Need parts for a Yashica Electro 35 GL

[farlymac]

I recently got this camera from the Goodwill site, and it has seen some hard knocks. The top is a little caved in, I had to dig the mercury battery out of it, and there were two big dents in the filter ring (I've pounded one of them out tonight).

Until I get a battery in it to check the functions (need to clean out the well), I decided to do a little work on it first. An inspection showed that the shutter is functioning okay (1/500 with no power), and the aperture blades move as they are supposed to. The focusing ring is not tight, and the inside of the camera is clean, but the seals need replacing.

Further inspection shows that there is evidence of shock damage between the front elements (little 'angels'). I have an idea that this cannot be repaired, so will need to replace the front group. It is a Yashinon 40mm/1:1.7, and was used only on the GL as far as I know. This is a rare model here in the US, and I would like to get it back into working order, so if anyone has a spare front group, let me know.

Thanks,

PF

 

[farlymac]

Won't be needing any parts for a while, as I got the old bird back into working order this morning. Took some beating and banging, but she works like a charm.


1) How to go from this... by br1078phot, on Flickr


2) ...to this... by br1078phot, on Flickr


3) ...by using these by br1078phot, on Flickr

The resulting photos were pretty good too. I see no evidence of flare or softness due to the crazing that resulted from all the forces applied to the lens when the camera was obviously dropped. No corrections on these, just straight scans.


3) Roanoke River 1 by br1078phot, on Flickr


7) Roanoke River Sentinel by br1078phot, on Flickr


8) Heading out for a run 1 by br1078phot, on Flickr

I do believe I have a keeper here.

PF

 

[oftheherd]

Looks like you have resurected the little thing. The photos look good.

 

[Bill58]

Congrats! The GL is rather rare, isn't it? I haven't seen any here in Korea despite countless other old Yashicas.

 

[farlymac]

Thanks Herd. Later on I plan on doing some PSing to raise the contrast some, and get rid of the vignetting in the corners with an 8x10 crop. You really need the proper size hood with the Yashicas. You can see the rest of the pics at Flickr by clicking on one of the photos here, and read the running commentary on the repairs

Bill, I am of the belief that the GL was a home market camera, and sort of a bridge between the GSN/GTN and MG-1 models, though according to my sources it came out the same time as the GSN/GTN. It is slightly smaller than a GSN or MG-1, but still larger than a CC or GX which were truly compacts. I don't have any production figures on it, but it appears to have had a short run. Other than having the meter window in the lens barrel, like the MG-1, it has a shorter long exposure time (6 sec max) than the rest of the G series.

PF