Yashinon vs. Rokkor

[shutterfiend]

Okay, so I had my little fun with my hi-matic 7s with a faulty meter and my drem instoscope. But after having exposed 5 rolls of film and missing the moment more times than not (as I was busy "playing" with my "toys"), I think I'm ready for something a little more intuitive. I'm considering a GSN.

I thought it might be helpful to get a first hand comparison of the two cameras before I made an investment. Has anyone here owned both cameras and if so how do they compare? I understand that they are quite different from one another, so I thought I'd narrow the comparison to the lenses.

 

[Kin Lau]

I have both, and it's very difficult to tell pictures from both apart.

Handling wise, the GSN has the advantage of Aperture priority, but the 7s has a full-time meter.

 

[climbing_vine]

Get a Hi-Matic 9 for the best of both worlds. Full auto, aperture OR shutter priority, full manual with metering. "EasyFlash" system where you just give it the guide number, synchs at any speed, works flawlessly. Plus a faster lens (though probably not by enough to matter, 1.7 vs 1.8 on the 7s). Huge, bright viewfinder/rf. My favorite fixed-lens camera of any sort by a long shot. Like it far better than the QL17 or any of the others.

-Brian

 

[shutterfiend]

Thanks Kin Lau. I like your photographic memory quote!

Hi-matic 9 certainly sounds good. Thanks Brian.

 

[climbing_vine]

Thanks Kin Lau. I like your photographic memory quote!

Hi-matic 9 certainly sounds good. Thanks Brian.

No sweat. An RFFer did the following review a long time ago:

http://www.growlery.com/minolta_hi-matic_9/

and I agree with his positive evaluation. The lens is, imo, the best of the class. It's very sharp, contrasty but not so much so that things get jaggedy-looking, and faithful rendition of color if you do that. It's got smooth, pleasing, more-or-less realistic tones as opposed to most sample pics I've seen from the GSN and other Yashicas of the period, which have that stereotypical 60s/70s slightly garish color cast to them. Oversaturated in the reds and greens, or something--at any rate, most people know that look. Some like it, it's just not my thing.