Beautiful Yashica A III Set – 1959

September 20, 2022September 20, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve decided to part with my rather rare Yashica A III camera set. The A III was the last model ‘A’ that Yashica produced in that line and this one was only made between April 1959 to August 1960 with release mostly in Japan and later in Europe in very limited numbers.

This camera was made in November 1959 and features light dove gray leatherette over dark gray metal and it came with a light gray leather case. Everything about this camera is unique, especially the instruction booklet (English gent in the bowler). The booklet is over 80 pages in length and it goes way beyond giving instruction in the operation of the model A III. It includes (in English) a brief history of the beginnings of the company and the founder. I’ve never seen another copy of this booklet in all of my years of collecting Yashica products.

Gray on gray. The gray leatherette is clean and stain and discoloration free.

The camera operates as it should and the optics are clean, clear, and sharp. I believe that the camera has been on display in a collection for a long time before I acquired it. The original box is in outstanding condition and unlike most boxes from that period, it is super clean and still solid. That in itself is a rare find. The gray leather case is also a rare find as it is also still in excellent condition. All of the stitching is in place and the leather is subtle and clean.

The original leather case has done an excellent job of protecting this wonderful camera.

If you are interested in purchasing my camera set I have it in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com or we can make arrangements to purchase it through this blog and PayPal. As always, thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

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.

A Yashica A III and its ‘hat’…

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

I’m a sucker for a classic camera that looks like it was in a museum its whole life and still works like new (who wouldn’t?). I especially love vintage cameras that have some if not all of their original marketing bits and pieces. Here is a perfect example of why I collect and chase classic cameras.

This terrific little eye-catcher is affectionately known as a ‘hat’. That piece of paperboard that’s sitting on top of my Yashica A III. When you went into a camera shop back in the day, there were dozens of shiney new cameras wanting to catch your eye. One way to do so was to plop a hat on your camera to make it stand out and communicate something in the briefest of glances.

Nothing Earth-shaking but enough to tell you something without asking the salesperson anything. The price, some shutter specs, and of course, the type of lens. A nice leather case for another 800 yen. I’ve had a few of these hats from Yashica in my collection and they never fail to put a smile on my face (I know, I’m easily entertained). Thanks for stopping by. Have you seen a similar thing on another brand’s TLR? If so, let me know, or better yet share a pic. Chris

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Yashica J-P

September 14, 2022September 14, 2022Chris and Carol 3 Comments

A little gem from 1964.

The “not often seen” category applies to this Yashica SLR from late 1964 through 1965. Actually came out about the same time as the Yashica J-5.

The J-P was a back-in-time camera from Yashica… while the J-5 was drawing rave reviews from the press and the public for some of its advanced features, Yashica decided to bring back a stripped-down 35mm. No built-in exposure meter… a focal plane shutter with a top speed of only 1/500… no attached cold shoe or hot shoe and they took away the ASA/Din dial.

On this model, they (Yashica or another distributor) further added a rather primitive 5cm f/ 2.8 preset lens of extremely small size. The result was a lightweight 35mm SLR with a price point of around the $120 to maybe $140 price range? Not sure that this combination of body and lens did not show up in any sales brochure of that era. Could have been, with discounts, at or below $100!!!

We were lucky enough to add this mint condition J-P with the odd little lens to our collection. We’ve seen enough of them on various sites to believe that Yashica did in fact mate these two together although it may have been a regional thing and the possibility that one of Yashica’s trading companies put the set together.

We will continue to search and hopefully, we’ll run across a complete set in its original box. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris and Carol

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

wordless (almost) wednesday

September 7, 2022September 7, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

A pair of cameras from Nicca

August 22, 2022August 22, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Nicca 3-F (1957) and a Nicca 3-S (1955) in this studio image from 2017.

If you’re looking to get into 35mm photography and you don’t want to go the Leica route then a well-made camera from Nicca is the way to go. Often gems like these can be found at a fraction of the price of a Leica from the same period and in my opinion, a Nicca is as good or better than the camera that inspired them. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

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Fun with Fuji’s K-28 “Construction Camera”

June 20, 2022June 20, 2022Chris and Carol 5 Comments

Here is another look at this unique and not often seen camera.

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Here’s a camera you don’t see often – maybe never – Fuji Photo Film Japan’s Fuji K-28. A waterproof and dust/dirtproof 35mm compact camera. Designed for rugged use like on a jobsite or in the rain. All of the controls are sealed against the elements via tight fitting rubber gaskets and secure latching systems.

The camera gets its power from 2 AA LR6 alkaline manganese batteries. Here’s an interesting note from Fujifilm Japan:

Apologies and Requests
Fujifilm “Construction Camera” For Customers

By the way, when the capacity of the batteries is not complete (for example, when new alkaline batteries are used with used alkaline batteries) in part of “construction camera” we sell at this time. It is extremely rare that hydrogen gas is sometimes released from the battery, the gas mixes with the air inside the camera, and it turned out that there was a possibility that the back cover…

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Happy SUNday! – cameras no longer in my collection

June 19, 2022June 19, 2022Chris and Carol 5 Comments

All of these were either sold or listed in my camera shop back in July 2018. Part of the fun of collecting is getting to pass along cameras that you’ve enjoyed owning.

Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35 from 1987. It’s waterproof to 5 meters.

Minox ‘Spy Camera’.

Canon II F

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Mamiya-Sekor Lens Case

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

Hi all! I have another nice lens case to pass along. This one is from 1956/7 and it was designed to fit the Mamiya-Sekor 180mm f4.5 TLR lens for the Mamiaflex. These cases are not easy to find this nice from this period.

Of course, it will hold other Mamiya-Sekor TLR lenses like the 55, 65, 80, 105, and 180 mm. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Happy SUNday! – Mamiya first pics

May 29, 2022May 29, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My new to me Mamiya C33 has been a joy to use. It’s everything I expected it to be and more. Here are a few pics from my first roll of film (Fujicolor PRO 400H). These are medium resolution scans from the lab and they’ve been kindly enhanced by my good friend Paul Sokk (www.yashicatlr.com) since I don’t have a decent photo editing program. Having said that, these images are presented uncropped in their original 6 x 6 cm format.

My Mamiya C33 (1969) with Mamiya-Sekor f3.5 105mm lenses and Seiko shutter. The top lens is the viewing lens and the bottom is the taking lens. Mamiya “matches” the lenses (maybe from the same batch).

Mamiya TLRs feature the ability to interchange lenses from 55mm to 250mm.

A snip from the Mamiya C33 instruction booklet dated from 1969.

Not an exciting pic but it does show the exposed roll neatly tucked into the upper film chamber. The new roll of 120 film is loaded into the bottom chamber. Of note, the Mamiya C series features a direct and flat film path across the pressure plate.

I’m very happy that the camera is in excellent working condition and that the lenses are crystal clear. All 12 exposures came out so I hadn’t forgotten how to use a light meter. I’ll scan the negatives myself once I get them from the lab and post those scans here. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

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

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Category Chasing Classic Cameras

Beautiful Yashica A III Set – 1959

A Yashica A III and its ‘hat’…

Yashica J-P

wordless (almost) wednesday

A pair of cameras from Nicca

Fun with Fuji’s K-28 “Construction Camera”

Apologies and Requests
Fujifilm “Construction Camera” For Customers

Happy SUNday! – cameras no longer in my collection

Mamiya-Sekor Lens Case

Happy SUNday! – Mamiya first pics

Yashica Tominon Lens – a hard one to chase

Apologies and Requests Fujifilm “Construction Camera” For Customers

Apologies and Requests
Fujifilm “Construction Camera” For Customers