The Electro 35 is Deadly and Beautiful

There are those who profess the Electro to be “clunky”, “boxy”, a bit too “hefty” for their liking and to those people I say go to hell.

It’s no secret that some cameras grow inexplicably famous within certain circles. For one reason or another a particular shooter just seems to stick out from the photographic cornfield and elevates itself to a more elite status amongst the creative masses.

This is especially true for us damn, dirty film shooters and golly…let me tell you about one of “those cameras”. A fiendish camera…a gorgeous camera.

I’m not kidding. It’s the opinion of this author that the Electro 35, in particular my own Electro 35 GSN here, is the most aesthetically beautiful 135 format (35mm) rangefinders ever set loose upon this dark and savage world. Cut in chromed lines of ostentatious silver and jet black. Curvy but just right. Understated elegance from a time when form walked hand in happy hand with incredible function. 

I love it and I don’t care who knows. I’m not ashamed.

There are those who profess the Electro to be “clunky”, “boxy”, a bit too “hefty” for their liking and to those people I say go to hell. You go straight to hell and you die.

Where was I?

The Electro has been incarnated in various forms and flavors but the satin- silver GSN has always been the glittering standout since it was first introduced in 1973. It sports a fiendishly sharp, high-resolving, chromatically exquisite juggernaut of a lens — a FIXED 45mm F/1.7. This Yashinon DX lens is the soul of the Electro. Silky and quick, it delivers some of the better colors and contrast you’re likely to encounter on virtually any camera in any format.

It shines with Ektar 100…

Functionally, the Electro is a marvel. It features a parallax compensating viewfinder with a blindingly bright rangefinder patch and frame lines. The intrepid user is offered three shooting modes: Auto, Flash, and Bulb. Note the self-timer lever which I’m terrified to use seeing they are prone to breakage and I’m a coward.

Unlike most other “automatic” exposure cameras of this vintage the Electro places priority on shutter speed above all else making this a shutter priority camera. The internal meter reads the light and advises the user on how to adjust the aperture in order to meet the calculated exposure requirements. 

This is the function of those two nifty little arrows located at the top of the viewfinder.

Is the shot underexposed? The Electro suggests you to turn the aperture ring to the left (widening the aperture).

Is that sucker going to be overexposed? The camera will then tell you to close down the aperture by indicating a turn to the right.

Once the ideal, average exposure has been achieved neither of the arrows will illuminate. The top of the camera body also sports a version of this same exposure system should you be rolling with the Electro from the hip during zone focus street work.

Our lovely Electro 35 GSN features a shutter speed range of “forever” to 1/500th of a second and an aperture variability from F/1.7 to F/16. This brings me to an interesting “bug/feature” depending on your point of view. As a shutter priority camera, the Electro will hold that curtain open until it’s damn good and ready to close it; meaning that it will choose a shutter speed that is needed to collect the amount of light it deems adequate no matter the time. 

This can spell trouble if you find yourself shooting hand-held in extremely low light while at the same time offers a few “nuanced” possibilities for creative long exposure effects.

The Electro 35 is always going to be one of those near-perfect cameras…at least for me. It’s a psychotic manifestation of what can be achieved when a camera manages to blend reliability and performance with near-bulletproof ease of use. That Yashinon F/1.7 glass is a beauty in every sense of the word with some high-minded types even comparing it to certain German-made lenses which I will not mention here (rhymes with Leica).

Yet, for all it’s charm and beauty there remains a sense of impending sadness within my heart for the Electro. Even the latest models are now over 50 years old and like all battery driven cameras there will come a day when my Electro 35 will give up the ghost. There will be a morbid and glum realization of doom when I will no longer see those lights glowing like warm flares in a dark and stagnant photographic abyss. 

My eyes swell with unexpected tears at the thought but until that day comes I’ll cradle this magnificent camera with the love of one who knows a good thing when they see it and sing the praises of the Electro to all those who will hear.

Also Spider Man used it.

▶ Watch on YouTube

If you're looking to pick up an Electro 35 you'll need to be careful. Below are few notes if you'll be going the eBay route (or anywhere else):

1. As I mentioned earlier, the self-timer mechanism of these cameras is quite fragile. If you know you’ll be using the timer ask the seller if it is working. (A non-functioning timer shouldn’t effect the general function of the camera)
2. Check for a loose lens mount. These fixed lenses can sometimes become loose from the body which is quite difficult to repair or impossible in some situations.
3. Make sure all lights are functioning. Any dead lights can indicate (not always) issues with the electronics.
4. Ask the seller if there is a “clunk” at the beginning of the throw when the film advance is actuated. You want to hear the clunk. The clunk is good. You NEED the clunk. There is magnetic mechanism which sometimes fails in these cameras but can be repaired quite easily.

Below are some links to eBay searches for various models of the Electro 35.

Electro 35 (A wide search for all Yashica Electro cameras.)

Electro 35 G

Electro 35 GT

Electro 35 GTN

Electro 35 GSN 

Also, the Gods have smiled upon us and recently provided a true replacement battery for the now discontinued mercury batteries originally used in the Electro 35. You can find the dedicated battery for your Electro here on Amazon. I’ve used this battery in my GSN for over ten months and it’s functioned perfectly.