wordless wednesday

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thanks for stopping by! – 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, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Yokosuka to Yokohama – take the red train!

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

That’s what we were told to do. Go to the Yokosuka train station on the Keihin Kyuko line and take the red train to Yokohama, it’s the fastest way to get there. The only problem, all the trains were red in the late 1970s. But what they meant was to look for the trains with the red kanji in the upper corner of the sign board. There were black kanji trains, green, blue, and red. The black trains were locals so that meant over an hour or more to get to Yokohama and a stop at every station along the way. The greens were the best since they only stopped twice before getting into Yoko. I don’t recall what the blue trains did or where they went.

The train timetable sign at Yokosuka Central Station.

The colors indicated when that train would leave the station. The greens were the best followed by the reds. When I was stationed in Yokosuka on the USS Midway we always wanted to get off in time to catch the 1455 or the 1515 green train to Yokohama (where we lived). There were plenty of times I’ve sprinted from the base main gate through Yokosuka to catch a green train as it would cut about 30 minutes off the commute home. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Yashica Tominon Lens – a hard one to chase

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Shown here mounted on one of my Yashica Pentamatics – 35mm SLR camera from 1960.

Preset lens, Yashica Pentamatic bayonet mount.

Not many of these dual-branded lenses were made and with no accurate data from Yashica, one can only guess the actual production numbers. Less than 3,000? Maybe slightly more or a lot less. This serial number can tell a bit of the story. The number on this lens is 350309. The ’35’ refers to the lens’s focal length, which is 35mm. the last 4 digits are simply the sequential number of lenses made up to that point. ‘0309’ means that this is the 309th lens made since the start of production (whenever that was). My guess is around mid-1960.

So, if you’re up for a challenge try tracking down this lens on the various online auction sites. You’ll quickly find out that you’ll be looking for quite a while – but it’s worth it in the end. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check me out on Instagram at @ccphotographyai – Chris

Happy SUNday!

May 15, 2022May 17, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Bald cypress growing from a seed I planted. The seed came from the big cypress trees I have growing in my backyard. This one will get transplanted later this year – I don’t know where yet but I’m sure it will be happy.

Florida bald cypress about two years old.

One of my backyard beauties. This one was planted about 30 years ago when we first moved here (Amelia Island, Florida).

Camera – Samsung Galaxy S8+

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

Mamiya C33 TLR – 1969

May 14, 2022May 14, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

1969 was a great year, I went on my first date, we landed on the moon, the NY Mets won their first World Series and this wonderful camera from Mamiya was made.

Mamiya C33 twin-lens reflex camera with Mamiya-Sekor f3.5 105mm lens.

As it turns out, the little gold two-letter round stickers on most Mamiya cameras and lenses are date codes. Apparently not much can be gained by looking at Mamiya’s serial numbers but the date code stickers will tell the year and month according to Bill Rogers who is a Mamiya repair technician. His post about the stickers can be found at https://mamiyarepair.com/mamiya-production-date-codes/ – awesome info!

If you own Mamiya equipment (beyond their 35mm cameras and lenses) the stickers should be on almost all lenses and camera bodies (unless they’ve fallen off or were removed). You can just barely see the sticker on the side of the top lens in the picture above. In my case, the sticker is ‘IE’ which decodes to 1969 May. The body date sticker will be in the film chamber. Mine is ‘IF’ which decodes to 1969 May. If you read Bill Rogers’ site you’ll discover the secret to dating your photo gear. Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai – Chris

Texture, light, and color

May 14, 2022May 14, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

An antique slate roof tile from New England – which image is more pleasing? Both are taken with my Samsung Galaxy S8+.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai – Chris

White Flowers

May 13, 2022May 13, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

They’re white, that’s all I know – but they sure are pretty.

“Wild” white flowers. Oleander. Thanks, Bambi!

Camera – Samsung Galaxy S8+

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Rare Pentamatic ’35’ Brochure from Japan

May 12, 2022May 12, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Here is another great find – fresh in from a seller in Japan. I believe this may be one of the first dedicated sales brochures for Yashica’s new 35mm SLR film camera. I’m guessing this was released in the Spring of 1960. Unfortunately, Yashica didn’t hide a date code somewhere in the brochure.

This is a scan of the centerfold –

The lower left box translates as “A versatile camera that can be used for practical purposes and hobbies”.

I’ll post additional scans from this brochure soon. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram @ccphotographyai

Rare Pentamatic II Brochure from Japan

May 12, 2022May 12, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’m always, and I mean always, chasing anything to do with Yashica’s Pentamatic series of 35mm SLR cameras from the early 1960s. I was taken by its simple modern lines the first time I laid eyes on one.

Here is a wonderful Pentamatic II sales brochure (almost a catalog) from Japan that I’m guessing was published around the Summer of 1960 which was when the camera was introduced in Japan. I believe this is the first (and only) full-length brochure for this model.

The front cover introduces us to the Yashica Pentamatic II.

The lens was a new addition to this camera and was likely made for Yashica by Zunow Optical.

The back cover summarizes the features and specs of Yashica’s newest camera and lens set. The address (bottom) is listed as Yashica Co., Ltd., Nihonbashi Muromachi, Tokyo 1-8.

The ‘Yashica Girl’ started appearing on sales brochures around 1958 or so and continued here in this brochure. I don’t know her origins or purpose but she has two co-workers that often appear with her on other brochures. Here is a peek inside (it reads right to left) –

Unfortunately for Yashica, the Pentamatic II was not well received so it had a shortened production run of just over 5,300 units from August 1960 to January 1961 with breaks in production during that time. January 1961 is when Zunow Optical went bankrupt or was absorbed by Yashica (not well documented). Either way that put an end to this unique lens on a Yashica camera. It’s likely though that the lens design transferred over to Tomioka Optical (which was owned by Yashica) and Tomioka may have made this same lens for Mamiya in 1962.

One of my original Pentamatic II cameras with the Auto Yashinon f1.7 5.8cm lens.

One of the hardest cameras to chase down in Yashica’s entire lineup with just over 5,300 made with a vast majority only available in the Japanese domestic market.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram @ccphotographyai

Mystery Model – solved!

May 11, 2022May 11, 2022Chris and Carol 1 Comment

From 1956, Yashima’s Yashica-A user’s guide.

She’s been a bit of a mystery to me over the years as I’ve wondered what type of uniform she was wearing. With a bunch of help from my good friend Paul Sokk (www.yashicatlr.com), we’ve solved the mystery. She’s wearing a stewardess uniform for Canadian Pacific Airlines and in my opinion, she’s more than likely an actual flight attendant for the airline vice a professional model. It was the first and only time it turns out Yashica may have been part of such an obvious product placement deal. I’ve seen identifiable products in sales brochures that may or may not have been on purpose. Cars, watches, clothing, and accessories like that. She’s also pictured on the cover of the user’s guide for the Yashica LM from the same period.

Here are a few examples that helped us ID our lady.