My new project! Yashica TL Electro X

[coastman6]

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.

Love those old cameras, and thats a Lovely looking Yashica , when you've shot some film ,be sure to post some of the images.
I recently bought an old Mamiya 500 DTL , i'll hopefully try that out in the near future.

 

[uncle grinch]

Very nice Yashica. I used to have an FX-3 many years ago. Wish I kept it. Been a Canon follower since the early 70’s. Besides my digital stuff I still have and use my A-1 and EF. There’s something about these analog cameras that just “click” with me.

 

[nerwin]

Well I just got the light seals and mirror bumper for this camera today. Spent a couple hours removing the old stuff and cleaning it up again as it turns into this black goo and then finally installed the new ones. They fit perfectly and was surprised someone still makes seals for these cameras lol. As far as I'm concerned, this camera is fully restored now. The viewfinder is a little dirty but I don't want to mess with it.

Now I just need to load a roll of film and go shoot with it. Thinking to use my Kodak Tri-X 400 that I been saving for a rainy day (so to speak).

So far I have replaced seals and mirror bumpers on several cameras and for whatever reason this one was the most difficult! Not like it was hard, just more difficult compared the other ones I've done and I think the reason is because of you can't remove the door, makes it a bit more challenging.

 

[nerwin]

Well I had to make a YouTube short of this camera since its super cool. I know my face isn't welcome here but I'm sharing it anyways

 

[nerwin]

Well this just happened. I thought it jammed when testing it and removed the lens to see the mirror sideways!

I forgot that Yashica glued these mirrors on and after like 50 years, it isn't doing the adhesiving thing anymore. I wonder what I can use to glue it back down? I am tempted to try some plastic 5 minute epoxy it shouldn't hurt the mirror any and will bond to the metal. That glue that is on there now is like hard as a rock and it ain't coming off.

 

[coastman6]

Regarding old film camera light seals, you can buy small sheets of light seal foam in various thicknesses on Ebay and cut them to size yourself, all a bit fiddly at the best of times ,once you have cleaned out the sticky remnants of the old seals of course, but you get a nice feeling of satifaction when finished , and you can feel that slight resistance when you close the door, knowing its all light tight .
Just think that there was a time in the early 2000's when people were getting rid of these lovely old cameras en mass , and buying digital cameras, I'm glad now that I kept some of mine.

 

[nerwin]

Just got my film scans back from the lab. The photos came out pretty good, I had some user errors. I mostly went by the built in meter and it was pretty accurate I must say but I'll find out when I get the negatives. I missed the focus quite a bit with this camera, the viewfinder is not very good. Its small, dark and doesn't have the split focusing so it's quite challenging but it is a camera from the late 60s and its really cool that it's still working great, even though the mirror fell off and I glued it back on

I used Kodak Tri-X 400.

 

[smoke665]

Nice! I'm waiting on the results from my first roll of film through the Yashica LM.

 

[nerwin]

Nice! I'm waiting on the results from my first roll of film through the Yashica LM.

It's a bit nerve wracking waiting on results from an old camera haha. Worried that the lab will say...sorry but the roll was blank or your something was wrong with the camera and photos were ruined. I'm glad this camera no advancing issues or light leaks. I got 37 frames out of it.

 

[smoke665]

@nerwin Your comment on focusing hit home. Focusing on TLR is sketchy at best, the focus screen isn't very bright, it's awkward, and focus knob isn't very friendly. The slightest movement can throw you completely OOF.

 

[nerwin]

@nerwin Your comment on focusing hit home. Focusing on TLR is sketchy at best, the focus screen isn't very bright, it's awkward, and focus knob isn't very friendly. The slightest movement can throw you completely OOF.

Is this like a Yashica thing? Because I've had several Yashicas and every single one had rather dim focus screens.

 

[smoke665]

In the 60s I had a Yashica Electro 35 which was a rangefinder. I don't remember the view finder being dark. The LM however has a focus lens that is reflected by a mirror that then focuses on the back of a ground glass. Even under the best of circumstances it's not very bright.

By and large the Electro was a pretty good camera. I think the only reason I got rid of it, was because I wanted interchangeable lens capability.

 

[webestang64]

This shot is priceless!

 

[nerwin]

This shot is priceless!

Haha thanks! Except for my ugly shoes

 

[The Barbarian]

The TL Electro was my first SLR. I used it heavily for years. Gave it to my brother after I started using Pentax and Nikon. Wish I hadn't given it up, now.