Yashica Lynx
Encyclopedia
The Lynx is a family of rangefinder camera
s made by Japanese company Yashica
from the early-1960s
with coupled and fixed lenses
.
is capable of a maximum speed of 1/1000 second, an extra stop faster than most other diaphragm shutters. Light is metered using a small selenium
photovoltaic cell behind a lens array, powering a galvanometer
. The film speed
for the metering system can be set from 10 to 800 ASA.
The Lynx 5000 was introduced in 1962. It was an upgrade to the Lynx 1000 and replaced the photovoltaic cell with a cadmium sulfide
(CdS) photoresistor
, requiring a mercury battery
for the light meter.
The Lynx 14 was released in 1965. The lens of the 1000/5000 was replaced by a large 1:1.4 45 mm with 7 elements in 5 groups.
In 1968 the Lynx 5000e and Lynx 14e were introduced. These variants both switched to two PX640 batteries instead of a single PX625 in order to drive a more sensitive light sensor with a higher voltage. The galvanometer of the light meter was replaced with two indicator lights, showing when the exposure was "over" or "under".
Rangefinder camera
A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus...
s made by Japanese company Yashica
Yashica
Yashica was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras.-History:The company began in December, 1949 in Nagano, Japan, when the Yashima Seiki Company was founded with an initial investment of $566. Its eight employees originally manufactured components for electric clocks...
from the early-1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
with coupled and fixed lenses
Photographic lens
A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.While in principle a simple convex lens will suffice, in...
.
Models
The Lynx 1000 was introduced in 1960. It has a 1:1.8 45 mm lens with 6 elements in 4 groups. The diaphragm shutterShutter (photography)
In photography, a shutter is a device that allows light to pass for a determined period of time, for the purpose of exposing photographic film or a light-sensitive electronic sensor to light to capture a permanent image of a scene...
is capable of a maximum speed of 1/1000 second, an extra stop faster than most other diaphragm shutters. Light is metered using a small selenium
Selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, whose properties are intermediate between those of adjacent chalcogen elements sulfur and tellurium...
photovoltaic cell behind a lens array, powering a galvanometer
Galvanometer
A galvanometer is a type of ammeter: an instrument for detecting and measuring electric current. It is an analog electromechanical transducer that produces a rotary deflection of some type of pointer in response to electric current flowing through its coil in a magnetic field. .Galvanometers were...
. The film speed
Film speed
Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system....
for the metering system can be set from 10 to 800 ASA.
The Lynx 5000 was introduced in 1962. It was an upgrade to the Lynx 1000 and replaced the photovoltaic cell with a cadmium sulfide
Cadmium sulfide
Cadmium sulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula CdS. Cadmium sulfide is a yellow solid. It occurs in nature with two different crystal structures as the rare minerals greenockite and hawleyite, but is more prevalent as an impurity substituent in the similarly structured zinc ores...
(CdS) photoresistor
Photoresistor
A photoresistor or light dependent resistor is a resistor whose resistance decreases with increasing incident light intensity. It can also be referred to as a photoconductor or CdS device, from "cadmium sulfide," which is the material from which the device is made and that actually exhibits the...
, requiring a mercury battery
Mercury battery
A mercury battery is a non-rechargeable electrochemical battery, a primary cell. Due to the content of mercury, and the resulting environmental concerns, the sale of mercury batteries is banned in many countries. Both ANSI and IEC have withdrawn standards for mercury batteries...
for the light meter.
The Lynx 14 was released in 1965. The lens of the 1000/5000 was replaced by a large 1:1.4 45 mm with 7 elements in 5 groups.
In 1968 the Lynx 5000e and Lynx 14e were introduced. These variants both switched to two PX640 batteries instead of a single PX625 in order to drive a more sensitive light sensor with a higher voltage. The galvanometer of the light meter was replaced with two indicator lights, showing when the exposure was "over" or "under".
See also
- Yashica Electro 35Yashica Electro 35The Electro 35 is a rangefinder camera made by Japanese company Yashica from the mid-1960s with a coupled and fixed 1:1.7 45 mm lens. It was the first electronically controlled camera, operating mainly in an aperture priority 'auto' mode. The only other modes of operation are 'flash' and 'bulb'.-...
- A later series of rangefinders with aperture priority auto exposure
External links
- Yashica 35mm Rangefinder Chronology & Specifications II by Yashica Guy
- Yashica Lynx 14 by Karen Nakamura at Photoethnography.com
- Yashica Lynx 5000 (actually the whole series) by Daniel R. Mitchell