yashica gtn or olympus xa?

[du a gwyn]

hello everybody,i'm on the look out for a small rf camera just to keep in my pocket all the time.first of all i was going to buy a olympus xa now i fancy the yashica gtn.out of these two which has got the best quality lens.i need to print my negs' to 16x12 for camera club and exepitions etc.if you think that these two are not going to be compatable for the job please suggest a model for me.
my main camera's are a linhof,bronica rf 645 and hasselblad's.hence my question about quality.
i know it not fair to compere the above camera's to the yashica or the olympus.all your thought welcome.
diolch yn fawr.

 

[Per]

I think you need a very large pocket to hold the Yashica. So if size matters the XA is the one.
Both are nice cameras.

 

[ruben]

From the point of view of size, a more expensive alternative is a Yashica GX, in the middle road between the size of the gtn and the xa. It has a superb lens, but not a an ASA dial on top casting of the body, but on the lens barrel. Great yellow patch, parallax auto and all other features of the GTN. I never owned a XA.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

For a quality lens in a small package that can be carried in your pocket my vote would go to the Rollei 35S with the 40mm f2.8 Sonnar. Quirky design and not a true rangefinder but a great lens.

The XA is much more pocketable than the GTN.

Wayne

 

[Avotius]

I got two gsn's, they are not pocketable cameras. That said last night I printed 20 some 15x10's and they look great, for the price its hard to beat, I love the camera, that said if you want something that small a xa or the above mentioned rollei or maybe even a minox which I have to say seriously impressed me by its little lens but a funky lens opening mechanism.

 

[Trius]

The other thing is the focal length/speed. GTN = 45/1.7, XA = 35/2.8. I would also guess that you might be able to handhold for longer shutter speeds, as the XA is smaller with less mass. But that's only based on my experience with the XA vs. the Oly 35SP, the latter which isn't nearly as big as the GTN.

 

[Kat]

They're right, the size difference between the two is huge. The GSN is big and heavy. There have been many threads on pocket camera options, some zone focus. The XA is the smallest RF, I think, and the Olympus RC the smallest with full manual override. Other nice compact RFs would be the Minota 7SII, Konica S3, Vivitar ES and Revue 400ES.

 

[Dfin]

The GSN/GT/GTN cameras are on the large, tradesman hand size. The oly XA is much smaller and can be a bit fidderly if you have large hands. I find larger heavier cameras easier to hold steady at slower shutter speeds. GSN`s have excellent lenses and are very cheap to buy/replace. See recent China photos of Avotius.

 

[Keith]

As stated previously ... not a rangefinder but the Rollie 35 has to be worth consideration. A quirky but remarkable camera! 🙂

 

[mike_j]

I you don't mind a bit more cost the Ricoh GR1 is hard to beat. OK it's autofocus not rangefinder but that 28mm is hard to beat and it is tough and very pocketable.

 

[zuikologist]

The other thing is the focal length/speed. GTN = 45/1.7, XA = 35/2.8. I would also guess that you might be able to handhold for longer shutter speeds, as the XA is smaller with less mass. But that's only based on my experience with the XA vs. the Oly 35SP, the latter which isn't nearly as big as the GTN.

I would agree here. It depends on what you will use the camera for - indoors, low light or outdoors street/stealth photos. A good compromise between these is the Yashica 35CC - 35mm f1.8 lens and similar to the Yashica GSN but much smaller. The Chinon 35EEII almost the same as the 35CC but 38/2.8 lens only.The Vivitar 35ES/Konica S3/Minolta 7SII are similar in size but shutter priority rather than aperture priority. The Minolta also has manual mdoe.

If you can live with auto only, then the Konica C35 is a good choice.

 

[Trius]

OT: Zuikologist, if you have first-hand experience, would you say the lens on the 7SII is on par with all the others? Stephen's Cameraquest page mentions that some people believe the lens is the same as the Rokkor 40-CL, which is high praise indeed. I know finding a 7Sii is not easy, but it might be on my radar as a smaller RF than the 35SP.

 

[du a gwyn]

hello,many thanks for the excellent respone to my question,very much appreciated.quess it back to the drawing office!!!

 

[du a gwyn]

Truis,i'm i right thinking that the 7sii is a minolta?i've come across one on e bay.bit pricey allready with a few days to go.how much should i have to pay for one of these?
diolch.

 

[Trius]

Yes, it's a Minolta. I haven't tracked 7Sii prices, so I can't be much help. You could do a search on completed auctions to get an idea. I know joe just picked one up for a good price; I think it was a private (not ebay) sale.

 

[Terrence]

May i suggest Yashica Electro 35 GX? It may not be as small as the XA but it's much smaller than the GSN, size wise it's similar to Eletro CC, 7SII. It is aperture priority and has F1.7 with highest speed of 1/500.

 

[oscroft]

I carry an XA with me wherever I go - it will always fit into whatever pocket or bag I have with me. I really carry it for outdoor use in quite good light, but with the 400 ASA b&w film I always have it loaded with it's ok for fairly low light use too. And the lens is quite superb - I was amazed by just how good it is (it's certainly better than the lens on my XA2, which I've never really got on with).

 

[tburke]

Honestly, I have 2 XA's, and an XA3 and an XA4. I like all of them, but the one I love is the XA. I like to have control of the focus and some control of the exposure (it's only a pocket camera). I know that if I have one of my XA's and some rolls of HP5 I am covered for a ton of situations, with a very managable amount of gear. If you go the XA route, I would reccomend the original XA, as the later models had zone focus and auto-exposure.

 

[bsdunek]

I would suggest one of each! I love both my XA and my GSN. Sometimes I carry both of them. I like the f1.7 lens of the GSN, and the size of the XA. What can I do? 😎

 

[Iskra 2]

I have a Yashica GT and Minox 35GL. The 35GL is always in a shirt or coat pocket loaded with Kodak 800 film. The Yashica rides on the floor of the truck loaded with the same Kodak film to be used for very low light stuff. This a recent walkabout shot with the Minox.

I am constantly dropping the Minox out of my pocket with the lens retracted, no problems. On this trek I dropped it with the lens extended. Oh, oh, the lens cover cracked and now I have to extend and retract the lens very carefully. :bang:

I think I'll reinforce the cover with a tongue depresser when I have the time.😀

The Minox isn't too "cool looking" but it does the job cost effectively.

Regards.​