1975 – an important year for Yashica

February 11, 2022February 11, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A dream collection of Yashica cameras – if only it was 1975 again! This photo is from the Yashica publication intended for US camera dealers and represents only a small portion of what was available from Yashica in 1975. Conspicuous in its absence is the flagship TL Electro-X ITS with its distinctive gold electron logo on the pentaprism.

From ‘Yashica A New Horizon’ – 1975 marketing brochure. If you look closely at the copy stand in the area just below the bulb on the right you can just make out a piece of black tape. On my copy stand, it says Yashica and since Contax didn’t make one (at the time of this image) they just covered up the Yashica name.
How cool would it be to own everything pictured?

My good friend Graham Buxton-Smither had this to say about the Contax image above – “It was an aspirational piccie back in the late 1970s – one could only dream about owning such gear – even more so when you added the Zeiss lens range. You are absolutely right about the copy stand – it’s Yashica’s Cope Stand II. Two other Yashica items are shown – the Microscope Adapter and the Magnifier. All is not as it seems with other gear too! The motor drive/250 back is the one later used by Olympus with the OM1n; the hammer-head flash is a lower-powered National, quite unlike the RTF540; the bellows is simply a basic Novoflex rebranded (the Contax Auto Bellows is far superior with swing/tilt), and the radio control kit is nothing like the actual one eventually produced under the Contax name. It’s still a great piccie though! I’m adding a photo to the Yashica Group showing the ML 55 2.8 + 27mm Tube on a Contax RTS Fundus that shows the true Contax 250 back and drive.” I’ve included an image of Graham’s Contax that he mentions above (see below).

This shows the ML 55 2.8 in 1:1 macro mode using Yashica’s 27mm Extension Tube. It’s attached to my lab kit – a Contax RTS Fundus with the Professional Motor Drive and 250 Back. I often use it with the AC Control Box when observing an item over extended periods of days or weeks.

If you’d like to visit Graham’s Flickr site which is just like visiting a Yashica and Contax museum you can find him at https://www.flickr.com/photos/164456136@N06/

Thank you for stopping by and hopefully, I’ve piqued your curiosity a bit! – 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.

Contax RTS by Fujifilm X-A10

July 29, 2021July 29, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I haven’t used my Fujifilm X-A10 mirrorless camera in a bit so tonight I thought I would dust it off (only an expression as I keep my gear clean) and try some new settings. The lens is a Super EBC XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS II model which I believe is considered a kit lens. I did buy the body and lens separate though. It’s about the most inexpensive way to experience the Fujifilm X Series without breaking the bank. You can check it out in greater detail here.

My subject of the day is my recently acquired Contax RTS with it’s sexy new leather half-case from TP Original, color is “volcano”.

PROVIA film simulation mode, shallow depth of field, 5600K studio lighting.

Shallow depth of field (again) focused on the from of the Yashica lens. Black & White film simulation mode, 5600K studio lighting.

I use the Fujifilm mostly for testing vintage lenses by using the appropriate adapters to mount the lens to the mirrorless camera body.

Here’s my Canon FD 28mm f3.5 lens mounted to the Fujifilm X-A10 using an adapter from Fotodiox.

Since I take lots of images for my listings in my camera shop I believe I’ll go back to using this camera and take a break from the camera I normally use. (Fujifilm FinePix S9900W)

Final image. This time I focused on the CONTAX logo and the shallow depth of field throws off the focus on the front of the lens and the RTS. Maybe only the “TAX” is in true focus.

If you’re looking for a simple and potentially inexpensive mirrorless body than I highly recommend this camera from Fujifilm.

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.

All dressed and ready to go! – Contax RTS

July 20, 2021July 20, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The finishing touch. A custom real leather half-case from TP Original. I purchased mine through Martin Duke Shop on Etsy. The quality of the materials and craftmanship is outstanding. The color is volcano.

Nice sized leather case adds a good layer of protection.

From TP Original, custom made leather half-case. It comes with two tripod mount retainer screws too.

I like shooting with a half-case installed on the camera. It gives me just the right amount of additional grip and provides a nice protective layer to prevent damage. The bottom is perfectly flat and the little bump out helps to balance the body better with a normal or wide angle lens attached.

Contax RTS – an old dog gets new life

July 19, 2021July 19, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Contax RTS (Real Time System) 35mm SLR camera with its new “skins”. These cameras which were first released back in 1975 are notorious for shedding their original factory applied coverings. If you search online selling sites you’ll find plenty of these cameras for sale but very few have their leatherette covers still attached as they tend to peel away from the metal bodies and shrink (dry out) over time. The good news is that the old coverings are a breeze to remove and there’s a wide selection of aftermarket replacement options to choose from. Black is no longer the only color as bold colors like red, blue, and even green have become popular and textures like lizard skin to well, whatever you think you may like. I wanted to stay with the more traditional look and feel so I went with recycled leather from Hugo Studio’s Custom Camera Covers (hugostudio.com).

The previous owner of my RTS had attempted to reattach the original leatherette with some type of contact adhesive but even that failed over time. Yashica’s choice of coverings just didn’t stand the test of time no matter how they were reattached.

While waiting for the new coverings to arrive I added a new to me Yashica ML 50mm f1.7 lens which I was able to chase down in near mint condition. I went with the Yashica made (likely Tomioka-Zeiss) f1.7 based solely on cost. The original Carl Zeiss designed glass for the RTS is way out of my comfort zone pricewise so I went with what I know. Besides, both lenses were made in Japan probably on the same factory line by Yashica anyway.

This would be the standard lens that would have been on the RTS. Here is an empty box that I found for sale on an auction site with everything but the lens. A nice find for any serious collector (and if I had the lens I would buy this in a second).

Here’s a nice Zeiss lens kit that sold recently from a seller in Japan for around $280.

So there it is. Recovered and looking much better. Now to recover the data back so everything matches.

Contax Data Back for the original RTS with it’s slightly detached leatherette.

Contax RTS Data Back

July 7, 2021July 7, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I like collecting data backs for my 1970s 35mm SLR cameras because they were such a hot item when new. The idea of recording information on your image was kind of a novel idea back then and adding the date the image was taken could be useful. Do you want to know how many images I took back then with the date imprinted? Zero. Back in the 1970s and ’80s data backs were really expensive and money spent on one could be better spent on another lens or a year’s worth of film. But they’re fun to collect now and I have one for my Canon F-1, Canon A-1 and I had one for a Canon T-70 that I owned.

I thought adding a Contax Data Back for my RTS would add to its classic look. Notice that the first year that could be imprinted was 1975 and on this model of the data back it went up to 1993.

The good news is that this data back is fully working. It takes the same battery as the camera which is handy (A544 6V).

The back is covered in the same material as the RTS body which means it’s slowly peeling off just like 99% of all the rest. I may try and save the skin on this one since it’s only lifting around the Contax label ATM.

I imagine quite a bit of engineering went into designing these backs which explains why they were so expensive when new. This one came with its original box but no instruction booklet. Time to chase one down.

The data back pictured here will only work on the original RTS and not the RTS II or III. The Yashica branded back for the FR is very close in design but it’s not interchangeable with the Contax.

Contax RTS – getting it right

July 4, 2021July 7, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My recently acquired RTS stripped of its faulty skins. It’s a blank canvas and I like the look for now. The mirror is locked in the up position (the little lever to the right of the lens mount).

This scan (below) is from a Yashica marketing brochure from early 1975. There’s been so much misinformation about the origins of the RTS that I thought it would be best to go to the source to get the facts straight.

Lots of flowing marketing speak in there but it delivers with no uncertainties who did what and why. The when isn’t mentioned but many of the pictures inside this brochure are from mid 1974 based on the cameras, lenses, and accessories pictured (not just the RTS stuff). It’s generally believed that the initial talks between Yashica and Zeiss started as early as 1971. I might mention that this was an extremely challenging time financially and structurally for Yashica with some accounting and management issues reported in the global press which led to a bit of a scandal of epic proportions for Yashica’s founder(s).

Some of these accessories weren’t fully developed at the time this brochure was published and I’m far from being an expert on which lens was or was not available. I’ve never looked closely at the Carl Zeiss lens line developed for and with Yashica.

Contax RTS Real Time System.

the Ugly Duckling

July 3, 2021July 3, 2021Chris and Carol 4 Comments

It isn’t a great way to start off a post about one of your cameras, but it’s appropriate. Especially a camera that I’ve been chasing for a long time and had an interest in since the late 1970s. My first 35mm SLR was a Yashica TL Electro X (purchased new in 1972) with an Auto Yashinon 50mm f1.7 M42 lens (screw mount). I loved that camera but wasn’t a fan of having to screw-in the lenses whenever I wanted to change focal lengths. I saw other photographers quickly attach and detach their lenses quickly (Canon, Nikon) and wanted a new camera that could do the same. But Yashica in 1977 wasn’t sexy enough sitting alongside the other SLRs for sale in the Navy Exchange store in Yokosuka, Japan. The Canon, Nikon, and Minolta reps were better prepared than the Yashica guy to present their products to cash flush Sailors looking to spend their hard earned dollars on new cameras, stereos, and watches. I vaguely remember looking at the then still new Yashica-Contax RTS in the Exchange catalog but wasn’t captured by its specs or looks. The Yashica FR and FR I versions didn’t capture my attention either. By this time I only wanted to get my hands of the Canon F-1 and Canon FD lenses not to mention all of the goodies you could add on to the F-1 (motor drives, a winder, finders, data backs…). So when I got to the store I didn’t even pick up the RTS.

Fast forward to the present and that RTS I didn’t think of much way back then I just purchased 44 years later. I want to see if the Contax RTS is a worthy camera that I missed out on or did I make the right choice. I still own that F-1 I purchased in 1978 and it’s held up beautifully over the years and followed me around the world.

Almost all present day RTS bodies share a common trait – peeling leatherette (or whatever that stuff was). A quick look at the online selling sites will show that it’s a rare camera that has complete original coverings and if it does look good and well attached then there’s a good likelihood it’s been replaced by aftermarket skins (I have some ordered).

My new to me RTS peeling skins and all. Most importantly, it works. Being an all electronic camera if something goes wrong it’s a paperweight. It uses the still easy to find A544 6V alkaline battery to power everything.

Not only does the leatherette peel away from the metal body but it dries out and shrinks a bit too which makes it nearly impossible to simply dab some glue behind the upturned edges.

It was super easy to peel away the covering on the film door – my guess is that it’s been reattached at some point before with contact adhesive. I cleaned any residual adhesive from the camera with isopropyl alcohol (70%) and some Q-tips and a rag.

Stay with me on this series of posts as I bring this ugly duckling back to life (appearance wise) and put it through some actual film tests. But first, I need to find a lens for it that won’t break the bank. The Carl Zeiss lenses designed to compliment this model are way over my paygrade so I’ll turn to the less expensive and maybe equally competent Yashica ML lenses in the C/Y mount. I have a sharp ML 50mm f1.7 on the way. BTW, RTS stands for Real Time System.