Yashica Lynx 14 or 14E which one would you choose?

[Chan Tran]

I have both but I am wondering which one is more desirable? I couldn't find the battery for the 14E so I don't know if the meter works. The 14 meter works with alkaline battery but is way off.

 

[Paul Howell]

1.3 vs 1.5, should not be way off, not more than a couple of stops, which been the case with my older cameras that use mercury batteries. You can try a 625 hearing aid battery to see if it makes a difference. Likely need a hearing aid battery and a rubber washer to hold the zink air in place in the the battery compartment. By the way, hearing batteries will work with the E as well, from the looks of it in the manual a set of 625s with maybe a wadded up hunk of aluminium foil or a small spring to hold the thinner hearing batteries in place. I use hearing batteries in Miranda, Konica, Petri , Kowa and Topecon 100s. Last a couple of months. Hearing Batteries are zink air, so you need to open the battery compartment every time shoot to allow some fresh air in. In my Miranda I drilled a little hole in the cover to let air in.

 

[locutus]

The meter on either isn't anything to write home about, i would pick the one that still has the cleanest finder.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Lynx 14!!!

Ok, this is subjective, but I prefer the one without the integrated circuit. I keep reading about the Lynx on Cameraquest ... for maybe 10 years now. I've yet to find one (I don't buy online), though it is very high on my list.

https://www.cameraquest.com/yaslyn14.htm
https://www.cameraquest.com/yashlynx.htm

 

[StanMac]

I have the 14E, with a working meter. It uses the 640 size battery (alkaline - haven’t seen a silver oxide one in a while), but one can find adapters that will take a 357 (IIRC) size cell which you can still find in silver-oxide. I like my Lynx 14E - it will invariably pique someone’s interest when I go out shooting with it.

Stan

 

[Chan Tran]

1.3 vs 1.5, should not be way off, not more than a couple of stops, which been the case with my older cameras that use mercury batteries. You can try a 625 hearing aid battery to see if it makes a difference. Likely need a hearing aid battery and a rubber washer to hold the zink air in place in the the battery compartment. By the way, hearing batteries will work with the E as well, from the looks of it in the manual a set of 625s with maybe a wadded up hunk of aluminium foil or a small spring to hold the thinner hearing batteries in place. I use hearing batteries in Miranda, Konica, Petri , Kowa and Topecon 100s. Last a couple of months. Hearing Batteries are zink air, so you need to open the battery compartment every time shoot to allow some fresh air in. In my Miranda I drilled a little hole in the cover to let air in.

In my experience using 1.5 vs 1.3V battery didn't result in meter a lot off. But my Lynx 14 is way off so I think the meter is not working correctly regardless of what kind of battery I put in. I write off the meter on this Lynx 14.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Is it possible to adjust the ISO to compensate, or are the readings inconsistent across the range of light levels?

 

[Chan Tran]

Is it possible to adjust the ISO to compensate, or are the readings inconsistent across the range of light levels?

In an outdoor scene where the correct exposure is ISO 800, f/8, 1/800 the Lynx meter indicates ISO 800, f/8 and 1/2 sec. Indoor where the correct exposure is ISO 800, f/8, 1/15 it gets closer at ISO 800, f/8, 1/2 sec.
So it's unusable. I guess the CdS cell is kind of dead.
Looking side by side I do think I like the the Lynx 14 better than the Lynx 14E. Condition wise they are both the same and both in excellent condition.

 

[Chan Tran]

I found either version of the Lynx is a much better camera than the 2 cameras that have cult following, the Canonet and the Electro 35. The Electro 35 has to rely on the meter to work.

 

[abruzzi]

In an outdoor scene where the correct exposure is ISO 800, f/8, 1/800 the Lynx meter indicates ISO 800, f/8 and 1/2 sec. Indoor where the correct exposure is ISO 800, f/8, 1/15 it gets closer at ISO 800, f/8, 1/2 sec.

A stopped clock is right twice a day. You just need to find the lighting conditions where iso 800, f8, and 1/2 are correct and only use it in those conditions.

 

[Chan Tran]

A stopped clock is right twice a day. You just need to find the lighting conditions where iso 800, f8, and 1/2 are correct and only use it in those conditions.

I don't need to do that. All I have to do is to remove the battery. Forget about the meter. Set the exposure according to the light level. The shutter speeds are reasonably accurate (I tested it).