Best 35mm camera design - or rather - which is your favorite?

[Yashicano Alemán]

I have to put in a vote for the Yashica TL-Electro; as strong as a tank with a unique (when it was introduced) electronic LED metering system that would survive harsh punishment that a moving needle would not. That combined with a mechanical cloth shutter not needing a battery for operation. I also like its large size, fitting in my hands better.

It also has the ubiquitous M42 mount accepting Pentax and other lenses, although the vastly underrated Yashinons can hold their own against almost anything.

I shall gladly second that. Add a red X to 'Yashica TL Electro' and I'll agree with you even more...

 

[cobbu2]

Actually, not LEDs. Miniature light bulbs.

Are you sure?

Camerapedia and Photoethnography both refer to the lighted symbols as LEDs. The TL-Electro was first introduced in 1972. I'm not saying you're incorrect, I'm just curious to know for sure one way or the other. Cheers, Allan

 

[ambaker]

I shall gladly second that. Add a red X to 'Yashica TL Electro' and I'll agree with you even more...

My first SLR was a Yashica TL Electro X. Bought it in the base exchange in Nha Trang Vietnam 1970. Paid a few bucks extra for the 1.4 lens. Took one of my favorite images with it. Sold it in 83, and regretted it. Bought one a few months ago for a few dollars, just to be having. Weirdest thing is it came with a four zippered leather canister holders from Vietnam just like I had mine set up.

Do I think it was mine? Doubt it. Sold it in Kansas, and this one came from Washington State. But... Both had been in Vietnam, how weird is that?


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[John_Nikon_F]

My first SLR was a Yashica TL Electro X. Bought it in the base exchange in Nha Trang Vietnam 1970. Paid a few bucks extra for the 1.4 lens. Took one of my favorite images with it. Sold it in 83, and regretted it. Bought one a few months ago for a few dollars, just to be having. Weirdest thing is it came with a four zippered leather canister holders from Vietnam just like I had mine set up.

Do I think it was mine? Doubt it. Sold it in Kansas, and this one came from Washington State. But... Both had been in Vietnam, how weird is that?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

It might be yours. I've seen similar things happen with gear that I've owned (or used) in the past. One item was a chrome Nikomat FT2 that I saw bouncing around eBay for a couple years like a highschool cheerleader in the football locker room. Owned that one about eight years ago. Another was a former Glazer's Camera rental Nikon FM2n that I rented in 1991. Saw that one a couple years ago being auctioned off on eBay by someone in North Carolina. Finally, a Nikon MD-2/MB-1 drive that I owned in late 2010. Saw that one a couple months ago on the Pacific Rim Camera website, being sold by them.

-J

 

[lxdude]

Are you sure?

Camerapedia and Photoethnography both refer to the lighted symbols as LEDs. The TL-Electro was first introduced in 1972. I'm not saying you're incorrect, I'm just curious to know for sure one way or the other. Cheers, Allan

Yes, they are wrong. I bought an ST801 in early 1974, and all the publications of the time, and the Fuji literature, emphasized that it was the first with LEDs. The ST801 came out in 1972. There is a lot of conflicting information out there. Don't take anything as gospel unless you confirm it. I just corrected the Camerapedia entry to say "lights" instead of "LEDs". One of the best confirmations as to model years and features is advertisements in old photo magazines. Merchant ads tell what was being sold at that time. The original manuals are another source of information regarding features.

You'll find the TL Electro is older than 1972. The TL Electro X might have come out in 1972. They used the proven light-bulb technology, which was quite reliable. The several models of the Yashica TL Electro series were capable machines with some nice features. I've seen several which are still working perfectly. My old ST801 is the same: though well-worn it functions fine, and the meter is as accurate as when new.

The Fujicas were innovative in their electronics for the time: the ST 701 was the first with silicon cells, which required a transistorized amplifier circuit, and the ST801 took it further with the LED readout plus its control circuitry. Then the ST 901 was the first with an LED digital readout.
I think the 801's readout was the best of all the manual camera readouts using lights. Instead of the arrows of the Yashica, or the +O- of the Nikons, or the limited range of the Penatax MX, it has 7 lights along the right side of the screen, each a one-stop increment. So you always know how far off you are. The really nice thing is that two adjacent lights can light at the same time, their relative brightness allowing discernment to 1/4 stop. Great for transparency shooting.