Month June 2019

In the Shop – New this week

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Some neat new items hit the shop this week and as always, every camera gets fully inspected, adjusted and cleaned by me. My cameras and photo gear are ready to be the centerpiece in your collection or ready to hit the streets for another exciting go at photography – guaranteed!

Here’s a small sample of what’s available at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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My camera shop is hosted by Etsy so I accept most types of payments and can ship your purchases to almost anywhere in the world.

Happy shopping! – Chris

Happy SUNday! – Unopened Treasure

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It’s always a blast to find a camera set that’s still new in its original box. Of course, it also creates a bit of a dilemma – should I use what is still a new camera and “ruin” its newness or should I be happy with keeping it unused and therefore in mint condition?

This, on the other hand, presents a whole different ballgame. Should I remove the outer plastic wrap and play with my new find or leave it as is – still wrapped from the factory and obviously untouched (and unused by me)?

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The Fujifilm Zoom Date 135V with its Fujinon 38-135mm zoom lens was first released in the US in April 2004. In Japan, it’s known as the Silvi F135 and was listed at ¥ 29,400. It’s part of the well respected Silvi series of sophisticated compact 35mm film cameras that Fuji Photo was making as late as the mid-2000s.

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This set was available at Ritz Camera as late as July 2005 and would have been competing against digital cameras and affordable megapixels.

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Here’s what the camera looks like outside of the box. Tempting!

 

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A modern classic from Fujifilm.

If you would like to be the next owner of this still new camera, it’s available in my Etsy shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Contax Heaven – ‘Yashica, A New Horizon’

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The title refers to a not widely circulated Yashica marketing brochure that was sent to virtually all US camera dealers in early 1975. In it, Yashica informed dealers that they would directly distribute their products (including the Contax line) to them and that they had a direct representative in Yashica USA. Definitely a bold move by Yashica during a desperate time in their history (and struggle to stay solvent).

Here’s some eye candy from that brochure –

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How about finding this under the Christmas tree then or now?

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Really the first introduction of the partnership between Yashica and Contax.

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The marketing brochure (cover) from 1975.

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The original letter (not a copy) that was sent to each camera dealer in the US. Each was signed by the President (or more likely an underling).

I personally haven’t collected anything with the Contax branding but that hasn’t meant that I wouldn’t want to – just no more room for another branch in the collection.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

In the Shop – A Beautiful Canon 35mm A-1 Camera and Lens Set

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New in the shop today at http://www.ccstudio2380.com I have a beautiful Canon A-1 with its original Canon FD 50mm f1.8 lens from 1982. As with everything I feature in my shop, this classic Canon has been cleaned, inspected and tested and it’s ready to go.

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This Canon A-1 set comes complete as pictured. I’ve installed a new battery and checked all of the functions of the camera and lens.

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The A-1 was is still is one of the best auto exposure cameras that Canon made during this period. I addition to its automated features it also shoots in full manual mode. It’s perfect for the experienced pro as well as for the beginner.

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Additional pictures of the camera and a complete description can be found at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

In the shop, I also have a wonderful Canon A-1 sales brochure filled with additional info about the cameras advanced features and functions.

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If you’re looking to complete the look I also have a couple of vintage and super cool Hippie camera straps that would look awesome with this camera or any camera in your collection.

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I’ll mail pretty much worldwide. The shop is hosted by Etsy so I accept all types of payments. http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

 

Tanaka Optical Company, Ltd. – the 1950s

Chris and Carol 1 Comment

The Tanaka Optical Co., Ltd. was a camera and lens manufacturer with a factory in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan during the 1950s. Not many would have seen their cameras (35mm Leica type rangefinders) and fewer still their lenses for L39 Leica screw mount cameras. Their first camera was the Tanack 35 which was developed in 1952 and released in 1953. The company was gone by 1959.

There’s conflicting information on the web about whether Tanaka made just a few cameras and no lenses. This I believe is definitive proof that they did make cameras and lenses.

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Complete lens box from about 1955.

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The side panel says it all – “Manufactured in Kawasaki Japan by Tanaka Optical Co., Ltd. Manufacturers of Tanack Cameras, Tanar Lenses & Accessories”.

There’s still a lot to learn about the early years of this small camera manufacturer. At this time, I haven’t been able to find evidence that they made lenses for other camera makers. My guess is that they did but no proof yet.

Do you have more information about Tanaka, Tanar lenses and Tanack cameras? Please feel free to share what you know with me and I’ll gladly share that with my readers.

Thanks – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Yashica Mystery – what is it and what does it mean?

Chris and Carol 6 Comments

Contributor and Yashica aficionado, Graham Buxton-Smither posted this picture in my Flickr Group, https://www.flickr.com/groups/2734130@N24/pool/ the other day asking if I’d ever seen this type of serial number on a Yashica TL Electro X (pro-black body) before. I haven’t so I thought it would be good to broadcast it in this blog in hopes of discovering something about it.

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Serial number with its odd two letter prefix ‘FI’. Photo courtesy of Graham Buxton-Smither https://www.flickr.com/photos/164456136@N06/

The serial number itself is unremarkable in the sense that it follows along with the standard for a Yashica SLR. It decodes to December 1969 as the manufacture date. The ‘FI’ has no previous use that I’m aware of so it was a surprise to see it. Graham states that it is on a one owner Yashica TL Electro X purchased in the UK when new. It appears to be a factory mark as the black paint looks undisturbed.

I’m stumped as there isn’t an example anywhere in my databases. I can’t even fathom a guess at this point.

Any help including guesses will be appreciated.

Thanks – Chris

 

Fire 1!

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Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets flamethrower.

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Also known as Thor.

Stayin’ true to the orange and blue! LGM!

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Happy SUNday! – In the Garden

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A few images of the garden after some overnight thundershowers (storms).

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After 15 years of weathering our cypress fence supports a wide variety of organisms. This image was taken with my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830. Even at 20.1 megapixels, the image doesn’t pop your eyeballs out of your head. ISO 200 but a super slow shutter speed. The limitation of the Sony is that it’s not at its best in lower light situations.

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The same section of the fence but this image was taken with my Samsung Galaxy S8+

It’s hard to say which image is “better” as they are both technically correct. The Samsung shows a lot more processing and as a result, looks sharper. But is it better? The Sony shot is closer to capturing the realness of the scene.

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Crepe myrtle blossoms – almost an unnatural pink but that’s the way they look. No post-processing. Sony Cyber-shot.

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New growth – wonderful greens. Sony Cyber-shot.

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Samsung Galaxy S8+

Have a beautiful (and peaceful) day! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

In the Shop – new listings this week

Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve listed some new and interesting cameras and photo gear in my shop this week (more to come this weekend so check back often). My shop is hosted by Etsy and can be found at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – since it’s hosted by Etsy I can accept pretty much any type of payment and I can send your purchases almost anywhere in the world… stop by and check it out! Thanks, Chris

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I’ve got lots more in the shop so stop on by. Everything is on sale at 10% off and many include free USA shipping.

Thanks – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.