What's with the exorbitant pricing for the Electro 35 GSN?

[sevo]

I recently bought an Electro GS on ebay for about $35

I don't think anybody has ever argued against working $35 Electros. The thread must be ages old, I remember it or a predecessor starting when they had their first hipster hype and people began selling supposedly refurbished ones for upward of $200 on ebay - usually screwed up with a colourful pleather cover and WD40 douche, but no POD replacement...

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Where's G'man when you need him?

Chris

 

[ianstamatic]

It has an awesome lens on it and is relatively stress free to use.

Its easy to get awesome results with !!

I lend mine to people who havent used film cameras and with 5 minutes of instruction they are able to make some great shots.

 

[farlymac]

Once I figure out what material to use for a POD, all my Electros will be getting an overhaul, beginning with my first one, the GTN. It was one of three cameras I kept when I had to sell everything else off to survive.

They are great cameras if you don't mind the aperture priority operation. It's kind of an everypersons camera, used by amateurs to pros to masters. It also is a sort of stepping stone, as once you've used it for a while, you make up your mind if this is all you need, or would an interchangeable lens model be better for your photography style.

Then there are the smaller variants, the GL, GX, and CC/CCN which might be more to ones liking. Slightly wider 40mm's on the GL and GX, while the CC/CCN goes to 35mm. All of the variants were made in smaller numbers, and mostly for the home market, so they are kind of naturally more expensive.

The original G series (GS/GT, GSN/GTN) are so plentiful, there is no reason for them to be over $50 for a good working one, unless it's just had an overhaul. Even then $75-85 tops. Don't think you're going to get the cost of the repairs out of it plus.

But there are those out there who think they have a "Rare" camera they just found languishing in their grandfather's chest of drawers, and price it like it's in a high-dollar antique store, rotten battery and all. There are millions of the G series cameras out there, bargains are to be had.

PF

 

[Dirk]

The lens is superb, a real gem. The body is too big, and the viewfinder too dark, to make it one of my favorites. However, that lens is something else… Renders beautifully with great bokeh.

 

[markus_h_photography]

Please excuse my ignorance but what's a "POD"?

 

[Clark.EE]

Pod

Pod

The "pad of death"!
A small pad of foam that is part of the winding/firing cycle.
If it degrades, the camera won't work.

 

[nparsons13]

farlymac, for POD material go to one of the big home improvement chain stores and look in the specialty hardware section for metric hardware. They have washers made of black rubber that are 2mm thick--you don't have to precisely cut the correct thickness. They are firm but not too hard, and they are 1-1/4 inches in diameter, so you get a lot of material to cut plenty of PODs from.

 

[btgc]

farlymac, for POD material go to one of the big home improvement chain stores and look in the specialty hardware section for metric hardware. They have washers made of black rubber that are 2mm thick--you don't have to precisely cut the correct thickness. They are firm but not too hard, and they are 1-1/4 inches in diameter, so you get a lot of material to cut plenty of PODs from.

This shows why metric system is superior 🙂
I used some blue washer, not cheesy but also not dead hard. Worked fine.

 

[Jack Conrad]

I've refurbished a half dozen various versions, GS, GSN, GT.
After a while I lost interest in them and have since come to prefer non-electro versions of Yashica. The earlier the better.

They can certainly take nice pictures. I'm a Tominon fan, but I'm not crazy about their mechanical feel. Kind of tinny and hollow. Also, I don't care for the eternally long stiff sproingy shutter release travel. It's a small annoyance, but nevertheless annoying. Plus I think they're sort of ungainly looking.

 

[Mablo]

I've had a few G, GS, GSN but never had a GT/N. My early G was the best of all but it had been serviced by a good professional. I'm still a big fan of these cameras. The lens is legendary and not without a reason.

Like many others I can only say buy your Yashica from someone reliable. I have a rule of thumb that one in every 6th you buy from *Bay is working OK. I learned it the hard way.

 

[farlymac]

farlymac, for POD material go to one of the big home improvement chain stores and look in the specialty hardware section for metric hardware. They have washers made of black rubber that are 2mm thick--you don't have to precisely cut the correct thickness. They are firm but not too hard, and they are 1-1/4 inches in diameter, so you get a lot of material to cut plenty of PODs from.

btgc: This shows why metric system is superior
I used some blue washer, not cheesy but also not dead hard. Worked fine.

Thanks, guys. I'll have to get on it then.

PF

 

[BradM]

I think I saw somewhere somebody using neoprene from a mouse mat for the pad? I've never had to replace a pad (I have a GX and a MG-1) so I have no idea if this is suitable,

 

[nparsons13]

I think I saw somewhere somebody using neoprene from a mouse mat for the pad? I've never had to replace a pad (I have a GX and a MG-1) so I have no idea if this is suitable,

Neoprene is too spongy. You'd have to cut it overthick so it would compress to the needed 1.8 to 2mm. How much thickness to add? Seems like there would be a lot of trial and error involved with it when a firmer rubber or soft plastic is not hard to find.

This thread has been a big help to me. I've been reconditioning three GSNs and have them almost ready to put up for sale. (Was four, but one of them has an electronics problem that'll take longer to trace.) I was thinking I'd put one of them in the marketplace here to see what the response is.