wordless wednesday

Camera – Fujifilm X-T2

Lens – Yashica Auto Yashinon 5cm f/2 (1964)

Lens Adapter – FotodioX M42-FX

Subject – US Navy F-4U Corsair

Wordless? Not so much. Thanks for stopping by, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

A memory of mom – Happy SUNday!

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.
1976 – Jensen Beach, Florida

Have a wonderful day, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Canon F-1 from 1978

Here is my original F-1 from 1978 purchased new at the Navy Exchange in Yokohama, Japan. I later added the Motor Drive MF and the Canon FD 55mm f1.2 lens.

Canon film-eater with fast glass!

Photographed – Fujifilm X-T2 with Fujinon XF 18-55mm f2.8-4 R LM OIS zoom lens at f10, 1/8 at ISO 800

Lighting – Single 4-foot LED set at 4000K placed directly overhead.

Thanks for stopping by, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Another Nikon ‘Plastic Fantastic’ – One Touch 200

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris –
Another neat Nikon from my collection. The Nikon One Touch 200 is a plastic fantastic from 1991 with a sharp Nikon 35mm lens and smart flash capabilities. It focuses from 2.1 feet to infinity (and beyond). This one is still new in the box and one of the last Nikons of this type to be ‘Made in Japan’. It’s available in my online camera shop CC Design Studios at www.ccstudio2380.com

The Nikon One Touch 200 features a sharp glass Nikon 35mm f3.5 lens (3 elements/3 groups).
Still new with all of its goodies.
It’s not often that you can still find a new camera from 1991.

I have a few other Nikons from my collection in my shop right now – check them out at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Nikon N6006 35mm SLR with AF Nikkor zoom lens.
Nikon One Touch Zoom 90 35mm compact point & shoot with a sharp zoom lens.
Nikkormat sales brochure.
Nikon One Touch 100 35mm point & shoot camera set.

Thanks for stopping by, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Yashica LM – 1957

An old favorite of mine. This one was made by the good folks at the Yashima factory in Shimosuwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan in about mid-1957. The serial number, 119xxx puts it in the early first stages after a slight upgrade to the original design from late 1956. This one has a built-in exposure meter on the camera’s left side and the “light gathering window” is located under the nameplate. The shutter and focus are spot on and the meter appears accurate.

LM = ‘Light Meter’
Yashica LM was made by Yashima.

These images were taken using my new overhead studio light and my Fujifilm X-T2. Simple setup with excellent results. Thanks for stopping by, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Happy SUNday! – rare Yashica collectible

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

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 © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Super HAD CCD Sony – what?

Released in 2005, this Sony is a stunning performer thanks to its ‘Super HAD CCD’ sensor.

What is ‘Super HAD’? Hole-accumulation Diode Technology. As CCD sensors got smaller and resolution increased, Sony placed “on-chip microlenses” directly on top of each pixel on the CCD which have been able to gather and focus more light directly onto the individual pixels. From Sony – “By optimizing the shape of the on-chip microlens we have reduced the invalid area between each individual pixels’ microlens, and therefore have also reduced the amount of incident light lost.” What Sony’s Super HAD Technology means is a signal-to-noise ratio improved by 3 to 4 dB giving a clearer, crisper, and more natural high-quality digital image.

Straight from the camera. At 7.2 megapixels this image is more than acceptable, in fact, I like it over images of the same subject taken with much higher resolution cameras with bigger sensors (including full-frame sensors). To me, it looks like an image taken with a film camera.
Image captured with my Canon EOS R 30 megapixel CMOS mirrorless camera with a Canon RF 70-200 f4L IS USM lens. Admittedly this lens is not known for its close-up abilities so it’s not necessarily the best lens for this test. The lighting had changed by the time I shot this image over the previous image taken with the Sony.
If you’re interested in returning to using a digicam with a CCD sensor then you may find my Sony to be just what you want. I’ve added it to my camera shop CC Design Studios at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
Happy Earth Day pic.

I believe the combination of superior Carl Zeiss optics and Sony’s Super HAD CCD sensor makes this a sleeper in the compact point & shoot digicam market. By the way, when new in 2005 it listed for $399 MSRP. In 2005 dollars that was a pretty expensive camera (even in 2023 that’s expensive).

Thanks for stopping by, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

One subject, three cameras – surprising results!

I thought I’d share a few images from a quick photoshoot from the other day. The subject is a seed cone of a still young (about 4 years old) bald cypress tree that I grew from seed in a pot that’s presently sitting in my front yard.

See if you can guess which of these three cameras took which picture. All three were digital cameras – Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Only very minor post-production was used (no Photoshop or anything like that). The available daylight changed as the afternoon wore on so they’ll be slight differences in the quality of the lighting. There’s a wide range, and I mean a wide range in the number of megapixels of the camera’s sensors from 7.2MP to 30.3MP. Give it a go.

1
2
3

Did you guess?

OK, image number 1 was taken using a Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP bridge camera with a CCD sensor (1/2.33″) and a 24x optical Nikkor zoom lens. ISO 64, f3.2 at a full wide angle (4.6mm) using the macro mode. I think the capture is colorful and sharp and it holds up well zoomed in on a crop. Released in 2009.

Number 2. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 7.2MP digicam with a Super HAD CCD sensor (1/1.8″) and a 3x optical Carl Zeiss zoom lens. ISO 100, f2.8 at 7.9mm in macro mode. The level of detail is amazing and the edition of the colors is very pleasing. It holds up very well zoomed in on a crop. Released in 2005.

Number 3. Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera with a CMOS sensor at 30.3MP. The lens was a Canon RF 70-200mm f4L IS USM zoom lens. ISO 250, f4.5 at 200mm. I think I may have missed the best focus by shooting at f4.5 handheld at 200mm since when zoomed in on a crop the cone loses some of its sharpness especially compared to the other images. Released in late 2018.

My pick for the best shot is image number 2. It’s the most pleasing composition in my opinion. Overall the Sony handled the subject the best and was actually the easiest to shoot with.

Thanks for stopping by, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Nikon Coolpix P90 – time to pass it along

As the title implies I’m selling a favorite camera that I’ve used on and off over the years. The Nikon Coolpix P90 12-megapixel bridge camera with a very powerful (and sharp) Nikkor 24x optical zoom lens. It’s served me well and hopefully, someone else will want to give it a new home.

Sharp Nikkor 24x Optical Zoom ED VR lens (26mm to 624mm 35mm equivalent).
Coolpix P90
My ‘Garden Kitty’ test shot.
King of his rock! ISO 64, f5.6, 1/329, at 59.9mm. Handheld with no post-production. As captured.
Bald cypress early Spring cone. I usually don’t see cones on such a young tree (about 4 years old). Macro setting f3.2 at 4.6mm.
Full telephoto (110.4mm).
CCD sensors produce film-like images. Again, no post-production.

To get an idea of how powerful the zoom is. These two images were taken at full wide angle and then full telephoto.

Wide angle (26mm).
Full telephoto (624mm).

The camera can close focus down to within 1 cm of the front lens element!

Amazing 24x Optical Wide-Angle (26-624mm) Zoom-NIKKOR ED Glass Lens – quality optics provide exceptional images. The lens is built on a proud heritage of producing precision camera optics that deliver superb color and razor-sharp results. This amazing lens offers unbeatable compositional freedom with its wide-angle (26mm) to super telephoto coverage (624mm). Sweeping landscapes can be captured as well as zoomed-in close-ups of the action taking place on the baseball or soccer field!

4-Way VR Image Stabilization:

  • Nikon’s Optical VR Image Stabilization compensates for the effects of camera shake by moving the image sensor. This produces clearer, sharper results in lower lighting or unsteady conditions.
  • Motion Detection automatically detects moving subjects and adjusts the shutter speed and the ISO setting to compensate for camera shake and subject movement.
  • High ISO 6400 capability gives you sharper results when shooting in low light or capturing fast-moving subjects. This creates new opportunities to take sharper, more natural-looking photos in lower light conditions. ISO 3200 and 6400 are available at 3MP or lower resolution.
  • Nikon’s original Best Shot Selector (BSS) automatically takes up to 10 shots while the shutter is pressed and then saves the sharpest image.

Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual Exposure Modes give you ultimate control over your pictures. The D-SLR-type mode dial on the top of the camera provides quick access to greater personal and creative control. Now, you can adjust the camera’s settings for any type of light conditions and get as creative as you want!

Thanks for stopping by and if you’re interested please check it out in my camera shop CC Design Studios at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. Thanks, 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.

Copyright © 2015-2023 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.