Taking my black Yashica Electro GTN out of the trash can...

Yes I've tried, it wouldn't close the shutter even after a minute and a half.
I've had the front of the lens off and cleaned the sliding contacts, but to no avail.
It's not really an issue as I never shoot at f/16 in low light. It appears to work fine in normal light though.

I have yet to check the accuracy of the exposures on this camera. Planning to do so, after a loaded Signet 35 runs out of film somewhere this week.
 
Thanks again, friends!

sig: definitely I have no shutter speed changes except when the yellow warning comes, :(

Sebastian: I just checked B... The shutter stays open as it should be, but the yellow light turns on ALWAYS when B is set and I press the shutter, no matter if I aim to a source of light at ISO1000 and f/1.7...

No speed changes=underexposure, as I saw on my first roll. No clunk what? If the rubber pad was gone, I should have a wild clunk, but I have nothing... Bad electronics maybe... I guess not an easy repair.

I think the camera is good for nothing... I won't argue with the seller after two months... Thanks a lot everyone!

Cheers,

Juan
 
Another discovery: the shutter makes a clear click a millimeter before actually shooting... After that click it is possible to advance film no matter if the shot wasn't taken! It is also possible not to advance film, and after a while the shutter can be pressed again (this time there's no previous click) and the shot is taken... (?!)

Cheers,

Juan
 
To clunk or not to clunk, that is the question.

I've replaced the POD in two cameras so far. A GSN and a GS.
Both times it went from a faintly emasculating click to a satisfyingly masculine clunk. A clunk worthy of the heft of the camera in question.
I think you have a shriveled POD that needs replacing.
If not, (which is quite possible) my guess would be a dirty contact.

I hate thinking of that poor old camera getting thrown in the trash. Arrrgh... :mad:

Please Juan, for the love of everything sacred, find a worthy kid or an old gas afflicted sucker somewhere that likes to tinker and give it them. Don't throw it out. :angel:

Some old photogs soul might be trapped in it. :eek:

This is why I much prefer the older 1000 and 5000 series Yashica's. Less bs, full manual... and the shutter buttons are so much smoooooother.
 
Jack Conrad said:
I hate thinking of that poor old camera getting thrown in the trash. Arrrgh... :mad:

Please Juan, for the love of everything sacred, find a worthy kid or an old gas afflicted sucker somewhere that likes to tinker and give it them. Don't throw it out. :angel:

Some old photogs soul might be trapped in it. :eek:
Click to expand...

Hahaha! That was great, Jack!

I just sent a message to camerarefurb.com explaining the behavior, and asked them if the no clunk at all & sticky 1/500th seem familiar to them and if they think they can fix it...

I wasn't able to kill the camera... :eek:

I can't just lose the battle! I must fight! I wouldn't really forget it: I'd just remember the problem, AND also remember my crime! :eek:

So I'll wait for their answer... Finally, that will be the only way to know how it feels to shoot a well working GTN...

Thanks for your kind words, Jack!

Cheers,

Juan
 
Juan, summarizing: The lights work, you have only 1/500th on Auto, and the shutter does stay open on B. There's a click before the shutter fires, and you can advance the film at that point. You don't hear the characteristic clunk on film advance.

This makes me think the POD is bad and the electronics are OK. Definitely repairable for less than $100 in the US and probably in Europe as well. Good luck with your camera.
 
ColSebastianMoran said:
Juan, summarizing: The lights work, you have only 1/500th on Auto, and the shutter does stay open on B. There's a click before the shutter fires, and you can advance the film at that point. You don't hear the characteristic clunk on film advance.

This makes me think the POD is bad and the electronics are OK. Definitely repairable for less than $100 in the US and probably in Europe as well. Good luck with your camera.
Click to expand...

That's it exactly, Sebastian...

Camerarefurb has a more than decent price: $60, so I guess I'll pay more for the international shipping (twice) from and to Colombia: but the big risk is the camera can be stolen, especially when sent back... Well, I'll take that risk... I might be lucky this time...

Cheers,

Juan
 
[Looks like camerafurb.com doesn't exist...]

Juan, I am sorry for the typo on my part. I see you have the correct name now, camerarefurb.com. As you say, they have "more than a decent price" and they do very nice work.
John
 
Mr_Flibble said:
...

I had a similar problem like you with my Yashica TL Electro. I had replaced the foam but there was a light leak visible in some of my photos. It took a few days to finally figure out what the problem was, On this SLR there's also a foam seal cushion under the lens of the eye-piece....if that goes, it lets light in in at the top just behind the shutter curtains.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's good to know. I have a couple of those old work horses. I also still have a Yashica TL Super that I haven't used in longer than I have used either of my TL Electros (One is the black model). They are still good cameras.
 
Wow. I didn't check the forum in a while, and I completely missed participating in this post!

I want to thank everyone for their kind words. I really appreciate it! :D

Juan, click on the link at the bottom of my signature for a POD explanation. It should make things a little clearer for you.

Russ
 
I have a GSN and sometimes i think the thing is playing with me, trying to mess up my mind and drive me crazy. You story has brought a smile to my face Juan and i hope you have not given up on the camera as once they are working they are great.
Mine has no clunk, click or any other noise when i wind on yet it exposes ok
Everything else seems to work ok and the exposures are good so i try not to worry too much.
Shoot a roll and judge it on the results if you don't want it someone on rff will give it a home i'm sure.
Only thing i dont like is that the shutter button will not take a Rapidwinder softie
I taped over the lights on the top plate as in bright sunlight they were lighting up and confising the hell out of me
 
As much as it is popular, I think the GSN is fantastic. After a CLA it shines.

5384854140_372ba72114_b.jpg
 
First shot is beautiful Whitecat ... if mine started to :bang: i would send it off to my friendly tech asap
 
Thanks, I bought one in mint condition and sent it to Mark Hama for a CLA. He knows his stuff. I took a few rolls of Reala and sent it to be developed and scanned. When they got back I was blown away by the color and sharpness. The lens is fantastic.
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
:D Yesterday I developed the only test roll I did a month ago with my (new) GTN. I was so disappointed, I decided -after an hour of a long face- to place it (gently, inside a plastic bag!) in the trash can and just forget about it, and accept it was my mistake buying one through ebay... In maybe five points of the roll (different frames, not equally separated) there was a spot of light (in different amounts, same vertical elliptical shape, a bit shorter than the whole frame in the strongest ones...) and the roll also seemed maybe a stop underexposed to me... I was so upset, I cut the roll immediately after washing it, using the scissors I use for cutting the film leader inside the bag, and threw it in the trash can...

This had never happened to me, ever, with any camera, so I felt really bad... I even thought maybe some forum member would like to receive the damaged camera for parts or anything, but yesterday I was so bored after checking that roll, that I thought I'd better keep all that crap away from any forum member because it had a damaged shutter and a damaged meter, and being $90, who would bother working on it?

Today, after a good sleep, while I was happily running in the morning I thought again: “Damn! It's a shame! That Yashica seemed great for ISO 1000 and/or really selective focus at 1.7 with its 45, and with that price, I could be taking it everywhere here in Colombia without any worry... If there's less light than I need for my XA stopped down, then the Yashica is always with me for cheap 1.7 shooting...”

Then, having lunch, I thought: “How must that shutter behave to produce such a strange light leak? Mmmm... It seems impossible...” So a moment ago I took the camera out of the trash can to open its back door and see the shutter act with the lens aiming at a source of light... The shutter works well! I was amazed! I had seen -the day I got it-the back door had no foam seals but the door's edges were bent metal that fits perfectly (and a bit deeply) inside the body, to avoid light leaks... So back then I assumed the camera used no foam seals, but today I started to take a better look to see what could have caused the big and changing light spots on my negative...

My first conclusion was the spots “happened” during the times (days) between the series of shots I did on different days... I shot at ISO1000 and at ISO25 (camera's ISO limits) with an ND64 filter: should have been 16 but who cares...) The underexposure I saw was worse than that... And it did affect both 1000 and 25 shots... But it was worse in some frames, so maybe those were the 25 ones...

Then I saw real close the place where the door swings (I don't know the word in English: where it touches the body when it's totally opened...) and in that 2 inches vertical line there's nothing, no foam, but in its extremes there is a millimeter of something black and creamy I touched and had not noticed before: I think that cream was foam decades ago, it's sticky and with some texture, and for sure it was a solid line of foam in the beginning, but it had totally disappeared except for the extremes of that line...

And I just checked the places where the bent metal parts of the door fit in the body: there's a very small amount of the same creamy residue of foam, both on the door borders (the bent parts) and inside the thin places where the body receives those bent door borders!

So I understood: the most dangerous light leaks because of all that foam lack, came from the vertical part of the door close to the body, just very few millimeters away from the place the already shot roll starts to be rolled...

So I guess I will have to restore the short vertical foam in the door's internal extreme, and also the two longer, deeper lines inside the body... I have never done it for any camera... Any idea on what kind of foam and glue should I use? I wish I was in Spain for this: I don't know what foam to look for... And no idea where!

After that, yet I'll have to check another roll to see if the light leaks disappear, and also check what's up with the meter... Maybe it's one of those meters that require “a bit more light/development” than others... By the way, I guess the power is OK: I am using the new battery that came with the adapter I got from Yashica Guy a month ago, and the battery check gives a bright green light...

Thanks for any tips on foam seals!

Cheers,

Juan
Click to expand...

Juan, if you are still messing around with this camera, don't worry about light leaks until you get there rest going. Just tape up around the back access door with black electrical tape. That will seal it and you can test everything else. I've used one for a couple of years and I just tape it up again when I load a new roll.
 
Juan, I wonder if you ever sent your camera for repair and CLA. Give us an update, perhaps with photos of your "new" camera and photographs taken with it after its rebirth. :D
 
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