A timeless classic from Yashica.

January 19, 2025January 19, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica 35

Yashica’s first 35mm camera was made from April 1958 to December 1960.
New evidence indicates that the Yashica 35 had a longer run than previously reported. The first units rolled off the line in April 1958, and the last in December 1960. This camera may be one of the last made – its serial number shows it to be a December 1960 model, which was the 1,150th of that month.
The lens is a Tomioka-made f/1.9, 4.5cm, with a Copal MKV-SV shutter. The build quality and sharpness of the lens are exceptional.

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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. Copyright © 2015-2025 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan. All rights reserved.

Petri Penta V – a classic or ugly duckling?

January 18, 2025January 18, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I know Petri has made several different camera models over the years, some of which I absolutely love and others, like this one, that I dislike. Is it a classic, or has it not aged well? It was released in 1969, so at that time, early SLRs weren’t especially stunners compared to the more refined models of the later 1960s. That said, I think the Asahi Pentax H2 from 1959 is one of the best-designed cameras from that era. The Nikon F is a stunning camera, but I dislike removing the base plate to load and unload film.

I admit, it would look better with a lens. Without a lens, it looks like a plumbing fixture.

A previous owner added the leatherette on the pentaprism, hiding the serial number. Does this add to or subtract from the camera’s appearance?

The tripod mount screw is moved forward under the lens mount; otherwise, it’s a simple base plate.

Here are my Asahi Pentax H2 from 1959 and my Yashica Pentamatic ’35’ from 1960 as a comparison.

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What a deal!

January 12, 2025January 12, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The hyper-rare Zunow 35mm SLR from around 1958.

All kidding aside, this is an extremely rare camera built by Zunow Optical in the late 1950s. Only a few production models made it into the marketplace. Mostly non-working examples exist today and few ever come up for sale.

The Yashica Pentamatic ’35’ looks a bit like it. The Pentamatic was released in early 1960 but was designed in 1959 as a joint venture with Nicca and Yashica’s designers.

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Canon and Nikon Classics

January 11, 2025January 11, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Which camp are you?

Can the Canon be considered a compact camera?

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Yashica Pentamatic Lenses

January 9, 2025January 9, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica Pentamatic ’35’

We recently acquired this lens for our Yashica Pentamatic collection. Why is it important? It’s a great find because it’s the first time we’ve encountered a lens with a lower serial number than one pictured in an advertisement (in this case, the first-ever ad for the Pentamatic, June 1960). We know it is total nerd stuff, but that’s what makes collecting fun.

The lens was made for Yashica by Tomioka Optical, which at the time made about 90% of all their lenses (TLR, SLR, RF, and Cine).

The lens serial number decodes 59 = 1959, 10 = OCT, and 0092, the 92nd lens made since production started.

In the second image, the other lens was made in December and was the 1,630th made. Tomioka was busy producing these lenses long before Yashica released the Pentamatic in March 1960. The first Pentamatic bodies were made in January.

The third image shows an early Yashica Tominon Super Yashinon-R f/2.8 3.5cm wide-angle lens SN 350246. The date code was dropped in favor of a simpler code: 35 = 35 mm, and 0246 is the sequence number since the start of production.

The ad shows a lens with a higher production number than the lens we own. 92 indicates it was made in the first batch of 100 lenses.

The October lens is on the left and the December lens is on the right. No November lenses were made.

From an early batch of wide-angle lenses from Tomioka Optical. This one is number 246.

A fast lens from Tomioka. The f/1.2 55mm lens which was made much later in the M42 screw mount.

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camera porn – sexy stuff

January 7, 2025January 7, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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Asahi Pentax SL ‘Super Set’

January 6, 2025January 6, 2025Chris and Carol 1 Comment

Asahi Pentax SL Set
Super-Takumar f/1.8 55mm Lens
Asahi Pentax Metal Hood
Asahi Pentax Filter and Accessory Clip
Asahi Pentax SL Operating Manual
It’s been professionally serviced and looks and operates like new.

My beautiful set is from about 1969-1972. The instruction book is dated September 1969.

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Have I crossed a line? (answer below)

January 3, 2025January 3, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

As part of my New Year goal setting, I decided to round up my Canon F-1 cameras to do an inventory check and photograph them all together. After editing my pictures, I “found” another unaccounted-for F-1 and a box! Here is the family. On the upper left is my original F-1, which I purchased in Japan in the summer of 1978 (without the motor drive). The others evolved over the years with the green F-1, my latest acquisition (I hope).