Have any of you read "The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything" by John D. MacDonald? MacDonald as you may know is one of America's most famous novelists, and he's most well-known for his Travis McGee series (The Dreadful Lemon Sky, The Nightmare in Pink, Dress Her in Indigo, A Tan and Sandy Silence), but if you never read "The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything," I think you should. Especially if you like to laugh and if you like a well-written story. I've read it many times, and while it is hard to find and not cheap (It has quite a following), if I made a list of my 10 favorite books it would be there.
So, what does that have to do with this Electro 35? Not too much, just some free association and the word "everything" made me think of that book. Why did I use the word "everything" anyway? Well, it pretty much applies here...this Electro 35 GSN is in terrific shape appearance-wise. Much less than average wear (one small scratch on the edge of the cocking lever that you have to be looking for to see), the viewfinder and rangefinder patch are clean and bright (very pleasant to use and not tiring), the leather case is in great condition, it comes with a new 6v battery ($11.59 plus tax if you can even find the correct size anymore), everything works fine and there are some things a buyer should definitely look for when buying any Electro 35:
1) good light seals
2) a new or at least correctly replaced or correctly functioning "pad of death" or POD as it is usually abbreviated on the internet. And I've wondered why anyone originally used the word "death" and not the word "dysfunction." A bad POD won't really cause death in the camera, but it sure will cause the camera to take horribly bad and incorrectly exposed pictures (and it is bad in a high percentage of these cameras)
3) working electronics and a good battery.
I've owned this camera about 12 years. I replaced the POD about a year and a half ago and any user should be happy with that. The light seals are all fine (including the dust seal under the rewind knob). The electronics seem to be working as they should. And what else...Oh, another important thing people usually won't tell you about this camera is that it can suffer lens flare, and a hood will make it take much better pictures. Well, ok but those rubber hoods Yashica first offered interfered with the rangefinder plus they're not pretty. So they finally built a really good hood that does not interfere with the rangefinder, but they're hard to find and can be quite expensive ($40 to $50 on eBay) unless you just happen to be really lucky. Buy this camera and you'll receive that coveted and expensive lens hood in addition to a lens cap which is also in like-new condition. $75 plus actual postage. And if you want, just ask me and I will include the wide angle and tele lenses, too (minus the finder...don't know where that went). If on the other hand you want to keep the postage lower, I will not have my feelings hurt if you don't want these lenses...I'm not a fan of them, but I have learned you can screw them straight on to a Helios 44-2 lens and turn it into a slightly wider or interesting portrait lens. Not too many people seem to know about this trick, either.
PayPal ok for international but check/cash/money order for domestic USA buyers, please.
Jon
So, what does that have to do with this Electro 35? Not too much, just some free association and the word "everything" made me think of that book. Why did I use the word "everything" anyway? Well, it pretty much applies here...this Electro 35 GSN is in terrific shape appearance-wise. Much less than average wear (one small scratch on the edge of the cocking lever that you have to be looking for to see), the viewfinder and rangefinder patch are clean and bright (very pleasant to use and not tiring), the leather case is in great condition, it comes with a new 6v battery ($11.59 plus tax if you can even find the correct size anymore), everything works fine and there are some things a buyer should definitely look for when buying any Electro 35:
1) good light seals
2) a new or at least correctly replaced or correctly functioning "pad of death" or POD as it is usually abbreviated on the internet. And I've wondered why anyone originally used the word "death" and not the word "dysfunction." A bad POD won't really cause death in the camera, but it sure will cause the camera to take horribly bad and incorrectly exposed pictures (and it is bad in a high percentage of these cameras)
3) working electronics and a good battery.
I've owned this camera about 12 years. I replaced the POD about a year and a half ago and any user should be happy with that. The light seals are all fine (including the dust seal under the rewind knob). The electronics seem to be working as they should. And what else...Oh, another important thing people usually won't tell you about this camera is that it can suffer lens flare, and a hood will make it take much better pictures. Well, ok but those rubber hoods Yashica first offered interfered with the rangefinder plus they're not pretty. So they finally built a really good hood that does not interfere with the rangefinder, but they're hard to find and can be quite expensive ($40 to $50 on eBay) unless you just happen to be really lucky. Buy this camera and you'll receive that coveted and expensive lens hood in addition to a lens cap which is also in like-new condition. $75 plus actual postage. And if you want, just ask me and I will include the wide angle and tele lenses, too (minus the finder...don't know where that went). If on the other hand you want to keep the postage lower, I will not have my feelings hurt if you don't want these lenses...I'm not a fan of them, but I have learned you can screw them straight on to a Helios 44-2 lens and turn it into a slightly wider or interesting portrait lens. Not too many people seem to know about this trick, either.
PayPal ok for international but check/cash/money order for domestic USA buyers, please.
Jon
