My good friend Paul Sokk from Australia has an absolutely awesome Yashica site that covers pretty much everything Yashica has made since day one (1953). Check out this recently updated section about Yashica’s 35mm SLR cameras. http://www.yashicatlr.com/Pentamatic.html#pentaj
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to tell Paul hello! – Chris
My good friend Paul Sokk (www.yashicatlr.com) asked me this just yesterday and I vaguely remembered writing something about it after finding a definition from Yashica.
Probably Yashica’s most famous ‘electron’ camera the TL Electro-X ITS.Yashica wasn’t alone in its use of the symbol. According to Paul it likely started with the Seiko ES shutter on a Minolta Electro Shot 35 camera and since then it was used for the most part to identify cameras with electronically controlled or timed shutters.Here’s a snip of a brochure in my collection (mid-1970s) that presents Yashica’s definition of the symbol.Looks like something Doc would have liked from Back to the Future.
BTW, I’m pretty sure but with no proof from Yashica that ‘ITS’ meant ‘Integrated Technology System’ or something along those lines. The gang at Yashica never bothered to define it officially in a brochure or user manual. I like ‘It’s The Same’ as Paul reminded me of in an email recently.
Thanks for stopping by! – 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.
Regular readers know that the main focus of my collection has been centered around cameras made by Yashica. I have collected quite a few examples going back to their 1953 origins. This particular series caught my fancy a few years back when I was lucky enough to find a pristine Yashica J-3 in a pro-black finish with a matching lens. When it comes to chasing classic cameras, the J-3 in black and in pristine condition is no easy task. Here are a few images of what I’ve put together so far.
Chasing these guys has been fun, to say the least. It’s not that any one of these is rare in the true sense of the word but finding pristine examples has been the tough part.As best as I can tell, the J-7 wasn’t the last one produced in the series as the J-4 came out just a bit later.The black J-3 was never mentioned in any brochure which was odd considering it was Yashica’s first all-black SLR and was produced in limited numbers.Since the cameras from Yashica were never meant to be of interest to collectors very few survive to this day in mint and better condition. The little circle on the camera’s left side front is the CdS exposure meter. These cameras did not feature TTL (thru-the-lens metering).
If you decide to collect this series you’ll find a very nice assortment of lenses to choose from as Yashica produced thousands over the years. The body accepts m42 screw-in lenses which for a time was one of the most widespread lenses made.
Here is what a complete in-the-box set looks like for the silver J-3 from around 1962.
As always thanks for stopping by – I hope I’ve shed sufficient light on this often overlooked series from Yashica. Maybe a few of you would enjoy the chase in pursuit of these mid-1960s gems. – 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.
Back in 1956, the classic Japanese sci-fi monster movie Rodan was released in color to wide acclaim. In the Japanese original Rodan was Radon (Original title: Sora no daikaijû Radon).
Something that I’ve always liked doing is whenever a camera is used in an older movie I like to see if I can tell which model or at least the brand of the camera that’s depicted. Obviously cameras sometimes just flash across the screen as they are usually just props used to enhance the story so it can be very difficult to identify the camera beyond the basics (TLR, SLR, rangefinder). In this movie at about the 41:15 mark, the young newlywed is about to take his bride’s picture while touring an active volcano. He’s clearly using a Yashima YashicaFlex Model C twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera when he sees Rodan fly towards them. In horror, he runs away while throwing the camera to the ground.
Screen capture of the YashicaFlex after hitting the ground.
The YashicaFlex Model C was produced between September 1955 and June 1957 making it a good choice for this then high-budget flick (it was the first monster movie from this famous studio to be filmed in color). I wonder if Yashima (Yashica) paid for product placement?
Another camera I’ve spotted in a movie is the Calypso (later Nikonos) camera Bond gives Domino in the classic Thunderball (1965). The camera apparently takes underwater shots and has a built-in Geiger counter! From my IMDb contribution to “goofs” – “When Q hands Bond the underwater camera and tells him it takes 8 shots by pressing a button, the camera is plainly seen as a black Calypso 35mm camera with has black gaffers tape covering the name across the bottom. Later while onboard the yacht, Domino is seen with the camera as she walks in the passageway while using it as a Geiger counter. The camera falls to the deck when Largo confronts her and the lens is seen popping off. We hear the sounds of the counter and see some type of gadget inside just behind where the lens was. When she bends down and picks it up, Largo takes it from her and the camera is briefly seen with the silver lens re-attached”. Another camera in a movie is the Exakta VX 35mm SLR Jimmy Stewart uses in the Hickcock thriller Rear Window (1954).
Thanks for stopping by! Do you have a favorite movie where a camera plays a part? Let me know in the comments. Thanks.
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.
The exciting first look (in print) of the Pentamatic…
First official appearance of the Pentamatic occurs in the May 1960 issue of Modern Photography magazine. In the June 1960 issues of Modern Photography, U. S. Camera and Popular Photography, the first full-page ads appeared for the Pentamatic ’35’ reflex camera. The actual release date in the United States has almost always been considered by many to be March of 1960.
As of yet, I haven’t found evidence in print to support the March date. I do know that the Pentamatic was shown at the 36th annual ‘Master Photo DeaIers & Finishers Association’ trade show (MPDFA) held in St. Louis from March 21-25, 1960. I don’t know if the Pentamatic was released in Japan at an earlier date. From the progression of the serial numbers, by March 1960, about 1,500 cameras had been produced since production began in December 1959 at the Yashica Suwa factory. I doubt that there were enough cameras by March to support any widespread release in Japan or in Asia at that time. By June 1960, about 6,000 cameras had been built. There may have been enough to ship to the world markets starting in April and May. At their peak of production (summer 1960), it looks like Yashica was rolling out about 1,200 to 1,400 cameras each month.
Have a “Camera Holiday” in Japan. May 1960 magazine ad.
Part two of the “Camera Holiday” in Japan promotion. Very nice mention of Yashica’s factory in Suwa and the wonders of Japan!
Yashica provided this first ever look at their new Pentamatic SLR at the March 1960 MPDFA trade show in St. Louis.
First published look at the new Pentamatic from Yashica. May 1960
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.
A very rare, no let me say, ultra rare Zunow camera and lens set is for sale via an online auction in Japan. The Zunow was made in extremely limited numbers in 1959 and few remain this complete in the present collector world. Yashica’s first 35mm SLR was designed in early to mid-1959 shortly after Yashica acquired Nicca camera in 1958. The Yashica Pentamatic ’35’ started production in December 1959 with the first units reaching the US market in the Spring of 1960. The Pentamatic and the Zunow share some similar DNA as Yashica purchased lenses from Zunow (mostly cine lenses) and they were for a time dual branded.
Not often seen together original box, lens cap, case with strap, camera body and lens.Beautiful together.Here’s a snip of a completed auction for just the brochure.Here’s my first Pentamatic ’35’ with a super-rare Tominon and Yashica branded wide-angle lens.
Looking at the Zunow and the Pentamatic it’s not hard to let your imagination run wild that maybe Zunow, Nicca, and Yashica all shared some design features with one another over a drink or two at a local bar on the outskirts of Tokyo.
This could be another sales brochure or brochure and instruction booklet combination.Zunow and Yashica branded box for an 8mm cine camera lens.An advertisement for a rare dual offering from a well-known Japanese camera dealer a few years back.
With the back cover removed full 1960s hi-tech is on display. The western looking “Y” was Yashica’s logo during this period. I believe it’s stamped on the back of the speaker.
Yashica Model YT-300 Transistor Radio
Yashica even put their name on the battery connector cap.Inside the back cover. In addition to making great cameras, Yashica also made some electronic devices such as movie projectors and editors, radios, tape recorders, and even a record player!The radio with it’s original goodies still intact. It’s a gorgeous piece of electronics that does not power up. I would love to get it fixed if it is even fixable.
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.
Yashica produced more than just cameras during its boom years. As a leader in the field of electronic photography in the middle to late 1960s, Yashica’s early electronic devices ranged from such diverse items as transistor radios, record players, movie projectors, editing equipment and tape recorders to name but a few.
Most of the earliest electronic devices are rather rare now (as one would expect after 50 years) and only occasionally does something come up in auctions both on the web and in estate sales. I suspect that the more common electrical items such as projectors and editing equipment are still flooding eBay and other on-line auction sites.
Finding an early radio such as the YT-300 and YT-100 is a bit harder. Here we share some of what we’ve been able to collect over the years.
We enjoy collecting and sharing our Yashica cameras with our readers, especially if they tend to be a little hard to find and in such outstanding condition. I say this is hard to find just because not many were made at Yashica’s new factory in Hong Kong during 1973. As the saying goes, this was assembled in Hong Kong from parts made in Japan.
There’s really no difference between the models assembled in Hong Kong from the ones made in Japan that we’ve been able to detect. In our experience the fit and finish is the same with no known issues particular to the HK model. In fact, the HK models that we’ve owned seem to be in excellent condition overall with exceptionally nice satin chrome surfaces that hold up well over the years.
Typically ‘JAPAN’ would be on the top plate next to the serial number but on these models ‘HONG KONG’ is on the bottom.The serial number is easy to decode. 3 = 1973, 10 = Oct, 01219 = the number built up to this point for that month.
The lens on this beauty is a fast and sharp Auto Yashinon DS-M 50mm f1.4 made for Yashica by the recently acquired Tomioka Optical. All Yashica camera bodies use M42 screw mount lenses up to the C/Y mount cameras made much later.
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.
Those of you who follow this blog know that our main collecting passion lies with most everything from Yashica. The Yashica TL Electro X was my first 35mm SLR and since then my collection of all things Yashica has grown substantially.
On the left is the original Yashica Sailor Boy (1962) – to the right is the Wee Willie Winkie version from around 1966 or so. Yashica has never officially named these guys so we’re assigning them names just to make identification easier.
Recently this version popped up for sale in Japan and although we didn’t purchase him I’d like to at least show another side of this collectible figurine.
All three of these versions were made in Japan by Modern Plastics during the 1960s. The football guy wearing number 35 was more than likely promoting Yashica’s line of 35mm cameras but little else is know about him. He is…
Not a bad price for such a sophisticated…
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 
