Several weeks ago my little brother offered me a couple of cameras he bought at an estate sale. I declined one and accepted the other – a Yashica Electro 35. I am acquiring cameras at an alarming rate, as you can see from my recent blog posts, so I need to be selective. I was attracted to the Electro 35 because it is a rangefinder; which I don’t have. From what I read online, they are nice cameras if you can find one that works.
I received the camera on Halloween and immediately started fiddling around with it. I opened up the back and found this:
http://instagram.com/p/gL5xuEILEJ/
Yes, indeed. A roll of Kodachrome all rolled up nicely ready to be developed. (this will be the subject for another blog post in the future. Stay tuned.)
I opened the battery compartment. It was completely corroded. As I imagined, the battery leaked all over the place. I spent a morning soaking the base plate in white vinegar and cleaning everything. I was lucky that the leaking only occurred on the base plate and not inside the battery compartment.
The next step was to get a battery adapter. I ordered one from the Yashica Guy and had it in my hands in two days. The electronics all seemed to be working fine! yay! So I popped some Fuji Neopan in it and took it out for a spin!
I am very very pleased that the camera is working perfectly!
However, after all of that, I have to say that I am not completely in love with this camera. I am not used to using a rangefinder and not sure I like it. But maybe I just need to get used to it? I don’t know. The camera itself is pretty (I like the retro look) but it is a beast. It’s huge and awkward. And the process of focusing with the rangefinder adds to the awkwardness. I was going to put another roll of film in it and try again but I am not sure I can bring myself to do it. I am not excited about using it. Am I missing something?
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