First Shots, Yashica Lynx 5000e
Lynx 5000E is 35mm film rangefinder camera made by Yashica and produced between 1966-71.
It belongs to the Yashica Lynx series of cameras which are fixed lens, leaf shutter cameras made in the 1960s. It has built-in CDS cell light meter, full manual settings and Yashinon 5 elements 45mm f/1.8 lens, Yashica Copal-SV shutter with all speeds 1-1/1000, self-timer, and metal body. The viewfinder is bright and clear. It has coupled viewfinder / parallax corrected rangefinder.
I managed to get my Lynx as part of a package deal on eBay, along with my delightful SX-70. It was non-functional, but after some disassembling, cleaning and adjusting, I got it shooting just fine. Winds up the shutter realse had just gone out of adjustment and was not pressing down far enough to trip the shutter. Not a bad camera to work on if you have the right tools. the only piece missing is the Yashica badge on the front face. I should be able to make us something on the laser cutter to cover it, but it's just cosmetic at this point.
This camera was the first chance I have to really spend any time with a 'modern'-ish rangefinder. I have usually shot either standard K1000 style SLR cameras or went way older with folding rangefinders or view cameras. I had studiously avoided anything like these from the late 50's through the 70's as I thought they were somewhat cheap amateur cameras. I was wrong.
The Lynx has a nice heft in your hand. It feels like a substantial piece of machinery and is smooth to use. Unlike a traditional SLR, there is no mirror to clunk up out of the way when shooting and the result is a very quiet and unobtrusive shooting experience. The winding and exposure controls are firm and easy to get used to and I found myself setting and using the camera reflexively after a very short adjustment period.
The controls are easy to understand and fairly obvious. The Lynx packs a large amount of sophistication into a small package, including a brilliant 5 element lens. I was surprised and happy to see that even without a battery, the camera would operate in full manual mode with a complete set of controls for shutter speed and aperture.
I was able to control depth of field and slow exposures just as well as any SLR I have shot. The results are a nice set of contrasty negatives and some very pleasing scans. Still eagerly waiting to get a 'real' darkroom to get some proper prints. I'm getting a little tired of the crap my scanner imparts to the images. See the gallery below.
I'm starting to poke around other cameras of this vintage and have picked up a few more rangefinders. Keep an eye out for some reviews showing up soon.
