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Yashica Lynx 14-E Rangefinders
Product DescriptionOut-of-production mechanical rangefinder.
User Reviews
Submitted by
teamsc10190
a Intermediate Date Reviewed: March 11, 2012 Strengths: At 850 grams, Lynx 14e is one of the largest and heaviest 35mm rangefinders (even in its day), due to its rare f1.4 lens and all metal construction that was built to last a lifetime. Clearly the lens is the camera's primary strength. Many feel the Yashica's lens performance compares favorably to a Leitz Summilux 50 mm. You'd need to pay thousands to get a comparable lens in a modern camera. Compared to a Leica M6 with a 1.4 lens, the 14e is practically free, even with a CLA. Very quiet, fully mechanical Copal shutter ranging from 1 to 500 plus B and self timer. The batteries are only used for the electronic manual exposure control to provide accurate and fast light metering. The fully coupled rangefinder automatically compensates for parallax and features • large, convenient easy to use controls. The shutter release stroke is short, light and smooth. Overall, a superb classic camera that is essential to the rangefinder experience. I guarantee this camera will be a keeper and one of your all-time favorites. Weaknesses: If the 14e were a car, the enormous lens would place the camera into a new size and weight class. The camera takes 58mm filters and weighs a ton (850g), but still handles nicely. The film advance lever doesn't ratchet and requires a 120 degree throw. The yellow focus patch is weak and small. Employs outlawed mercury cell batteries, although Chinese-made equivalent alkaline PC640A batteries are still available, (requires 2). The location of the batteries in the top cap meant leaky batteries extensively ravaged the camera. Check carefully before you buy. The lens is prone to flare as it was built in the day before high-tech coatings, so use of a lens hood is recommended. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 21+ years Price Paid: $64.00 Purchased At: ebay Similar Products Used: Konica Auto S2, Konica Auto S3, Yashica Electro 35 GTN, Minolta HI-MATIC 7SII, Canon Canonet G-III QL17 Type of photography: Other
Submitted by
NickTrop
a Intermediate Date Reviewed: April 8, 2006 Strengths: - Excellent fast F1.4 lens - Dirt cheap price - Build quality - Quiet, virtually vibrationless leaf shutter - Full manual operation - Arguably the "king" of ambient light and low light photography, excluding very top of the line WAY, WAY more expensive kits - Rangefinder - Parallex corrected rangefinder Weaknesses: - Will likely need a CLA or repair, especially stuck shutters after years of no use. Either wait for one that is fully functional at auction, or the better option is get one in decent used condition and have it CLA'd asap after receipt. Even with the CLA cost, it is still worth it. Your camera will likely last decades more if CLAd by a good technicion. Bite the bullet. It's worth it, especially considering the cost of alternatives, and the ridiculously low going rate of the camera on the used market. - Weight. Not a compact by any means but handles nicely. A fast, high-quality lens like this requires a large front element and lots of glass. - No automatic modes. No shutter priority or aperture priority, which means that while you have more control, it's also slower on the draw. - Takes outlawed mercury cells, need to find a suitable solution which include zinc air cells, wein cells, or having the camera calibrated by your technician to take 625A (alkaline) cells which are commonly available. (Do your homework. I had mine recalibrated when it was CLA'd. Not an expensive fix...) - Lens is said to be prone to flare, and likely is. Though I haven't observed this, since it's not the camera I reach for for bright daylight shooting. Use a lenshood as needed. - ISO setting limited to 800. However, you can visually compensate when using 1600 (or higher) speed film by exposing/shooting when the camera's meter reads approx 1 stop (or how ever many stops are appropriate based on your film speed) underexposed. It's not an issue. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 11-20 years Price Paid: $20.00 Purchased At: eBay Similar Products Used: Yashica Electro GSN (also a fine camera) Yashica Electro 35 CC (another outstanding compact rangefinder) Agfa Ventura 66 medium format rangefinder. Type of photography: People
Submitted by
caspert79
a Expert Date Reviewed: January 3, 2006 Strengths: Optical performance Build quality Fully mechanical Manual control Weaknesses: Weight and size Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 2-5 years Similar Products Used: Lots of rangefinders. Type of photography: Outdoor 
Submitted by
nikon_junkie
a Intermediate Date Reviewed: December 3, 2005 Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 11-20 years Price Paid: $30.00 Purchased At: ebay Type of photography: People
Submitted by
Loren
a Intermediate Date Reviewed: July 3, 2003 Strengths: Auto paralax correction. Fast 1.4 lens with excellant contrast. Fully manual operation available - no need for batteries. Quiet shutter. Ability to sync at speeds up to 1/500s. All metal construction. Bright view finder. Weaknesses: This is not a pocket camera. Thats not necessarily a bad thing. Use of Mecury batteries ? A 625 hearing aid battery works fine. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Price Paid:
$80.00 Purchased At: ebay Similar Products Used: Canonet ql17III, Zorki 6 , Konica S2 , Nikon SLR's Type of photography: People
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