THE YASHICA LYNX

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About THE YASHICA LYNX

Yashica made quite a few of these totally underrated fixed lens, leaf shutter, rangefinder cameras in the '60s and early '70s. They have very sophisticated color corrected lenses, are sleek and minimalist in design, and were built to last forever. In doing some research I found that Tomioka made all Yashinon lenses. Tomioka lenses are becoming something of a cult item among digital shooters for their fantastic sharpness and color rendition. We're fortunate that the lenses on our Lynx cameras are firmly attached, otherwise the lenses on these cameras would be going on ebay for far more than the price of a Lynx.

If a Lynx hasn't been abused about the most it will need is a shutter cla and having its light seals replaced. Be sure to unscrew the battery compartment cover and look inside as that's where a problem might be lurking. Probably the weakest part of the Lynx construction is that the battery grounds directly to the camera body, so if the battery starts leaking, corrosion can go just about anywhere. If you are looking at one to buy, this is always something to ask about. Yashica guy sells battery adapters that slide right in and use a readily available Duracell 1/3 battery.
Some of the Lynx features, such as the Lynx 14's f/1.4 lens, or the Lynx 5000's super fast 1/1000 sec leaf shutter are still impressive.
And that's why they're called Lynx. fffffast
Dust off your Lynx, or buy one inexpensively (somewhat more for the 14/14E) on your favorite auction site and post some photos here. Please put the model name and film information in your tags.
Camera porn is ok, too. Show us your Lynx.

Here is a link to an excellent reference page for Lynx repair: www.kyphoto.com/classics/yashicalynx.html