Yashica CC, CCN find

[Frontman]

Today at the junk shop I came across 3 more Yashica rangefinder cameras; two were CC models, the third was a CCN. All three were in good condition, and after putting a battery in them, they all seem to work properly.

I love these little cameras, I now have 5 of them in my stable.

I also came across a Yashica MC, which I haven't seen before. Does anyone know anything about the MC in regards to performance and value?

 

[b1bmsgt]

Wow! Good score!! You lucky $#@&$#%!! Why doesn't this kind of stuff happen to me?? :bang:

Russ

 

[bundok]

Congratulations for this amazing find! I am full of envy now!

Does anyone know anything about the MC in regards to performance and value?

They don't seem to be that much sought after. On german ebay you can get them quite often for 10-15$. I have five by now (one black, the rest silver). I find the often low price to be unjustified. It is a very solid, well built camera. I like its expensive feel, its tiny size and the short film advance lever stroke. Also on the plus side is its aperture priority automatic exposure with a maximum exposure time of several seconds. In this regard it gives me the same creative freedom as a normal Electro 35 but the MC you will never mind carrying along all day.

On the minus side: It is no rangefinder, you have to guesstimate the distance (of course, otherwise it wouldn't be so tiny, although ... the Olympus XA is even smaller and still has a rangefinder), and - what is much worse: this silly, silly green light, which only comes on, when you press the shutter release button (which tells you if the battery is working), and during exposure. It does NOT tell you something about over or underexposure. How could they think that this would be a great idea?!

But regardless of that - I still really, really like this little camera. I have only managed to put one roll of film through one of them (as I have so many other great carry-around cameras). I can't say anything about the performance of the lense because the lab made pretty bad prints and scans. Soon I will give my new black one a go with a slide film. Then I can tell you more about the lens quality.

Anyway - here are some pictures I took with a MC:

Cheers, Michael

 

[btgc]

I have written here on RFF about 35 MC, but don't remember exact threads. Anyway....

Congratulations for this amazing find! I am full of envy now!
maximum exposure time of several seconds.

yes, 4 seconds. Note - one has to keep release button depressed during exposure, otherwise it doesn't reach full time. This is legal feature not bug. Probably due to small size, not sure.

On the minus side: It is no rangefinder, you have to guesstimate the distance

I really like it doesn't has rangefinder. On street this helps me, no temptation for exact focus, so quick way to focus - I like it.

what is much worse: this silly, silly green light...It does NOT tell you something about over or underexposure. How could they think that this would be a great idea?!

This is GREAT idea 🙂 On large Electro's I either look at silly lights, missing moments like those staring at LCD displays after shot, or don't look at lights at all.

Manual cameras don't have any lights and I'm still able to get usable exposures. So why I need lights on automatic camera, adjusting shutter time after I set aperture? Camera does everything. No Electro RF's show exact speed, and after setting aperture I know ballpark figures I will get. No lights = simpler = faster.

Sure, if one has loaded ISO800 film and opens aperture fully in sunny day....probably he has artistic merit to do so and knows consequences. No lights will help him a lot.

35 MC introduced me to 40mm focal length and I like it. I have used MC much more than full bodied G-series which is almost useless for me. If one doesn't need large apertures, MC is much more practical camera. I have some pictures on flick (filtered down to 35 MC).

 

[bundok]

Please excuse me for not having answered your post earlier. I had to do a lot of overtime at my job. But now I quit and I have about one month of paid spare time ahead of me. A great part of that I hope to spend with my Electros and the rest of the Yashica-family. Which has now grown to 43 members. No. 43 is - you might guess is - another Electro 35 MC. 🙂 I couldn't resist. I got it for 11$ on ebay, including shipment. Damn impulse buys! 😉

yes, 4 seconds. Note - one has to keep release button depressed during exposure, otherwise it doesn't reach full time. This is legal feature not bug. Probably due to small size, not sure.

Interesting! I have read that before but I thought the author of that statement might have a faulty MC, because my MCs could easily do up to 8 seconds - WITHOUT pressing the release button. But after reading your post I tried what you said - and my MCs reached times up to 13 or 15 seconds. Is there something wrong with the metering electronics or is that a manual correction for the Schwarzschild effect? 🙂

What was even more interesting was that after all this shutter-pressing-during-exposure-action the longest shutter time without pressing the button increased up to 10 or 11 seconds (I only did this test with one MC). Strange, isn't it?

I really like it doesn't has rangefinder. On street this helps me, no temptation for exact focus, so quick way to focus - I like it.

I often use wide apertures and therefore exact focusing is mandatory (and with the MC I am not always that successfull like with a big Electro).

This is GREAT idea 🙂 On large Electro's I either look at silly lights, missing moments like those staring at LCD displays after shot, or don't look at lights at all.

Manual cameras don't have any lights and I'm still able to get usable exposures. So why I need lights on automatic camera, adjusting shutter time after I set aperture? Camera does everything. No Electro RF's show exact speed, and after setting aperture I know ballpark figures I will get. No lights = simpler = faster.

Okay, you seem to have a lot more experience in photography. I still find those lights in the big Electros pretty helpful (although I would much rather like to know the exact time of exposure).

Anyway - thank you for sharing your view of this little great camera with me/us! We both seem to love this baby but we seem to use it quite differently. And somehow we both seem to get the results we want. Okay, MOSTLY, for my part. I get the results that I want much more easily with a normal Electro, but compared with the MC the Electro 35 is much less practical to carry around with in everyday life - just like you said.

So, people, buy these little gems as long as they are around! They are worth every penny!

Michael