I have been exchanging emails with the owner of a great website about Yashicas. As I live in Japan I sometimes see hard to find models and have sent him a few. He wanted to do something in return, so I suggested he send me a camera in return. He did, and this is the camera. Just to be clear, I don’t suggest you inundate either of us with requests for swaps, the postage could get out of hand. BUT it is awesome receiving surprise cameras.
This is the Yashica FR II which was first introduced in 1977, an awesome year…and a sad year in music terms.
In my excitement and haste to try it, along with the 12 exposure film he sent, I completely forgot that he wrote about cleaning off the old seals. So this is the test roll:
Brick wall, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida
Fujica GW690 Professional 6×9, Fijifilm Neopan 100 Acros
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.
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.
Happy Sunday to all… I’ve got a few camera straps for sale in my Etsy Camera Shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
If you’re a fan of Disney then I’ve got you covered!
How’s this for a in your face Minnie Mouse camera strap? It’s actually one of the hardest Disney straps to get here in the US as it was only available for a short time in Japan. It’s brand new (unused) in its original retail package from the Disney Store, Japan.Lots of different Mickey’s!This one I don’t have the original package but it’s still unused and in mint new condition.Rare “plain” classic Canon camera strap. These straps are always in high demand by collectors but few have survived totally unused and still new like this one.Includes the HTF leather strap protectors (body savers).A genuine Canon fanny pack from the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. This one is still new, never used! Holds a large SLR or DSLR and at least two lenses.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great Sunday!
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.
In my opinion, Yashica was the hands down leader in producing twin-lens reflex cameras starting in the early 1950s right up until the mid 1980s when the last TLR rolled off the assembly lines. In between there were some very important milestones achieved by Yashica. One of which is the Yashica 635. My good friend Paul Sokk has an excellent site dedicated to everything you’d ever want to know about Yashica so I’d invite you to visit his 635 pages at http://www.yashicatlr.com/66ModelsPage6.html#yashica635
Yashica 635 Instruction Booklet cover.Yashica 635 Instruction Booklet back cover.Yashica’s date code.
One way to figure out when Yashica may have printed an instruction booklet is by the date code in this case printed on the lower left on the back cover. Not all instruction booklets released by Yashica had an obvious date code but in my experience quite a few did especially from the mid-1960s onward. In this example the 691 D 5Y 16 contains the date. I have high confidence that the 691 indicates the year and month 1969 January.
In this example, the serial number begins with 9 and the date code is 691 from the cover pictured above.
Here are a couple of additional examples (below).
In the example above, 673 is simply decodes to 1967 March which the hand written serial number 7041480 bears out. The first digit 7 is the year that camera was made. Typically cameras sat around in camera shops or distributer’s warehouses for a while before they were sold. This camera wasn’t sold until January 1969. TLRs were not as popular by the late 1960s as the rise in popularity of the 35mm SLR cut into sales in a big way. I’m sure this camera was heavily discounted by the time it sold.
Here is an example from September 1966.
So pull out your Yashica Instruction Booklets and have a go at “dating” your camera. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn. Feel free to contact me here for a go at your camera and instruction booklet. BTW, Canon was fantastic at printing easy to decode dates on their booklets and in their cameras, lenses, and accessories.
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.
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.
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.
Hello and thanks for stopping by! I’ve added some really unique and rare items in my online Camera Shop which is hosted by Etsy at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
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.
I purchased this neat little set the other day – I just had to have it because well, it’s neat and unique and it’s a bit of photo gear history. Hansa was an important Japanese company that made everything from sophisticated cameras and lenses to silly little cleaning kits and everything in between. I’m not 100% sure they actually made these items or had them made (think Vivitar).
Neat set from at least the mid-1950s. I’ve seen this exact same vinyl, color and texture, on other vinyl accessories cases from this same period. I have a flash unit that’s exactly the same but it wasn’t made by Hansa.Awesome rice paper instruction sheet shows you how to use the items in the set. The only piece I’m missing is a pair of tweezers. The green blower brush is no longer flexible as the rubber has become brittle with age.Everything tucks away nicely in this little case and it fits nicely inside of your camera bag. I’ve had this piece on display with some of my 1950s cameras.
Of course the most famous Hansa item is the very first Canon camera that’s marked Hansa Canon.
The tribute Hansa Canon camera from 2012 (75th anniversary edition.Actual Hansa Canon camera from the 1930s (not mine).
Thank you for stopping by and have an awesome (and safe) day!
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.
I “found” this wonderful little filter the other day and as of yet haven’t figured out which lens it was designed to fit. I believe it is pre-war or maybe not but it’s diameter is only 33mm (give or take a millimeter). I was hoping it would fit my Meyer Gorlitz Helioplan f4.5 40mm lens but no such luck.
ATM my best guess is that it was made to fit the Ihagee Anastigmatic Exaktar f3.5 55mm lens but I don’t have that lens and I don’t know the filter size. If someone out there knows I would greatly appreciate knowing a bit more about my filter and the Exaktar lens.
The “push-on” side.The “screw-on” side.It’s very well made and it looks as though the filter glass is interchangeable. It looks like the case is made of Bakelite and the inner cork lining is clean and intact. I get the feeling this filter was hardly ever used.The glass is optically perfect.
Ihagee is best known for making one of the first 35mm SLR cameras in the world back in the 1930s and post-war made a well respected line of 35mm cameras under the Exakta brand.
The Ihagee Exakta Varex (1950) pictured with its pop-up viewfinder in the open position. There was an eye-level pentaprism that was available too making this camera a true interchangeable lens SLR.
Thanks for stopping by!
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.
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 