Yashica Lynx 1000

Unlike most Japanese camera makers, Yashica did not go through the early camera styles and dug straight into the TLR models. It began in 1949 as an alarm clock maker, also making camera parts for the booming camera industry. The company name was Yashima, and it sold cameras under ‘Yashima – Camera’ in the US, shortened to Yashica.

In 1959, Yashica acquired Nicca, a smaller manufacturer making Leica-style cameras, so it branched into 35mm compact models. For a short time, identical models were sold under the Yashica and Nicca brands.

Gaining a solid foothold in the US market, Yashica expanded into cine cameras while offering a long list of 35mm cameras, culminating with the illustrious Electro rangefinder dynasty. Thereafter, the company branched into the SLR market, a less successful move than the compacts.

In 1980, the company introduced a new camera line, the CONTAX, in collaboration with Zeiss. This brand is spelled in all caps to differentiate it from Zeiss’s original Contax models. They continued with Yashica and CONTAX brands, much like Toyota and Lexus or Honda and Acura, with two price points under one roof.

In 1983, Kyocera, an electrical/electronic industrial conglomerate, acquired Yashica. The company continued with the CONTAX brand and left Yashica to an avalanche of point-and-shoot cameras, some high-end and most entry-level. This lasted till early 2000 when digital took over. Yashica did not follow the digital wave till now, with the FX-D, the reason for which is beyond me as every person aged six and over has a cellphone with a super camera.

Together with the styles mentioned above, Yashica had some outliers, such as the Rapide, Sequelle and the Samurai, and the able miniature Atoron models.

In the 1960s, Yashica offered several short-lived camera lines, amongst which were the Lynx and the Minister families, sold at about the same time. The Lynx is dealt with on this page, and the Minister is here.

The Yashica Lynx was presented in five models:

	Model	Year	Meter	Lens	Meter reading	Battery
	Lynx 1000	1960	Selenium	1.8/45	On top	N/A
	Lynx 14	1962	CdS	1.4/45	On top	PX 625
	Lynx 5000	1962	CdS	1.8/45	On top	PX 625
	Lynx IC 14E	1968	CdS	1.4/45	in viewer	PX 625	Specs as the 14
	Lynx IC 5000E	1968	CdS	1.8/45	In viewer	PX 640	Specs as 5000

Three decades later, after Kyocera took over, they issued a series of point-and-shoot cameras under the Lynx name, such as the Lynx 70 or the Lynx 120 Panorama. Needless to say, these models had nothing to do with the classic models. Further, camera makers Emil Busch and Pontiac also used the Lynx name.

The Yashica Lynx was amongst the second wave of Japanese compact 35mm cameras, where most early post-war makers had not lasted long. It stood against well-established camera models, such as the Canon Canonet line, Ricoh Auto 35, Petri 7 and the Olympus Trip.

The Lynx 1000, the first model under the Lynx name, was a straightforward camera that was easy to use and catered to the base of the up-and-coming hobbyist market of the 1960s. Having a selenium meter, it did not take a battery to shoot; just set the film speed and watch the meter display lens on top for over / under needle reading. The camera’s name was derived from its top speed, 1000.

Yashica stepped it up with the Lynx 14 and 5000, with 1.4 and 1.8 lenses, respectively, here with a CdS meter that took a battery to operate. The meter value display was still on the top.

The last of the series were the lynx IC 14E and IC 5000E, similar to the predecessors, but with metering showing as lit dots within the viewer. I guess IC stands for an integrated circuit.

The Lynx 1000 is a finely made and finished camera with an all-metal body, with a typical Yashica quality, well over other models of the time. While the size is similar to other era cameras, it is on the heavy side. The camera on my desk looks and behaves as if it came today off the line, a mark of honour to the maker and the previous owner.

• The viewer is large and clear, with a defined patch and live parallax marks.
• The top has the lever winder that pulls the film and cocks the shutter, the rewind pull-up knob/lever, the trigger, a cold accessory shoe, and the meter display lens.
• The meter reading lens is magnifying and easy to read, with the needle hovering between over and under-exposure zones.
• A self-resetting frame counter is around the winder base.
• Opening the hinged back takes some fingernail gymnastics, pulling forward a recessed pin while pushing it in.
• Inside is a clean film path, guided by twin cogs on the pathway, towards an easy-to-use take-off spool.
• The front has the prominent selenium meter lens and the viewer windows.
• The settings are all on the lens barrel:
  • The focusing dial is closest to the body, supported with a finger rest. It has a long travel, meaning easy focusing.
  • Next is the aperture values dial.
  • A film speed setting is embedded within the aperture dial, showing the value in a tiny window by the f1.8 sign. Values are marked ASA. To set it, use a modest fin barely visible on the other side of the dial.
  • The shutter speed dial is at the front, offering a generous selection.
• The lens is marked as Yashinon, Yashica’s home brand. It is said that some Lynx cameras were offered with Zunow or Tomioka lenses, but I have not seen any.

It is a good catch for the collector or the film shooter if found in an operating state. They are inexpensive, and tons are available on buyee.com or mercari.com, which are cheaper than eBay’s offering.