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peejee
Guest
Hi, i'm thinking of buying one of these camera's. Which one is preferable?
Peejee
Peejee
Yashica electro 35 gsn vs canonet GIII QL17
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The Canonet gives you full manual over-ride and shutter-preferred automatic. The meter does not operate in manual mode. The GSN is larger, and has a sharper lens. But it is aperture-preferred automatic only and does not indicate the shutter speed in use. If you buy a Yashica GSN, get one from someone that has overhauled it to include checking out the electronics. If you get a Canonet, likewise do the same and look for one with new light seals, a clean viewfinder, and working meter. Just visit the repair forum here to read about problems with both cameras.
Glenn
Newbie
I have no experience with the Yashica but I picked up a Canon at a market a few months back for $50 Aussie dollars and I love it..... You could do a lot worse.
Glenn
Glenn
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RichardS
Guest
peejee said:
The Yashica should be cheaper. Canonets I think are somewhat overpriced. If you want a Yashica camera with full control over the lens and shutter settings, try a Yashica Lynx or a Yashica Minister D. They are versions of the Electros but allow you to meter with the built-in meters and then set whatever shutter speed and lens opening you want.
Dick
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Antonio Shalder
RF-Brasil
I had a QL17 and have some Electros. In my opinion, the Yashinon is sharper, and if you don't need the manual override the Electro is a better value. The GSN light metering does the job pretty well and you can always compensate the exposure modifying the iso rating. I had also a Yashica Lynx 5000, a very nice camera with full metered manual mode. Excellent lens and good value.
jon_flanders
Well-known
The Electro is easier to fix if it has problems. I've never attempted to dissassemble my Canonet, but I have heard that it's small size makes it very difficult.
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wlewisiii
Guest
I've had both and prefered the GSN by far. I liked the look of the images from the Yashica's lens better and I felt it was ergonomically superior too. The Canonet was just too small for me to use comfortably and it made focusing more difficult.
The full manual mode on the Canonet is nice, but for me the trade-offs to get it weren't enough. YMWV
William
The full manual mode on the Canonet is nice, but for me the trade-offs to get it weren't enough. YMWV
William
SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
I favor the Canonet. In fact, the reason I sold my one and only Yashica were, precisely:
-Size. Too big for me; I was used to the Canonet's easy-to-handle size, features and everything.
-Automation. While both can be "automatic", the Yashica is more so. With the Canonet, should you run out of juice, you still have a perfect manual, meterless camera. With the Yashica... your tough luck.
-Batteries. Easier to get for the Canonet. If you buy a Yashica, make sure to get one with the Yashica-guy battery adapter. The original batteries for the camera are discontinued, and you can use the LR-44 (or some such kind) with a small adapter.
-Metering. The Canonet meters as close as TTL as it can be done; the meter window is right above the front element of the lens, and if you put a protective filter on it, you also protect the meter window. The Yashica meters from a window next to the RF, and it's extremely easy to block it without noticing. By the same token, it's also easy to make the mistake of shooting with the lens cap on (I did it).
Pros of the Yashica:
-Filters. The lens takes 55mm filters, as opposed to the hard-to-find 48mm for the Canonet.
-Splendid meter. While I never compared them, the Yashica meter is very reliable.
-Ease of use. If it weren't for the focusing, the Yashica would be a vintage point-and-shoot.
There you go... Again, I'm going to recommend the Canonet, but at least I do it after explainign the good, the bad and the ugly about them.
-Size. Too big for me; I was used to the Canonet's easy-to-handle size, features and everything.
-Automation. While both can be "automatic", the Yashica is more so. With the Canonet, should you run out of juice, you still have a perfect manual, meterless camera. With the Yashica... your tough luck.
-Batteries. Easier to get for the Canonet. If you buy a Yashica, make sure to get one with the Yashica-guy battery adapter. The original batteries for the camera are discontinued, and you can use the LR-44 (or some such kind) with a small adapter.
-Metering. The Canonet meters as close as TTL as it can be done; the meter window is right above the front element of the lens, and if you put a protective filter on it, you also protect the meter window. The Yashica meters from a window next to the RF, and it's extremely easy to block it without noticing. By the same token, it's also easy to make the mistake of shooting with the lens cap on (I did it).
Pros of the Yashica:
-Filters. The lens takes 55mm filters, as opposed to the hard-to-find 48mm for the Canonet.
-Splendid meter. While I never compared them, the Yashica meter is very reliable.
-Ease of use. If it weren't for the focusing, the Yashica would be a vintage point-and-shoot.
There you go... Again, I'm going to recommend the Canonet, but at least I do it after explainign the good, the bad and the ugly about them.
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tedwhite
Guest
Never had the Canonet, so I am unable to comment about it. At least not intelligently. However, I've owned and used a GSN since last Fall and find the lens to be superb. Well-saturated colors, fast (1.7) and sharp. I bought mine on *bay for $17.50 as the photograph showed what appeared to be an RF camera in perfect condition. I knew nothing about the camera at the time. Bought it on a lark. However, after two rolls, I realized I had stumbled onto something. The camera, upon arrival, looked even better than the photos. I got a light seal kit from Yashica_Guy along with the battery adaptor and a couple of batteries.
The camera works perfectly and the exposures are always spot-on. Comparing it to a Kiev 4A, which was my second foray into RF...well, there is no comparison.
In terms of which to buy, I would consider the price differential. The Canonet seems more expensive. Some folks like it because it's smaller. When I use my Bessa R and then grab the GSN for its "normal" lens it does indeed feel "large." But then I pick up a modern Canon SLR or a Maxxum 7 and "large" becomes a relative term (as it always was).
Ted
The camera works perfectly and the exposures are always spot-on. Comparing it to a Kiev 4A, which was my second foray into RF...well, there is no comparison.
In terms of which to buy, I would consider the price differential. The Canonet seems more expensive. Some folks like it because it's smaller. When I use my Bessa R and then grab the GSN for its "normal" lens it does indeed feel "large." But then I pick up a modern Canon SLR or a Maxxum 7 and "large" becomes a relative term (as it always was).
Ted