Thread: Yashica Electro 35 GSN

Hey all you camera guys, I have a question.

I recently picked this camera up at a thrift store, and I have a question and a conundrum.

Question: Anyone have any experience with this camera? From what I've read, they're a decent camera with a good lens, but it's always nice to hear from people I "know" who actually know...

Conundrum: apparently the batteries for this thing are discontinued. I could buy one off Ebay or elsewhere, but I don't really want to spend the money on an adapter only to find that the camera is non-functional. If anyone had one that I could borrow to test the camera with, I'd gladly pay shipping both ways, or work out some other arrangement.

Thanks all.

That's a very cool camera with a nice fast lens. Get a regular PX28 battery and makeshift adapter like you can see HERE. Yashicaguy sells adapters if you decide to keep it.

Make sure the contacts are ok. Some of the older ones may develop a problem with what is lovingly called "the pad of death." If you need a good repair guy for an inexpensive CLA, let me know.

Oh, the link does not work exactly but just goes to the homepage. Click on the Yashica 35 GSN link from there.

Here's another good link

Ray, you are a jolly good fellow. Just checked out those sites and it appears I'll have a little side-project or two coming up if my school schedule allows for it...

Wow, that takes me back. As I recall Yashica was the first of the Japanese cameras to be imported into the U.S and though it was considered a decent camera once the likes of Nikon and Canon and Minolta started to be imported Yashica was looked at as a second class act by comparison and most camera buffs turned their noses up at it. But compared to current plastic wonders its still a good catch.

You can also try hearing aid zinc batteries. Their voltage is almost the same but they die quickly.

Thanks everyone for the clarification and the suggestions. After the semester is over I'll probably make an afternoon project out of making a battery adapter to see if the old girl still works.

Originally Posted by the wanderer

Thanks everyone for the clarification and the suggestions. After the semester is over I'll probably make an afternoon project out of making a battery adapter to see if the old girl still works.

In the meantime, here is how I made my 5 minute adapter a few years ago:

• Bought a PX28 battery from radio shack
• Cut thin cardboard (from cereal box) to fit one layer around the battery (since the original battery is that much thicker), and secured with scotch tape. Length of the "adapter" should be a few millimeters less than the depth of the battery chamber
• Found a spring from an old toy to use on the negative end. This should fill in the gap due to the shorter battery. Alternatively, if no spring, you can make bends on a piece of metal fastener.