Last weekend I found myself with a Yashica TL-Electro in my hands and the quest for a battery replacement began. So what follows is the ordeal of trying to find a battery for this bad boy and sharing my Yashica TL Electro review.
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Yashica TL-Electro
The first thing I noticed when I held the camera was how heavy it is. This thing feels like a very sturdy build, and indeed it clocks in at 980g on the scales. It passed the test after a quick check over, there was a small scratch on the rear lens element, but shutter cocked nicely and gave a crisp sound after hitting the release. There was a small knock on the front of the lens, but this appeared to be only superficial.
Yashica TL-Electro
Contents
History
Yashica TL-Electro
The Yashica TL-Electro was released in 1972 by Yashica in Japan. It was the subtly inferior sibling to the Yashica TL-Electro X, as it did not have a battery check, had no FP socket and a lower sync speed.
Features
Yashica TL-Electro
The Yashica has a standard through the lens (TTL) center-weighted manual match needle meter.
Mechanical self-timer of 8-9 seconds.
12 – 1600 ASA
Lenses
Yashica TL-Electro
The Yashica has the standard Pentax M42 screw mount, so it works with a massive range of lenses.
The Yashica TL-Electro Is A Cheap 35mm Film Camera
Yashica TL-Electro
After picking up the camera for $40 from Gumtree, I thought I should probably have a look online to see what they were selling for. I know, it’s a rookie mistake to first buy a camera without even checking what they are selling for online, and you’d be right. Once I’d looked, I wish I had picked one up from here instead.
I picked this one up for $40 and they were selling for around the same cheap price but with no damage. This makes them an extremely cheap 35mm SLR. The only real cost will come from finding a solution to the battery dilemma. The best place to look for these cameras is on eBay. It was interesting to note that the TL-Electro X seem much more commonplace.
Controls
Yashica TL-Electro Controls
Unfortunately, the shutter speed dial was so worn that it no longer showed any of the shutter speeds. Not the worst problem to have, but still a pain. I’m thinking I’ll just scratch in a few of the key numbers like 1/60, 1/250 to get a rough idea of where the shutter speed is at and wing the rest. Usually, if you don’t fall below 1/60 it’s going to be OK.
Battery
Yashica TL-Electro Battery Opening
The biggest beef with this battery is that it uses now obsolete 1.35V mercury batteries. These ceased manufacturing a long, long time ago and so are extremely hard to find. Even if you do find some, the batteries are so old they will have likely lost most of their charge.
So what to do?
There are a few options and they range from expensive and safe to cheap and risky.
The Cheap and Risky Option
The replacement batteries for the 1.35V Mercuries were the 1.5V LR9 alkaline batteries. But be forewarned, there have been issues reported with using the LR9s as they result in a 0.3V overvoltage. It has been mentioned that this can burn out the LEDs in the camera. Additionally, alkaline batteries do not give off a stable voltage throughout their life. It might begin at 1.5V, but will gradually drain throughout its lifetime.
Yashica recommends using two PX640A batteries to achieve the 2.7 Volts.
The issue of the extra voltage has also been addressed, though, through some more expensive options.
The Safe and Expensive Option
The key to getting the steady and constant 2.7 Volts is by using an MR-9 battery adaptor which was made specifically to be able to convert the voltage of two SR44 silver-oxide 1.55 Volt batteries to the 2.7 Volts required. The two SR44 batteries are placed inside the MR-9 adaptor and when closed it takes the size of the original 2.7V mercury battery, so you just have to place it inside. Be wary if you choose to go down this path, as some manufacturers don’t offer the voltage conversion, they just do the size.
For an insightful discussion on the trials and tribulations of the Yashica TL-Electro battery saga, check out this Flickr forum.
You can get the Yashica TL Electro manual here.
Photo Examples
I’m waiting on a few batteries to arrive and then I’ll promptly shoot a roll on the Yashica and share my own images here.
In summary, the Yashica TL-Electro feels like a rugged and cheap 35mm film camera perfect for the student or beginner in film photography that won’t break the bank. It has the slight downside of battery availability, but this appears to be reflected in some of the prices, making it so affordable.
Enjoy this Yashica-TL Electro review? Let me know in the comments!
#keepfilmalive
6 comments
Hello I’m a U.Kie from Manchester!
You’ve guessed it right a M.U Fan as well!
I have one of these cameras along with about 250’ish other 35mm types.
Am just running a film through it for the first time since buying it! Forgot the price but cheap anyway. Its in good nick, bog standard.
Am tarting up the hard case, as it was very Tatty! Giving it to a M8 his first experience into 35mm.
Roy!
I have one too, the shutter speed dial isn’t worn, it is not there. There was a disc that had the numbers but the glue to attach it must have been lousy, mine is missing too.
I am going to just make one and glue it on.
Hey Guys, I also have this camera which belonged to my late father’s and I have held on to it for many years.
It has everything on the shutter dial still intact and nice and clear.
I don’t mind sharing a picture of it in case some of you want to copy it and make a replacement of your very on.
Thanks, B.Tinney
I’ve owned this camera from new since the early seventies when it was first launched in the UK! What attracted me was the green exposure lights. It was ahead of its time as all other cameras used a spot needle. It did have to go back to Yashica who had a shop in London which was opposite what is now The London Eye. One of the bulbs failed. They hadn’t invented LED’s back then so used tiny pea bulbs. My shutter speed dial also became unstuck but I noticed it was loose and was able to re glue it down! At the time I purchased a small short range Sigma zoom lens that was a good match and fairly light. They are a lot heavier than modern cameras but the Yashica was a lot lighter than my other camera at the the time a Nikkormat. On the subject of batteries back then there was a dodge where there was a longer battery available that you could peel the cardboard covering off to reveal either 5 or 6 PC640A individual batteries! Although I havant used it for many years as a sentimental old fool I could never part with it as it was my first SLR camera. I think it cost me over £70 then which would have been about a months salary. Pleased to see others getting hold of this model 45 years later and taking great pictures with it still.
Thank you. I owned one of these in the early 1980s and I think I may get another now as they look like a good price compared to other SLRs. I loved using it and found it easy and relatively fast to focus etc.
A couple of additional differences to point out between this camera and the TL Electro X:
TL Electro X gets a metal bladed vertical shutter vs. the TL Electro’s horizontal cloth shutter
TL Electro X uses a common 4LR44 or PX28 battery versus the PX640 in the TL Electro X
I’ve had great results in the TL Electro using two 675 zinc air batteries and my home made adapter. Despite their shorter life, the power curve is closer to mercury making for more accurate exposures at the end of battery life. And they’re dirt cheap. I buy a pack of 48 from my local Costco for $9 (18 cents each!)