Playing around in our studio…
Vintage Heavy Metal ⇑
Submerged ⇑
Frozen in Glass ⇑
Vintage View ⇑
Camera(s): Image 1,2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 / Image 3,4 Samsung Galaxy S4
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Chris
Month February 2017
Yashica AIII – Rare Gray on Gray 1959
Very uncommon Yashica twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera – made in October 1959. This one is in beautiful dove gray leatherette and machinery gray metal. Designed for and sold in the Japanese domestic market and for export to Europe. Focusing scale is in meters only on this version. Others have dual scales.
The serial numbers on the camera match the guarantee card.
⇑ Complete set as it would have appeared for sale in Japan. This amazing 57 year old beauty still functions perfectly! The shutter speeds are spot on, the focus is sharp and the Tomioka lenses are crystal clear. It does have a few spots of corrosion and discoloration on the aluminum and steel body parts – Japan has a warm and moist climate that wasn’t always friendly to old cameras.
Rare no hood logo.
⇑ The dove gray leatherette is tight and complete (a few minor stains) and the darker gray metalwork retains its factory sheen. The camera inside is clean as well with only minor dust seen when looking through the viewing hood.
The gray (and other colored cameras) from Yashica are always super collectible. We were very lucky to acquire this complete set. We have the original box but it has seen much better days. Perhaps a small restoration is in order.
Thanks for stopping by! Comments are always welcome.
Chris and Carol
Yashima-Yashica Leather
A misleading title? We’re not sure. It’s doubtful that in Yashima’s early days of camera manufacturing, that they made their own leather case goods. They had plenty on their plate already – lens production (mostly testing), machining parts, pouring cast aluminum bodies, stamping out metal pieces and of course, putting it all together in a box and shipping it off to various Trading Companies and camera dealers around Japan and the world. Oh did we mention, inventing new camera designs too.
We believe that Yashima-Yashica had their leather case goods made by at least 4 different suppliers – each with their own maker’s marks stamped on the bottom of the case.
Could the trademark be ‘Tomioka Kogaku’? In the early days of Yashima/Yashica, did they use leather cases made by outside companies? More than likely since they would not have had the facilities or skills to produce quality leather products in large quantities IMO.
This image is of the bottom of our Yashicaflex Rookie’s leather camera case. Some of the 1950s era Yashima-Yashica cases have similar marks. With an occasional exception, most 1960s era cases do not carry these marks.
The mystery… we believe that these are ‘maker’s marks’ or trademarks of the company that manufactured the case for Yashima-Yashica. The marks are similar to marks found on Japanese tin toys from the same period. Our theory is that Yashica did not have the facilities or skills to make leather cases on their own in the early days of production and that outside leather crafters added their individual trademarks to the cases.
Other marks that we’ve seen… T.K , NT , GSS and another K.K but in a diamond shaped box.
If you know of the origins of these type of marks on Japanese leather goods please add your comments. We would love to know for sure.
Thanks… C&C ^.^
Tokyo store window – 1964
ヤシカ
Japan and the summer Olympic Games held in Tokyo.
Yashica’s latest in their popular line of SLRs. As it would have appeared in 1964.
The world was coming to Japan for the Olympics and Japan was ready to show the world its best technology and design. The Tokaido Shinkansen made its inaugural run from Tokyo on October 1st and Japan and its technology never looked back.
Fantasy image of our 1964 Yashica J-5 as it would have looked in the camera dealer’s window.
Wonderful souvenir of the Olympic Games.
Yashica proudly shows off its new J-5
If you’ve been to Tokyo chances are you visited Mitsukoshi (there’s one at EPCOT at WDW, Orlando).
Who hasn’t owned or wanted a SONY!!!
A trip back in time. A time when Japan showed the world what it was capable of.
Thanks for your visit!
Chris
Taking an old friend out and about… Canon EOS Rebel 2000
I know – what a goofy name! Rebel 2000? WTFO! (a nautical term often heard aboard U.S. Navy ships at sea).
Silly names aside, it’s been a good little Canon and has done pretty much everything I’ve asked it to do over the years. No outstanding features – just sharp images and as close to a point and shoot analog SLR as there was in the late 1990s. I believe Carol gave me this one for Christmas 2003.
Since we’ve decided to pare down our collection of cameras, this one will be listed for sale soon. We like to test our cameras with film first so that we can state that the camera and lens works as advertised -plus we get to shoot some film with an old friend one last time.
It takes two CR2 batteries which we found for under $10 (with shipping) on eBay. We’ve loaded a fresh roll of Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 and now all we need is a sunny day. The Acros 100 is for another day and another camera.
The camera and lens weigh next to nothing – a breeze to carry around places like Walt Disney World and it did well when we used it on our trip to Disneyland and Yosemite back in 2004. After years of carrying around a heavy Canon F-1 with equally heavy lenses, this camera and lens set me free to concentrate on composition and not the gear (and the pain in my neck). It’s a camera that’s had enough versions made over the years and in enough quantities that finding additional lenses for it would not be a problem if we were keeping it. The next owner will get a very well taken care of SLR that should be trouble free for years to come.
Standard issue EOS Rebel 2000 with the 28-80mm zoom lens. ⇓
Super clear and easy to understand LCD with just the right amount of info. ⇓
It takes 58mm screw-in filters. ⇓
It’s a good looking camera with an easy to keep clean surface. ⇑ ⇓
Nice fill-in flash when needed. ⇓
So there you have it. A simple Canon that’s very capable of delivering sharp, well exposed images. Lightweight – easy to pack. It makes it easy to concentrate on composition and not the camera. Just what you want when venturing out with an old friend.
Thanks for stopping by!
Chris
Nature’s Art Revealed
Camera: Canon A-1 (1980) with Canon FD 50mm macro lens –
Film: Fujifilm Fujicolor 200 –
Scanner: Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II from original 4 x 6 print –
Title: ‘Maidenhair Fern in Spring Green’
Chris
St. Peter’s Church, Amelia Island
Vintage ‘postcard’ views of this historic Episcopal church on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Camera: Yashica L AF 35mm compact w/ 35mm f3.5 lens
Film: Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400
Location: Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida
Thanks for taking a peek!
Chris
Super Yashinon-R 400mm Lens
One of Yashica’s big boys – 1961 model. Super Yashinon-R 40cm f6.3 telephoto lens with the M42 mount. A very early M42 mount from Yashica-Tomioka.
Front view of this interesting lens…
One of the first long focal length lenses for Yashica’s M42 screw mount 35mm SLR camera bodies. I would guess from the extremely low serial number that this lens was made in late 1961 or very early 1962. I have never seen a lens from Yashica “in the wild” with such a low number. 400 = focal length and the next 4 numbers are the production number 0009 meaning the 9th one made after the prototype.
Thanks for your visit! Comments are always welcome.
Chris & Carol ^.^
Cirrocumulus
Not a common sight to see across Florida skies. Cirrocumulus (Cc) clouds are normally found above 25,000 feet (Florida). These were actually higher than nearby condensation trails left by high flying jets. Seen in early October.
Flying high above Walt Disney World…
Camera: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170
Thanks for your visit.
C&C
Sea Oats & Sea Fog
Almost sunset… sea oats along the dunes – sea fog obscures, the sun leaves its mark. Florida’s Atlantic coast. Winter’s days are numbered – Spring will be gone in a flash. Summer, well summer sticks around – and stays and stays.
Enjoying the brief cool days before the sun reminds us where we live.
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4
All the best,
Chris & Carol
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 