Yashica Minister D

[b1bmsgt]

Just got this little gem from epay. What a beautiful little camera. Greatly overshadowed by the Electro 35's, but deserving of much praise...

Russ

 

[Ian Grant]

Somewhere I still have one, great lenses. I remember a school friend with one, I think we were 11 or 12 - quite upmarket cameras at the time.

The Electro 35's were just a step better for less advanced users having automatic shutters.

Ian

 

[leicarfcam]

This camera as well as the Yashica Lynx series were and still are excellent cameras. I have a good working Lynx 1000.

 

[Suzie Place]

Yashica Minister D Shutter

My shutter is stuck closed on my 99 cent Yashica Minister D. Must I take lenses off to get at the shutter?

 

[André E.C.]

Well, it's indeed a really nice camera and you will love that Yashinon, delivers contrasty and vivid images.

My first ever camera was my grandfather's Yashica J from 1961 (your Minister D came out in 1964), I still have it and it's working like a Swiss clock, I've paid 2 years ago, a considerable amount of money just to have it completely serviced, actually, I end up paying 12 times more the market value of the camera, to have it serviced.

Anyway, great cameras indeed, solid, reliable and with great optics, have fun!




André

 

[b1bmsgt]

My shutter is stuck closed on my 99 cent Yashica Minister D. Must I take lenses off to get at the shutter?

Yes you must. If you take the front lens element out, you can apply a small amount of ronsonol (lighter fluid) to the now exposed blades of the shutter. In a large number of cases this will immediately free up the shutter. Keep winding and firing the shutter as the fluid evaporates. It works best when you have a can of air, which you can use to help dry things out. Once there is no visible wetness, set the shutter to B to hold it open and gently clean the now exposed front of the rear lens element (opening the aperture fully) with a cotton bud (Q-tip) as there will probably be a film on it from the shutter cleaning. I usually just breathe on the lens and gently wipe. Set the camera on its film door and let the lighter fluid evaporate for a day or two WITHOUT the front lens element installed. This works for me in almost every case, although it's possible that you may need to do this a couple of times before the effect is permanent. I have had no adverse effects using this method, which I have used on rangefinders, TLR's, folders. etc.

If this method has no effect, then there is probably a more serious mechanical problem which would require more in depth surgery.

Hope this helps...

Russ

 

[Suzie Place]

Big Lens Rangefinders

Does the Yashica Lynx have the biggest lens of all the Japanese Rangefinders?

 

[b1bmsgt]

As far as I can tell, the Lynx f1.4 lens is the fastest lens on any rangefinder. It's also pretty big (and heavy!)

Russ

 

[Suzie Place]

Leather

I make things out of scraps of leather from pants and coats. I see that you have a red leather camera.

Is the leather simply glued on, or do the edges of the leather go under the metal parts? How thin should the leather be? Would garment leather be too thick? I understand that the original vinyl and glue must be completely removed.

 

[Ian Grant]

Does the Yashica Lynx have the biggest lens of all the Japanese Rangefinders?

No an f0.95 lens was available for the Canon rangefinders

I think garment leather is usually too thick to re-cover most cameras.

Ian

 

[b1bmsgt]

Is the leather simply glued on, or do the edges of the leather go under the metal parts? How thin should the leather be? Would garment leather be too thick? I understand that the original vinyl and glue must be completely removed.

Hi,

The replacement leather is glued on, and does not go under the metal parts. This is the same as the original. I've never measured it, but I would say that the replacement leather is between .5 and 1 mm thick. As such, you must indeed remove any residue from the original leather, since any leftovers would show up as an unsightly bump.

Russ

 

[Suzie Place]

Monster lens rangefinders

Yes. Canon made some huge lens rangefinders but I think they are extremely rare. The big lenses added a lot to the price back in the 60's. I'm so excited about the Lynx 14 I'm even willing to shell out the bigger bucks to buy one. I just compared my Minolta Hi-Matic 9 photos with those of my Minolta SRT 101 SLR. The Rangefinder obviously takes in more light!

 

[Suzie Place]

Removal of lense barrel on Yashica Minister D

Hate to bother you again........... I have the chance to buy a trashed Minister D with a working shutter. Can I simply swap lenses from my pristine but non-functional Minister D? If so, how?

 

[Suzie Place]

Removal of lens barrel on Yashica Minister D

Hate to bother you again........... I have the chance to buy a trashed Minister D with a working shutter. Can I simply swap lenses from my pristine but non-functional Minister D? If so, how?