yashica lynx-1000: nabbed one today

[paulfish4570]

for $15 at a private antiques/thrift shop. looks cosmetically in nice shape:
1) shutter speeds and apertures look dead on.
2) self-timer works with no delays or staggers.
3) rangefinder patch is decently contrasty, and works through the full range from closeset to infinity.
4) seals are not dry and flaky or sticky; they is pretty good shape.
5) wind on seems just fine.
6) the meter readout on top of the deck seems to be dead on at iso 400.
7) i reckon i will shoot a roll of cheap c-41 color to find if there are any leaks and whether the settings are, indeed, right on.
but:
1) focus is stiff but loosening up as i work it in and out; nothing off-axis or loose in the lens.
2) the rangefinder window is loose in its frame.
3) a little black flag-like thingy is hanging dead center in the top of the viewfinder. it just about disappears when my eye is centered in the finder. meter readout, perhaps, that no longer reads out?
4) it could use a good cleaning as well as a re-glued rangefinder window.

this appears to be a well-made cam with nice lens specs: 45mm, f1.8. it comes to hand comfortably.

i'd like to have it (and a minolta a5) CLA'd. where do i send 'em?

 

[farlymac]

Paul, good find on that Lynx. Russ (aka b1bmsgt on RFf) at Camerafurb.com works on Yashicas. He might do your Minolta too.

PF

 

[paulfish4570]

thank you very much ... 🙂

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Russ is terrific. If it needs more than a CLA, Mark Hama is also terrific and has parts for many Yashica cameras.

 

[paulfish4570]

thank you, sir. russ' site, by the way, appears to be down ...

 

[paulfish4570]

opps. just fouind out wind-on slips when i tried to advance with a roll loaded ... 🙁

 

[paulfish4570]

re-loaded it with both edges on the sprocket teeth. no wind-on issues. i think it just needs a good CLA - and some use. shot a few frames of memories 200. looking forward to development in a couple of days after i have finished the roll.

 

[f16sunshine]

Nice find Paul these are cool little cameras.
The tops on these cameras are quite easy to remove. A gentle cleaning of the interior optics is probably the #1 upgrade you can provide for these cameras. It's surprising how much brighter they get when you remove years of haze and dust. Looking forward to your results 🙂

 

[paulfish4570]

thanks, andy. i think i'm going to send it to mark hama for a thorough CLA and any fixing that needs to be done. i like the feel of it, so i think it will be worth the fixing.

 

[n5jrn]

Never owned a Lynx, but they've always sounded like nice cameras to me: built-in meter, allows full manual creative control, good optics, affordable price.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

I have a Lynx 14e that I think is very cool. All mechanical camera, f/1.4 rangefinder with a great lens. I use a modern meter instead of one the built-in.

 

[stratcat]

thank you, sir. russ' site, by the way, appears to be down ...

I believe the correct URL is camerarefurb.com