Can lowering the ASA/ISO setting on a Yashica Electro 35 CC force longer auto shutter speeds?
Asked 10/11/2020
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I’m using a Yashica Electro 35 CC, which is an aperture-priority film camera. Specs I found online say the shutter range is around 1/250s to several seconds, but when I photographed a dim street scene at f/1.8 with 400-speed film loaded and the ASA set to 400, the negative came out badly underexposed. I expected the camera to choose a much longer shutter speed automatically.
On this camera, can changing the ASA/ISO dial to a lower value, such as 25, make it select a longer shutter speed even if the film in the camera is actually ISO 400? Also, what is the longest exposure this model will make automatically?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
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If I understand your question correctly, your camera does not allow for a shutter speed selection and is always on Aperture-Priority?
Cool. You've already discovered, it seems, that you can modify the ASA/ISO/FilmSpeed setting to encourage shutter speeds that would normally fall outside of the metered parameter for the film actually in the camera.
But, if your goal is to simply run-out the timer for an exposure and to use all 30s every time, then all you need to do is cover the meter with something opaque. You'll reduce the light into the meter so much that the camera enables a 30s exposure because, well, that's the best it can do.
Originally by user67377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67377
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. On an aperture-priority camera like the Electro 35 CC, lowering the ASA/ISO setting tells the meter the film is less sensitive, so the camera compensates by choosing a longer shutter speed. In that sense, setting a lower ASA acts as a proxy for longer exposures.
So if you have ISO 400 film loaded but set the camera to 25, it will try to give much more exposure than it would at 400. That can help force the camera into its long-exposure range, but remember it also means the film is being intentionally overexposed relative to its true speed.
Based on the community testing here, the longest automatic shutter time on this model is 30 seconds, not 8 or 16 seconds.
If your only goal is to force the maximum long exposure, one answer also notes you can block the meter so it sees very little light, which pushes the camera to its longest timed exposure. For exposures that long, use a tripod.
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