The Unremarkable Yashica FFT

May 12, 2021May 12, 2021Chris and Carol 1 Comment

The rather hard to chase down Yashica FFT – the last of its kind. I give this bugger a high chase factor of CF 9 not because it’s a sophisticated 35mm SLR with tons of features, it earns a CF 9 because Yashica just didn’t make a bunch of these things and when they were for sale I believe most of them stayed in Japan.

The serial number on this one is 41001738 (1974, October, and number 1,738 for that month up to that point).

HTF instruction booklet for a HTF camera.

No auto exposure or auto focus, no built-in power winder, and little to no style.

So what’s this gem’s claim to fame? It was the last m42 screw mount lens body in the Yashica family. Big deal. Something’s got to be last and this guy was it.

Yashica m42 lens mount bodies began in the Spring of 1961 and ended (maybe with this one) in the Autumn of 1974. Along the way such classics as the TL Electro X was made which was one of the first SLR’s with an IC “brain”.

I’ll test and review this camera soon (I know, you’ve heard that before!). BTW, I have no earthly idea what ‘FFT’ stands for if anything. Any ideas?

Uncluttered and unremarkable top plate. Simple.

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

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, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

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Picture Perfect Polaroid

May 12, 2021May 12, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve always had a soft spot for sharp looking Polaroids and this one fit the bill perfectly.

Polaroid Land Model 350. The Zeiss Ikon designed rangefinder was a nice feature.

The release price was around $150 which in 1971 (the year I graduated from high school) was a ton of money.

A 3 element glass lens (114mm f8.8) produced crisp images (as crisp as Polaroid film could go).

Beautiful case in better than expected condition given its age.

Made for only a short period of time (1969-1971) this model used Polaroid 100 Instant Packfilm. Here’s a little blurb about the future of Packfilm (https://support.polaroid.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012363267-Will-you-reintroduce-Polaroid-packfilm-).

This one was in our collection back in 2011 and has since moved on to another collector. If you can find a clean one for your collection I strongly suggest this model or the next one up, the 450. Chase factor 5 (easy to find but tough in mint condition).

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