This is the Yashica Electro 35MC, a 35mm aperture-priority viewfinder camera from 1972. This camera was a $15 pick-up at the DC area Photorama show in 2019. I have been pleasantly surprised by what a joy this camera is to use, a fact only emphasized by how compact and pocketable it is. Its quality is up to par with other Yashica products of the era which is to say, quite good. Similar to other cameras of this age and size, it feels light in the hands.
The 35MC requires one PX-28 battery to operate, thankfully they are fairly easy to find. The roll of Ilford FP4 run through the camera came out a bit overexposed, but in general I am happy with it.
| Make | Yashica |
|---|---|
| Model | Electro 35MC |
| Year | 1972 |
| Format | 35mm |
| Shutter | Copal |
| Speed | up to 1/500 (aperture priority) |
| Lens | Yashinon-DX |
| f2.8 40mm | |
| Focus | 3ft – ∞ |
| Aperture | f2.8 – f16 |
| Light Meter | Yes |
| Rangefinder | No |
Sample images taken on Ilford FP4, stand developed HC-110 30min.
1/500 sec doesn’t leave much of a range of ISO and aperture with which to work. But it’s a adorable little camera and for $15, very affordable.