New Yashica Electro GX -- All the Basics?

[SallyShears]

Just got a Yashica Electro GX.

Very compact, nice in hands, same aperture-prefered auto exposure as the rest of Electro series. Mine is quite clean. Running with 2x EPX76 or 2x 675 betteries.

Shutter and film advance are a bit louder than my GSN.

I have lots of basic questions about this camera which has some differences vs. the mainstream of the Electro series. Google the "Electro 35" and you find lots. But I don't find much about the GX, which if a much rarer camera.

Some Questions:
- Anyone have a user's guide? I've tried all the usual places.
- Hot shoe doesn't seem to fire a standard (e.g. Vivitar) hot-shoe flash, but fires through the PC connector OK. Is that the way it's supposed to work? If so, has anyone tried to modify their GX to run with a standard hot-shoe flash?
- On most Electros, there is a shutter control with three settings (B, Auto, and Flash). Selecting "Flash" rigs the shutter for 1/30 sec and turns off the autoexposure. How do you lock the shutter at 1/30 for conventional flash exposures on the GX? (For fill flash, you would use the usual bag of tricks, set the appropriate f-stop, let auto-exp control the shutter, and I think this will work fine on the GX.)
- What else is different on the GX versus other Electros?

TIA!

-- Sally

 

[NickTrop]

While I've owned many Electros (GS, GSN, CC) I never had the pleasure of owning a GX. Here's the closest thing to a manual specific to this camera:
http://www.yashica-guy.com/document/gxmanual.html
This site is just about Yashica rangefinders and is a good resource overall.

If you want a Hotshoe, adapters are availabe that connect to your PC connection to a hotshoe that fits in your hotshoe:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/89982-REG/Hama_HA_6952_Hot_Shoe_Adapter_2.html

As for this camera's reputation, it is considered by many a Yashica-phile to be the best of the Electro line. They're rather rare and fetch a premium price for fixed lens rangefinders, typically.

 

[Mablo]

I have the manual but unfortunately only in text (manual.txt) mode. I don't remember any longer where I got it. I can send it to you by email if you want. Just PM me your email address.

The hot shoe works ok with my Nikon SB-22. No PC-connector needed. The GX should be compatible with all the usual "Auto" type Thyristor strobes while the automatic flash wizardry needs the dedicated Yashica ES-20 Flash unit which I've yet to see in real life.

You cannot lock the shutter speed to 1/30s as far as I know.

In many ways GX is much like GSN only in smaller format. The viewfinder is much brighter and is parallax corrected(!). Make note not to push the viewfinder window from outside. It gets loose quite easily. In my view the 40mm/1.7 lens is a bit sharper than the 45mm/1.7 found in GSN and 52mm filters and hoods are naturally easier to find. I'm using a normal Nikon hood for 35mm lens while I'm looking for a 54mm push on hood.

 

[Mablo]

Ah, Nick found the source for manual. Thanks Nick.

 

[SallyShears]

Thanks, Nick, for the manual pointer. Yes, the Yashica-Guy has the text-only manual. I was hoping for a scan of the real thing.

 

[btgc]

I'm not sure there's chance to detect sharpest of yashinons, but...well 🙂

I've had hot shoe not triggering flash due to oxidation(?). It looks cleant and OK but flash isn't firing. After cleaning central contact issue were solved. Use contact cleaner or gently rub with soft eraser, if nothing else.

 

[SallyShears]

Mablo, thanks for the comments about the flash. OK, the hot-shoe does work with my Vivitar flash. I wonder why I thought last night that it did not.

Without the shutter selector (B, Auto, Flash), the shutter will always be on "Auto." That would mean we are always doing fill-flash. I can live with that, but I suspect something in the camera will save you from getting a 2-second shutter when shooting flash indoors in low light.

Mablo, I am using an Auto-Thyristor flash, Vivitar 283, and this gives good exposures at all f-stops.

Another question... This camera won't give a long exposure. In a dark room where the exposure should be a few seconds, I get severe underexposure instead, so there is something wrong with mine. Anyone else seen this?

Just for the record: The focusing ring turns in the opposite way from other Electros.

 

[Mablo]

Good questions about flash and shutter speed. Maybe someone else knows more.

Long exposures should work just as good as with GSN (but doesn't squeak like GSN). See my recent photo below. I think the exposure was 10-15 sec maybe even more. I'm using Yashica-guy's battery adaptor and two 1,5V SR44 cells.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Your very own Original GX manual

Your very own Original GX manual

Sally, here you go... for $20 including shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Manual-Book-Yas...618?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0a03efea

 

[SallyShears]

Mablo, got it. The GX is supposed to do long exposures, like all the other Electros. Thanks.

Jamie, thanks about the manual.

 

[Bill58]

Sally:

Th next thing you need to do is "dress" it up a little. Take a look at the coverings here: http://www.cameraleather.com/. I recovered my GX w/ natural snakeskin (cream/ black). Have fun w/ it!

Bill

 

[btgc]

You guys are funny 🙂 Long speeds first have to be restored.

btw if shutter release is kept depressed, do shutter stays open for longer? I mean in subdued light.

 

[Mablo]

LunoLuno, I'm interested. I only have a text file. I'll PM you my email. Thanks!

 

[LunoLuno]

Alright, sended.🙂

 

[Yashi]

For the hot shoe. Usually it is just one cable that goes to the hotshoe an somethimes it is loose. Open the topplate to check... Another thing you could try before that is to use some sandpaper and rub it a couple times over the center contact of the hotshoe. That is a easy repair and sometimes fix that problem. Good Luck. The GX is ones of the finest examples in the Yashica Electro line - Enjoy. Do you have a black one ?

 

[Yashi]

..and here is my "invention" ;-) for the battery problem. Many people use tinfoil in the battery chamber. Here is what I did. Buy some "round steel" whith the same thickness as your 1.5V batteries. Cut 6mm two times and get wonderfull spacers that will work !! See attachment...

 

[Yashi]

.... and finally get a black MC and you will have a dream kit for streetphotography.

 

[btgc]

.... and finally get a black MC and you will have a dream kit for streetphotography.

After MC arrives, GX can be sold. Simply because MC is better in my opinion. It's faster to use. Well, one can use GX as fast, though RF and exposure lamps are Scilla and Haribda, and try to capture shooter in trap of perfection. Perfect focus, perfect exposure - check them right before shot and it's a miss. In this aspect MC is great camera to learn from - novices either quickly get idea of how aperture and distance impacts DOF and estimate speed from light and aperture.

 

[SallyShears]

LunoLuno, I just sent you a PM... Having the PDF manual would be fabulous! Thank you!

 

[LunoLuno]

SallyShears, I sent it. I hope it helps.

As for the long shutter, I don't think the GX is capable of '30 secs long shutter'. While many sources written in English (Yashica-Guy, Karen Nakamura's, etc.) say it's capable of 30sec long shutter, all the sources written in Japanese (there are so many when you look for) say it's 'about' 4secs. GX is not one of the very rare cameras in Japan, and there are so many people still using it. I don't think they are all wrong. I don't have a GX myself, but my GL, which is said to have a very similar exposure circuit as the GX, is only capable of 2-3 sec long shutter, and it matches all the souces about the GL, which all say it's 'about 4secs' like the GX.