Possible battery or electrical problem with Yashica Electro 35 GSN, need help

[Shooter McGavin]

Just got my first rangefinder the other day, found a Yashica Electro 35 GSN that someone had gotten from a camera collectors estate sale in the original box with the leather case, neck strap, and unfilled warranty cards. The person said they don't think it has ever been used before because of the plastic in the hot shoe and neck strap still in original packaging but they couldn't test the camera because they didn't have the right battery.

It's definitely in mint condition but no way to tell if it has ever been used or not, battery door looked like it had probably been previously opened.

I read that a solution for the no longer made battery is to stack 4 LR44 batteries and use a tin foil cylinder to seal the connection, so that's how I'm currently powering the camera. Luckily had plenty of LR44s laying around from my Nikon FE.

First thing I noticed was the battery check light next to the frame counter. I was under the impression the light would stay bright green when the button was held down but it would kind of just fade out after a couple of seconds. Is that what it's supposed to do?

I came back to the camera a little later and noticed the check button doesn't even light up the window anymore, although the arrows in the viewfinder still work, but they seem a little erratic to me. Sometimes an arrow will only show up when the release is slightly pushed down instead of halfway or flicker depending on how much the release is pressed down. Also noticed a slight beep/crackle sound when the arrows were lighting up, is that normal?

Basically just trying to figure out if this is a wiring issue or perhaps my battery solution causing all of the problems.

Any thoughts?

Side notes: Using a rangefinder, to me, feels much different than shooting with an slr, it's sort of refreshing. Hopefully I get better at focusing, I seem to be taking longer to focus or am double checking my focus more often, not used to rangefinder focusing at all...

Thanks in advance.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

You may find some clues here, it's a very comprehensive site:

http://www.yashica-guy.com/

 

[Fixcinater]

Is it possible the foil is causing a short at one end of the battery stack? I bought a set of adapters on eBay for pretty cheap, it may be worth your time to make something more robust or buy one there or the original Yashica-Guy adapter.

You could also take off the bottom plate and see if you can spot anything in that vicinity regarding wiring issues.


As for focusing, it definitely takes some getting used to, but is the viewfinder bright and clear? It should be like looking through a freshly cleaned single window pane, with no haze or fog. I've cleaned up several of the Electros and they have all responded very well to the cleaning.

 

[Shooter McGavin]

Thanks for the input, I've purchased a pair of battery adapters. Wish I didn't have to wait another week!

I'd love it if this is just a battery problem and the camera is fine, it's such a clean, good looking camera and it seems like a lot of fun to use.

I had it out for like an hour at work and at least 3 people stopped what they were doing to take a look at it and ask questions, it's quite a head turner.

 

[Fixcinater]

The lens on those Electros is great. I don't get along with their handling (prefer the Canonet's small size and metering method) but the Electro has the better image quality to my eye.

 

[Jeff Bradford]

The tiny bulb behind the green patch in the film counter should stay on as long as you hold down the battery-test button.

I am very satisfied with my Yashica-Guy battery adapter for my Electro-35.