. I generally use a handheld meter, even if the meter in my camera works.

Thank you - I shall give this a go.

Ah ok, well I will get some more batteries and attempt to make the most of it then. I think I need to get hold of a new handheld meter aswell, as I don't really trust the rather temperamental pair of old ones I have. Thanks for your help 🙂

 

[btgc]

Lynx cameras have carbon tracks inside lens barrel; metering benefits from cleaning them.

 

[Autoluminescent]

Lynx cameras have carbon tracks inside lens barrel; metering benefits from cleaning them.

Is this easy to do? I've never taken a nice camera apart properly, cleaning out the battery compartment is about the most advanced thing I've done...

 

[btgc]

Is this easy to do? I've never taken a nice camera apart properly, cleaning out the battery compartment is about the most advanced thing I've done...

It depends on your mindset and skills, I'd say. Lynx 14 certainly is not camera to mess up learning CLAing leaf shutter. Gain isn't worth it, so if you aren't sure just use external meter or tables to guesstimate. If it's otherwise working, do not dive into it for such minor issue....at least, for now. When you will train yourself on some more common/cheaper cameras, you'll know if you want to open Lynx.

 

[Autoluminescent]

It depends on your mindset and skills, I'd say. Lynx 14 certainly is not camera to mess up learning CLAing leaf shutter. Gain isn't worth it, so if you aren't sure just use external meter or tables to guesstimate. If it's otherwise working, do not dive into it for such minor issue....at least, for now. When you will train yourself on some more common/cheaper cameras, you'll know if you want to open Lynx.

Definitely time for me to buy a new external meter... Thanks for the advice, I'll break out the aforementioned manky Rank Aldis at some point and start practising! 🙂

 

[farlymac]

Like BTGC said, there are a pair of wipers inside the lens barrel that rub along two strips of carbon resistor material. Sometimes cleaning will help, but then if the strips are worn down, nothing short of replacement of the carbon strips will get the metering system to work correctly. The meter on mine doesn't work, so I don't even worry about the battery. I either use Sunny 16 for exposure calculation, or my trusty Vivitar 24. I fixed a YEM-35 for this purpose, but have yet to adjust it to read the same as the Vivitar.

PF

 

[Autoluminescent]

Thanks very much for the help folks 🙂 I had a rummage earlier to see if I had any working lightmeters and found a Yashica one and the Gossen Sixtomat I used to use, both of which seem to work - so I think that'll be my solution.

 

[puderse]

My 14e

My 14e

The meter is not relevant to me (I've been using my Luna-Pro since '71) but I overpaid at the Goodwill and have an E14 that is not operable for several reasons.

Is there a Yashica that serves for canabalization? One finds them quite frequently "broken" or "needs battery".

Perhaps there is one that I might find that works otherwise quite well and I could exchange the 1.4 lens/shutter. The meter need not be compatable. Mine has no meter on top.

 

[dubtom]

Just got a 14E tonight,picked up a pack of ZA675,I read somewhere that these work,so far they haven't in mine. The batteries are much smaller than the battery holders width,what do I pad it with so the batteries will fit snugly? Haven't been able to find PX640A's, shop keepers have never heard of them.

 

[RBruceCR]

PX640A's can be found at Radio Shack stores and I bought mines on eBay. Also LX44's produce the same voltage and can be used with a self made adaptor!