Viewfinder brightnesses

[luketrash]

I now currently have four Electro-35 cameras. I picked up a GSN that works for 15.00 at a recent camera swap meet. By works, I mean it takes photos accurately. The shutter button sticks, and for some reason, the viewfinder diamond seems almost not there.

Tonight, I popped the tops off of both of my GSNs to clean the glass. I noticed on this 'newer' GSN that the slanted glass is a lot lighter colored. I'm sure this leads to the viewfinder issues.

After cleaning them both, they are easier to use, but still leave something to be desired.

That's kind of the story of my E35's... They all work, but all of them have different issues. If I could make one frankencamera, I could have something as nice as a Bentley.

I was just curious about the viewfinders. This faded GSN is the newest of mine. It had a black plastic light cover on the viewfinder box.

 

[ErnestoJL]

I have a GT (a donor camera) and a GSN which became a GS(T)N. I replaced the chrome top and bottom covers and (most important) a thin black metal light baffle covering the moving mirror area of the RF (which the GSN didn´t have).
The improvement was dramatic, however, the RF patch is a bit lighter colored than it (IMO) should be, and the difference between other cameras is ...way too much!
If you aim the camera to a light source you´ll have to be a magician to see the RF patch and focusing is kind of a nightmare. My Lynx 14 has the same problem.
BTW the GSNs were made mostly in HK, what (for some people) explained some lower quality parts inside
I think that Yashica´s VF design left something to be desired, or coating (if they had any) faded a long time ago.

Ernesto