We’re always on the lookout for some “new” Yashica sales brochures and catalogs. As some of you may know from past postings, Yashica was not a big fan of dating the various publications it produced. Every now and then they would “hide” a date code but not very often. So here is a small sample of our recent acquisitions…

From September of 1969.

Date code ‘909’ decodes to September 1969.

Beautiful brochure from October 1970. The Yashica Mat-124 was at the end of its production.

Back page of the TLR brochure with a close-up of the date code (010E6). Decodes to October 1970.

Some very nice Yashica tripods from the 1960s. We have the first one (on the left) the ST-1.

Of course no new collection of Yashica brochures would be complete without a TL Electro X image. From March 1970.

So there is a small sample of the latest brochures. All are in original mint condition… just as they were printed in Japan by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Tokyo.

Please share any comments and of course if you have an interesting Yashica brochure let us know! We’d love to see it!

Thank you… C & C

We recently came across this sales brochure (catalog actually) for Fujifilm. Straight from Japan (Kanagawa Prefecture) to our blog! Hard to date some of these brochures as they almost never had dates or even some type of a date code. Our guess on this one would be 1955 or so based on the design of the film boxes. We could be wrong so please correct us if we are.

“Cute” ad from Fuji Film. Along the same lines as the early Coppertone ads.

Check out the ASA 10 Fujicolor film box. It had better be really really bright out and during mid day to get away with ASA 10! Below is a scan from the inside of the catalog. Great looking camera!

The super small kanji to the lower left of the camera image translates to ‘Hosokawa Letterpress Office Inko.

How does this relate to Yashica? Not directly really but some of our early Yashica instruction booklets feature Neopan film in the book.

Thanks for your visit! Be sure to “Like” us… or just a comment or two. C & C

    From the July 1960 issue of Modern Photography magazine. What we find most interesting in this article can be found in the opening paragraph. Describing the Pentamatic as a “relatively small, lightweight, quiet-shutter single-lens reflex incorporating a number of features found only in cameras costing a good deal more.” Interesting that the reviewer did not mention that this was Yashica’s first ever single-lens reflex camera. It would seam important to the reader as Yashica had a reputation of building fantastic twin-lens reflex cameras and some beautiful rangefinders. Our guess is that compared to the other cameras that were available in early 1960, one could say that the Pentamatic was small and lightweight. Pick up a Pentamatic with the standard f/1.8 5.5 cm lens, and by today’s standards, it’s anything but small and lightweight! We do agree however that the Pentamatic has a quiet shutter and the price was certainly good compared to the other SLRs.

From the July 1960 issue of Modern Photography magazine.

    The specifications were supplied by Yashica from the official press releases during the March-April 1960 time frame. The entire article was written from that information with what appears to be a very brief test of the camera. No mention of the quality of the images taken with the Pentamatic other than to say that the normal lens produced little to no significant fall-off of edge sharpness at full aperture (f/1.8). The reviewer did state that the chrome finish wasn’t too good but that another technician liked it just as it is.

Often the design of such a simple thing (here a box) can tell much about a company, its history and its growth. Yashima (later Yashica) was founded in 1953 in a then very crowded Japanese camera market. The Japanese people were urged by the American occupation authority to essentially grow technology industries so that the country could earn some much needed currency. By producing sophisticated products such as cameras that would appeal to foreign markets, Japan would strengthen the yen against other currencies and offset some of their imports of raw materials, oil and food.

How does this relate to boxes? It doesn’t directly but it does show that at least one company (others did it too) was a serious player in the dynamic camera industry of the early 1950s. Yashima had to show the world that although their cameras (mostly TLRs) were inexpensive, they were of the highest quality. The construction of such a simple thing as a presentation box had to stand out among the other manufacturer’s boxes (mainly those from Germany) and compete for space on camera dealer’s shelves and attract potential buyers to at least take a look at the camera inside. The early 1957 (below on the left) box weighs in at 352 grams empty and the box from 1964 weighs 155 grams. That’s a big difference to be sure. The early box took more time and demanded more material to construct then the simple 1964 box which was printed flat and stapled together rather then glued (think cereal box). That’s a big change and reflects a strong desire by Yashica to maximize its profit in the rapidily changing marketplace of the mid 1960s.

We should point out that by the mid 1960s, Yashica was producing record numbers of twin-lens reflex cameras (TLRs) even as the world market demand for them was decreasing. By 1964 (the year the newer box was constructed) Yashica was producing high quality 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs) as well as innovative 35 mm rangefinder cameras and sophisticated 8 mm movie cameras. Before the decade of the 1960s would end, Yashica pioneered the use of electronic photography and the use of “computers” to control exposure and shutter speeds in their SLRs like the extremely popular TL Electro-X.

Early 1957 Yashica Model A presentation box on the left and on the right the simple 1964 box.

Bottom of the 1957 box.

Yashica’s first ever* black body 35 mm single-lens reflex camera from 1962. The J-3 was an amazing camera for Yashica… it was the first with a CdS exposure meter that was coupled to the shutter speed dial. Still not through-the-lens (TTL) metering but that was coming… shortly!

We are amazed that this camera has made it this far in life and the factory paint is as gorgeous as ever. Sure there are some spots that show some brassing and a ding or two but that only proves it was used.

It still performs as designed… the film advance is silky smooth and the distinctive Yashica shutter and mirror sound remain sweet (as only a 35 mm SLR can sound). If you ever get a chance to acquire a working J-3 do so. It’s a wonderful film camera.

*As best as we know!

Rather rare in black. Yashica J-3 from 1962.

Another advertisement from Japan for the Pentamatic recently came to our attention. I love that in the beginning, Yashica appeared to not know what to call their first ever 35 mm single-lens reflex camera. This first ad below is from a US photography magazine and it referred to the camera as the Pentamatic ’35’. The second ad below is from an English language newspaper printed and distributed in Japan. I’ve seen similar ads like it for other Yashica’s and the price was given in yen. I don’t see a price in this ad and it’s rather small to see much detail but I think it’s important just the same. Although they just title it as the Yashica Pentamatic they are quick to point out that it is an automatic 35mm reflex as if you wouldn’t know by looking at it.

First advertisement for the new Pentamatic in a US magazine. June 1960.

Advertisement from an English language newspaper distributed in Japan.

A wonderful find in our world of Yashica collecting that we would like to share. We’re thinking this coat is from maybe as early as 1965 but more likely from 1968 to 1972. It’s always difficult to put an exact date on marketing items as sometimes they will appear again after the initial release. We thought the coat reminded us of something Doc would have dressed Marty McFly in in the 1950’s with the electron symbol and all. Maybe something Doc would have worn as a lab coat from time to time.

Anyhow it’s now part of the “silly stuff” that we’ve collected along the way. The original black sash or belt was with it too. Nice condition overall given the years its passed through. Of course ‘Sailor Boy’ had to be included.

Yashica Pentamatic… from 1960. The box was unlike any that had come before it. Simple with clean modern lines and well designed too. At this time, Yashica was producing mass quantities of high quality TLRs, respected 35 mm rangefinder cameras and they were big into 8 mm movie cameras and projectors. Yashica arrived in the already crowded Japanese 35 mm single-lens reflex market a bit late. Minolta, Asahi-Pentax, Nikon and others were already establishing a reputation for innovation and quality but at a considerable price for the average photographer. Yashica’s SLR would have to stand out in some way to get noticed. The engineers and designers came up with a typical Yashica innovation… build a high quality 35 mm SLR but make it affordable for the masses. So the Pentamatic was born. Different to be sure… unique bayonet mount for the lenses that were made by Tomioka Optical to Yashica’s specifications. Leave off the built-in self timer. No built-in exposure meter either. It worked to a point. The camera with the standard lens came in just under $160 in the US. Add the leather case for another $10 and if you really needed a self timer there were plenty to be had that would screw into the shutter release button. The Pentamatic camera and its unique bayonet lenses only lasted just under two years before the Penta J appeared. The Pentamatic was well liked but with no built-in exposure meter and a limited choice of lenses its time would be limited. But from the leap to the Penta J and its M42 universal screw mounted lenses thing happened quickly for Yashica after that. The J-3 would come along in 1963 and have many of the Pentamatic’s shortfalls incorporated in a sleek new body and an almost unlimited array of lenses.

From 1960. The clean simple lines of Yashica’s first SLR.

Fun image of our classic Yashica Pentamatic S from 1961. Our “friend” is a statue in the historic district of our town.