My new project! Yashica TL Electro X

nerwin

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I just learned about this camera a few weeks ago and I loved the history facts of this camera as it was the first SLR camera to feature light up indicators in the viewfinder, its the first camera to feature stepless shutter speed as its controlled electronically from 1968 tech!! With the copal square metal shutter and the INSANE build quality, I had to have one and to boot it has a M42 screw mount which I've always wanted to own.

I picked this camera up on eBay for less than $40 and it's pretty much mint. There is one TINY dent in the back but the rest of the camera seems to be in excellent shape. I popped in a 6V 28L battery and the bat check indicator came on and the viewfinder lights came on and it functioned at all shutter speeds properly. Without a battery it is only able to fire at 1/1000th. I am really stoked to go shoot with this camera, it's one of the coolest cameras I experienced so far and I adore the looks of it.

I don't have to do too much to it besides give it a good cleaning and replaced the light seals and mirror bumper. The light meter despite being quite old is actually pretty close to being spot on. It seems to favor overexposing by a hair which is not a bad thing for film, better than underexposing.

This is a really cool camera and I feel like nobody really knows about it.

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This is what sold me on it. The camera repair sticker, the fact that it seems to have been serviced in 1992 means this camera probably still has a lot of life left in it.

The shutter sound is the best I have ever heard yet. Its so smooth and quiet. Its more quiet than my mirrorless camera and this thing has a mirror in it!! Incredible.

I'll try to upgrade this thread during my restoration process and when I get a load of film shot through it, I'll share the pictures here.
 
I had one for a couple years in the late 60s/early 70s. They did have a certain cool factor.
 
I had one for a couple years in the late 60s/early 70s. They did have a certain cool factor.

Do you remember how much you paid? They couldn't have been cheap then!
 
Do you remember how much you paid? They couldn't have been cheap then!

Cost is a relative term, when you consider the minimum wage was a $1/hr in 1967, rising to $1.30 by early 1969. I don't remember the exact price, I bought it used, but I remember it was still a lot for the available cash I had.
 
Well I gave it a good cleaning. I have new light seals for it on the way. Can't wait to shoot with it. It looks really nice now...the viewfinder is a little dirty but what can you do? I don't feel like taking it all apart for something that doesn't affect the image quality, you can still clearly see and focus with it with no issues.

I did replace the rear mirror cushion, that wasn't fun but it was turning into dust so it needed to get cleaned up and replaced. Luckily I had some left over from another camera project and cut them up and put them in there. Seems to work fine.

Anyway the camera came out really well. Took some "artsy" shots of it.

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What a beautiful looking camera.
 
My 1st 35mm was a YASHICA Electro 35 GSN range finder. They made some great cameras at reasonable prices. Too bad they are no longer with us.
 
My 1st 35mm was a YASHICA Electro 35 GSN range finder. They made some great cameras at reasonable prices. Too bad they are no longer with us.
My sister had a GSN, very sharp lenses, I used to process & print her B&W films. The earlier Yashica rangefinders like the Lynx & Minster series were also excellent.

The Yashica M42 SLRs were also great cameras, again with excellent standard lenses. I'm not totally sure why now, but I decided to go for an M42 system, and began with a Zeit E, then a Prakticamat. But when it came to upgrade to a far better system, early 1975 I thought about the newly released Rollei SLRs, but the reviews doubted build quality, and I opted for a Spotmatic F.

A year or so later, and I'd have opted for a Yashica FR. I saw and handled a school friend's father's cased two camera multi lens Pentax outfit in 1966 and sort of fell in love and lusted for a Pentax system.

Before the FR Yashica SLRs were not well marketed here in the UK, the importers realised the GSN and similar filled a gap, and marketed/advertised them heavily.

Ian
 
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Very nice, my Very first 35mm SLR was a Yashica TL Electro, which I've still got after 45 years, totally manual with a cloth shutter, one that I'll never let go of.
Yashica cameras are very underrated, I've always fancied trying the 124G twin lens camera, my very first 35mm camera was also a Yashica, a 35MC Electro, a nice compact camera with zone focusing.
 
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Nice find!
 
Very nice, my Very first 35mm SLR was a Yashica TL Electro, which I've still got after 45 years, totally manual with a cloth shutter, one that I'll never let go of.
Yashica cameras are very underrated, I've always fancied trying the 124G twin lens camera, my very first 35mm camera was also a Yashica, a 35MC Electro, a nice compact camera with zone focusing.

The Yashica 124 is essentially the same as the 124G, I bought a 124 around 2007 and used it in Turkey & Greece, finally selling it last year.

A TLR is a different way of working, I still use a pair of Rolleiflex cameras, a 3.5 E2 and an Automat MX (K4A), and have an MPP Microcord as well.

I made a lot of excellent images with the 124 and would recommend them or the 124Gm over earlier models.

Ian
 
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Very nice, my Very first 35mm SLR was a Yashica TL Electro, which I've still got after 45 years, totally manual with a cloth shutter, one that I'll never let go of.
Yashica cameras are very underrated, I've always fancied trying the 124G twin lens camera, my very first 35mm camera was also a Yashica, a 35MC Electro, a nice compact camera with zone focusing.
Wow what year was that made?
 
I was given the Canon EOS 1600D for my 19th birthday.

Lisa
 
Wow what year was that made?
The one I have was made in 1972 if I'm reading the serial number correctly. But they originally came out in 1968 and were manufactured until 1974 at least my particular model.
 

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