Happy SUNday! – Holiday Weekend

July 2, 2023July 2, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The 4th of July weekend is well underway here on Amelia Island. The beaches are quite busy and as always, the City of Fernandina Beach is out in full force protecting our locals and tourists alike.

Image captured with my Kodak EasyShare CCD digicam.

The Kodak EasyShare Z1015 IS is a wonderful “mini-bridge” 10.1 MP digital camera that produces film-like images. It’s amazing just how nice these cameras are with CCD sensors. It’s available in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

What makes this camera a standout is the super sharp Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 28mm to 420mm 15x optical zoom lens. The camera stands head and shoulders above other CCD sensor cameras from that period. Shooting with a “vintage” digicam is a rewarding experience.

A 10.1-megapixel CCD sensor and HD video. It consistently captures the most life-like images.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the other cameras and photo gear in my shop at CC Design Studios at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Happy SUNday!

June 25, 2023June 25, 2023Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Unique Toyota pickup tailgate bench.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Yashica 35 M

June 11, 2023July 11, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

M for mysterious? Maybe not mysterious but missing. It’s not a camera that gets a lot of attention as it was dwarfed by the more popular Minister line. It was one of the first Yashica rangefinder cameras made with a built-in light meter (exposure meter) released at about the same time as the first Minister with the f/2.8 lens.

The exposure meter is located just behind the light gathering window (upper left). That’s what Yashica calls it in the instruction booklet. The meter is a selenium cell that is powered by light so no worries about needing a battery. BTW, the serial number on the booklet camera indicates it was made in January 1960. It’s been reported that the camera was released in June 1960. That’s a big gap even by Yashica’s standards.

The serial number on mine is M2101662 which decodes to October 1962.

The lens is what differentiates this model from the earlier Minister model. The Model M is fitted with a faster Yashinon f/1.9 4.5cm lens and a Copal SVL shutter with speeds from Bulb to 1/500.

In this image, the exposure meter indicates an ‘LVS’ setting of 14 at ASA 200. To set the proper exposure you’d simply turn the outer ring on the lens to match the LVS number and the camera would be properly set (see below).

LVS set to 12 would set the shutter to fire at 1/125 and the aperture at f/5.6.

It’s a fun camera to use as it’s about as old school as you can get. The lens is clean and clear, and the light meter works. It’s available in my camera shop CC Design Studios at http://www.ccstudio2380.com which is hosted by Etsy. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Happy SUNday!

June 4, 2023June 4, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Monster Macro!

Tomioka Macro Yashinon 60mm f/2.8 lens on my Fujifilm X-T2 mirrorless digital camera.

1:1 (life-size) macro of a small plant stem.

None finer. Tomioka Optical glass on a Fujifilm X-T2.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

A memory of mom – Happy SUNday!

May 14, 2023May 14, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Family trip to California and Nevada in December 1960. I’m pictured with my first camera which was a Christmas gift that year – Kodak Brownie Flashmite 20 which used 620 roll film (it’s still available today). I’ve long ago “lost” the camera somewhere in time. BTW, this image was taken by my dad with his Polaroid 110 Pathfinder camera (1953) which I still proudly own.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Thanks for stopping by, Chris
P.S. I had just turned 7 in November.

1960 in Las Vegas – Kodak Brownie Flashmite 20 – my first camera.

Have a wonderful day, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Happy SUNday! – rare Yashica collectible

April 30, 2023April 30, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’m always on the chase for unique Yashica collectible items especially if it’s one of the ‘Yashica Sailor Boys’ – in this case, it’s the rare football version of the little guy. It’s made by Modern Plastics of Japan but in this case, I’m not sure of exactly when (later than 1962). He rarely comes up at auction and in this case, he’s also in excellent condition.

The ‘Sailor Boy’ in football gear. The number 35 is in reference to a 35mm camera as part of a promotion.

The guy on the left was made to promote the release of the Yashica 5 Star Auto Focus 35mm camera and the guy on the right is the original 1962 version.

1981 promo for the Yashica 5 Star Auto Focus 35mm camera. The ‘Sailor Boy’ has been reimagined as Wee Willie Winkie telling the world about his new camera (no, really LOL).

Yashica in Katakana characters on his hat.

Hope I’m the winning bidder but I’m afraid he’s so rare that vinyl figurine and toy collectors will bid past my budget. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

wordless wednesday

April 19, 2023April 19, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Happy SUNday! – Mamiya TLRs

April 16, 2023April 16, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A few snips from a Mamiya brochure dated June 1985. If you’ve ever considered getting into medium-format photography then I highly recommend checking out the cameras offered by Mamiya – my personal favorite is the Mamiya C33.

Although I’m a big fan of Yashica’s TLRs they lack the one thing that the Mamiyas can do – interchangeable lenses!

The C220 is the slightly less expensive cousin to the very capable C330.

Great shot! So 1980s! I love the Honda motorcycle thrown in for detail and depth.

Often the C220 can be found for far less than the C330 making it the better choice. However, a well-maintained Yashica EM or Yashica D can deliver medium-format photographers a better value over the bigger and generally more expensive Mamiyas.

My Mamiya C33. It’s built like a tank and weighs only slightly less (just kidding). Don’t overlook this model when chasing a solid medium-format (6×6 cm) film camera (also known as 2 1/4 x 2 1/4) that uses 120 roll films. This one was made in June 1969.

Shown with Mamiya-Sekor f3.5 105mm lenses. Seiko shutter up to 1/500th of a second. Unique bellows for a TLR, the 105mm lens had a close focus of about 16 inches with the bellows fully extended.

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

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Happy SUNday! – another addition to the trove of Yashica collectibles

April 9, 2023April 9, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

As received from a collector in Singapore. He’ll get a bit of cleaning soon although he’s not that grungy now.

This was a dealer display model – about 8 inches tall. The green shoe version was not as common as the red shoe variety. Not sure why some were made with green shoes… preferred dealer? The green shoe guys also had a slightly different eyelash style, little to no red on the cheeks, and a star painted on the left eye vice a white dot.
Made in Japan by Modern Plastics in 1962

My original dealer display model with the more common red shoes. The Yashica sticker on his hat alternates from ‘YASHICA’ and ヤシア (Yashica in katakana) to nothing.

The 4-inch version is shown here with ‘YASHICA’ in katakana characters.

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

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Happy SUNday! – the new kid on the block

April 2, 2023April 2, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve been searching for this version (with ‘Yashica’ written in katakana ヤシカ on his hat) of Yashica’s advertising figurine for quite some time I finally came across one the other day on eBay. The original ‘mascots’ were made in Japan by Modern plastics in 1962 and were made in many versions from large dealer-sized display models all the way down to this 10 cm guy.

Before. After 60-plus years he’d become a bit grungy.

Better. After a good scrub, he’s looking a bit more presentable.

Although the figurine cleaned up nicely I haven’t been able to get the edges of the sticker on his hat to come clean. I’m reluctant to go at it for fear of dislodging the sticker or removing some of the colors.

Large 30 cm dealer display model that was found still new in the factory box. The larger models had slightly different eyelash designs.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Category Happy SUNday

Happy SUNday! – Holiday Weekend

Happy SUNday!

Yashica 35 M

Happy SUNday!

A memory of mom – Happy SUNday!

Happy SUNday! – rare Yashica collectible

wordless wednesday

Happy SUNday! – Mamiya TLRs

Happy SUNday! – another addition to the trove of Yashica collectibles

Happy SUNday! – the new kid on the block