Early (very early) Canon F-1 Brochure – 1970

May 20, 2020December 25, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

DSCF8832

DSCF8837

This is the earliest brochure to feature the complete Canon F-1 system at the time. The back of the brochure has Bell & Howell as the distributor in the US and Canada.

The brochure is in near-full-mint new condition, except for a small dealer date stamp on the lower back cover. There is a very slight bend on the lower left of
the cover that is barely noticeable. The binding (staples) are tight, and there is
no writing, no missing pages, and no folded or dog-eared pages. It’s clean
and bright with no musty smells.

Perfect for your collection and a great way to enhance your Canon F-1.
The brochure is an in-depth introduction to the camera, including its features, technology, and applications. There are illustrations of the camera
and its accessories, tables of specifications, an exploded diagram of the camera,
and detailed guides to the use of the camera and accessories. There are also numerous color photos taken by the camera and its associated FD & FL lenses.

It’s a large 8 x 11 format and has 18 pages. The actual publication date is November 1970 – English Edition printed in Japan.

It’s available in my Etsy camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

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

wordless wednesday

May 20, 2020May 20, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

DSCF8772

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy, healthy, and safe day! – Chris

My camera shop is always open at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Yes!

May 18, 2020May 18, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

DSCF8286

I found this pinback in a camera bag from the late 1970s. It was a wonderful goal then and a worthy goal now especially in light of the pandemic.

Random pretty flower.

Have a great (and safe) day and many thanks for stopping by! – Chris

I have some new items listed in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Kyocera (Yashica) T from 1986

May 17, 2020May 17, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Another ‘Modern Classic’ as we like to call them. For Kyocera, this was the first fully branded Kyocera camera in the famous T* Series of point and shoot autofocus 35mm film cameras. The Yashica T which was made by Kyocera in 1985 was technically the first.

DSCF8816

For the domestic market in Japan, this was what you got for your ¥50,700 ($301 USD) plus an extra 2,000 JPY for the case. No zoom lens and no true user inputs except for the flash. What you did get was a sophisticated Carl Zeiss Tessar f/ 3.5 35mm lens with the famous T* coated optics. This is a true point and shoot camera designed to take the highest quality images just short of owning an SLR.

DSCF8830

The T-D (date) model weighs about 356 grams without film but with the heavy 2CR5 lithium 6v battery installed. The date function is powered by a CR2025 battery but at this point, I haven’t installed one as the date function only goes to 2019. The camera automatically sets the ISO for DX coded films from 50 to 1,600. There’s a cover over the lens that opens when the shutter is pressed and then slowly closes over the lens again. It looks to be semi-transparent from what I can tell. Not sure how you would keep the cover open to clean the lens.

DSCF8824

Not much in the way of user input except to kill the flash. There’s an analog film indicator, simple on-off slide switch and a self-timer switch. No LCD screen to fail over time (which is a good thing).

I’m pretty excited to give the camera a go on a walkabout and to eventually compare its performance to my Yashica L AF with similar features. See my review and test of the Yashica L AF here.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out my camera shop on Etsy at http://www.ccstudio2380.com and on eBay at https://www.ebay.com/str/auntfotosphotography

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.

Happy SUNday! – Up is Down

May 17, 2020May 17, 2020Chris and Carol 2 Comments

I finally found the “Fountain of Youth” only to find it closed!

Thanks for stopping by!

Scenes from a day trip to St. Augustine, Florida a long time ago.

Have a great and safe day. Be sure to pop on over to my camera shops at http://www.ccstudio2380.com and at https://www.ebay.com/str/auntfotosphotography

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.

Yashica in Hong Kong

May 16, 2020May 22, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s known that Yashica had a presence in Hong Kong very early on but the establishment of an actual factory in Hong Kong didn’t happen until around 1968. A friend of mine on Flickr has spotted a rather unique marking on the back of his Yashica Minister III which was released early 1966.

Just to the right of the viewfinder, this Yashica Minister III has a seldom seen marking indicating that the camera was in some way processed in Hong Kong. Image courtesy of Graham Buxton-Smith.

BTW, the serial number decodes to 8 = 1968, 3 = March, 1816 = number 1,816 made that month. The “H” does not necessarily indicate Hong Kong.

Minister III from the mid-1960s. Image courtesy of Graham Buxton-Smith. The camera on the left has the Hong Kong markings.

Apparently, before Yashica operated a full-scale factory in Hong Kong it appears that they may have sent partially completed cameras there for final assembly. Usually, it would have “Assembled in Hong Kong” or simply “Hong Kong” on the camera. I’ve seen “assembled in Hong Kong from parts made in Japan” before but not engraved anywhere on the camera body. My best guess is that Yashica was attempting to save on labor costs or import fees by doing so. By the way, the “H” before the serial number in this example may not indicate Hong Kong. It’s been reported that some cameras have been spotted with the “H” but engraved Japan. More investigation is needed.

Courtesy of Paul Sokk at http://www.yashicatlr.com

By 1986 Yashica stopped making the Yashica Mat 124G. Notice that at the top of this address list it says Kyocera Corporation vice Yashica. Yashica was acquired by Kyocera in 1983.

So, not a significant discovery but an interesting one to a Yashicaphile. Has anyone else spotted a Yashica with “Processed in Hong Kong” before? If you’ve had please share that info with me here or at ccphotographyai@gmail.com – Thanks, Chris

Our camera shop can be found at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa – 1951

May 14, 2020May 14, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A wonderful classic 35mm rangefinder camera made in Stuttgart by the Zeiss Ikon company in 1951. The Contax was for a time a strong competitor and innovator with the likes of Leica.

This lens shade is an A42 slip-on hood.

This brochure was printed in February 1954.

Outstanding features for its time. The date is the last 3 digits on the lower left side 2-54.

Zeiss Ikon AG Stuttgart A 42 1115 lens shade for the Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/ 1.5 50mm lens.

Only $2.50 originally back in April 1954.

Thanks for stopping by and if you’re looking for an underappreciated 35mm rangefinder with an awesome lens then give the Contax IIa and IIIa a try. – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

wordless wednesday

May 13, 2020May 14, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

IMG_20181227_0008

IMG_20170316_0008

IMG_20170316_0006

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Macro Monday – blossom

May 11, 2020May 11, 2020Chris and Carol 3 Comments

Playing amongst the blossoms from Mother’s Day.

DSCF8775

DSCF8768

DSCF8777 DSCF8779

A beautiful bouquet of flowers from our daughter Lindsay for Mother’s Day.

My Fujifilm FinePix S9900W handled the contrasty lighting well. Little or no post-production necessary. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Our camera shop is always open at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Happy SUNday! – Mother’s Day Memories

May 10, 2020May 10, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Chris and Mary

My mom and me at Jensen Beach, Florida in December 1976. Photo by Carol with my Yashica TL Electro X on Kodak Ektachrome color slide film. Always thinking of you especially on this day.

Have a beautiful and safe day everyone. 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.

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Author Chris and Carol

Early (very early) Canon F-1 Brochure – 1970

wordless wednesday

Yes!

Kyocera (Yashica) T from 1986

Another ‘Modern Classic’ as we like to call them. For Kyocera, this was the first fully branded Kyocera camera in the famous T* Series of point and shoot autofocus 35mm film cameras. The Yashica T which was made by Kyocera in 1985 was technically the first.

Happy SUNday! – Up is Down

Yashica in Hong Kong

It’s known that Yashica had a presence in Hong Kong very early on but the establishment of an actual factory in Hong Kong didn’t happen until around 1968. A friend of mine on Flickr has spotted a rather unique marking on the back of his Yashica Minister III which was released early 1966.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa – 1951

A wonderful classic 35mm rangefinder camera made in Stuttgart by the Zeiss Ikon company in 1951. The Contax was for a time a strong competitor and innovator with the likes of Leica.

wordless wednesday

Macro Monday – blossom

Playing amongst the blossoms from Mother’s Day.

Happy SUNday! – Mother’s Day Memories