Pentax IQ Zoom 105WR – Weather Resistant 35mm Compact Camera

January 19, 2018January 19, 2018Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Are you looking for a compact 35mm camera with a powerful 2.8x electronic zoom (38-105mm) and the ability to be able to plunk this camera into water, sand, snow, and mud? Of course you are!

Too many compact 35mm film cameras have to be babied – can’t take them out in the rain, snow or down to the beach and definitely a no-go for white water rafting! Not so for this super tough compact from Pentax!

The gray portion of the body is a rubberized grip which makes this fun compact easy to use when it’s wet. A powerful 38-105mm Pentax zoom lens with zoom macro is super sharp.

This camera is brand new, never used but fully tested by us – the complete set is still new in its original boxes with all paperwork including the operating manual!

This camera is guaranteed by us to be ready to use right out of the box! Just add film and your creativity!

One of the more sophisticated 35mm compacts of the late 1990s, this Pentax features a 5-point multi autofocus system, auto exposure, power zoom lens with zoom macro, power winding, and multi-mode flash with red-eye reduction.

This Pentax features a large true view viewfinder and big LCD. Easy to operate controls even when your hands are wet or gloved. The date/time feature is super easy to set and we’ve even installed a new lithium button battery to power that function.

This set includes a brand new Pentax soft case to protect your IQ Zoom 105WR while traveling.

Some of the many outstanding features of this fine camera. Still made by Asahi Optical too!

Also features an adjustable diopter eyepiece with an easy to use thumbwheel – something not normally found on a camera of this type. The on-off switch is easy to grip and the camera switches easily to the panorama mode.

Easy loading and positive closure of the film back to seal out water, sand, snow, and mud!

This wonderful camera set is available through our online store at https://www.ccstudio2380.com

If you’re looking at trying your hand at film photography then this is a perfect camera to start off with. If you’re getting back into film photography then you’ll be satisfied with what this camera can do for your creative spirit.

Thanks for your visit and we think you will be surprised at the great price we have it listed for. All of the cameras we sell are guaranteed to work right out of the box! We’ve installed brand new Panasonic batteries in this one – just add your 35mm film and you’re good to go!

C&C ^.^

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.

Described as “New, never used. Got as a gift”. Update 1…

December 19, 2017December 25, 2017Chris and Carol 2 Comments

I just received this camera from an online purchase –

“New, never used. Got as a gift”. Well OK then. Whatever you say.

New Olympus camera. That’s what the seller said.

A science experiment?

Never used but the Olympus factory always ships their cameras with an exposed roll of Fujifilm.

Per eBay’s definition of “new”… New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packagings, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag.

Let’s see what happens with my claim. eBay has been very good with refunds when items have been grossly misrepresented. No complaints here.

Update 1: I sent the request for a full refund at 3:58 PM and had a full refund by 4:25 PM. Thanks to the seller for accepting responsibility for his error and quickly refunding my original purchase price including shipping.

Remember to always remove batteries when your camera is not in use… especially after a decade or more!

Chris

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.

Our House – Honmoku, Yokohama 1977

December 12, 2017December 25, 2017Chris and Carol 14 Comments

As a tie-in to a recent post by our friend Peggy at Camera Go Camera of our old neighborhood (US Navy Area 2 Military Base Housing) in Japan. Here’s a picture of our house at 283-D Area 2 after a rare light snowfall.

Our US Navy base house in Honmoku, Naka-Ku, Yokohama from May 1977 to February 1980. We were the last Navy family to live there as the US Navy was in the process of turning over control of the land to the Japanese Government.

US Navy housing Area 2 looking east towards the bay. This part of Yokohama was still very industrial in the late 1970s. Our house is the blue two-story in the middle left. This shot was taken on a nice and steamy hot August day.

Camera: Canon F-1 on Kodachrome 25 color slide film

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris and Carol

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.

The Yashica Penta J – aka Yashica Jaguar

November 8, 2017November 16, 2017Chris and Carol 3 Comments

To us, a super find!

To others, a big “oh, okay”. The Yashica Penta J was Yashica’s first 35mm SLR camera to use the common m42 screw-in lens mount. Released around September (?) 1961, it was basically a continuation of the Pentamatic series but with the different lens mount. The Penta J appears to have at least 3 versions – Version 1 (image below) retains the closest design to the Pentamatic S (minus the self timer lever below the shutter release button, the small lens release button and the neck strap lugs discussed below).

Yashica Penta J version 1.

Please note as to where the neck strap lugs are on this version of the Penta J (pictured above). The strap lugs are on the sides of the camera vice on the front as in later Yashica SLRs. Notice where the strap lugs have been moved to on the Pentamatic S (pictured below).

The strap lugs have been moved to the front of the top plate on the Pentamatic S. This was a departure from the first two Pentamatic models (pictured below).

The original Pentamatic ’35’ (left) and its Japanese market only cousin the Pentamatic II. Note that the strap lugs are just like the first version of the Penta J.

One of the things that’s been troubling us about the Penta J, is where did Yashica come up with the “J”? Were they following a progression of the alphabet? Did they just like the sound and look of the “J”? We can guess that the “Penta” was lifted from the camera it was replacing, the Pentamatic. As it turns out, the answer as to what the “J” stands for has been in a Japanese ad that we’ve had for years (image below) and never noticed until now!

We think this is one of the first ads for the Penta J anywhere. We don’t know if the camera pictured in the ad has the “filled-in J” like the Penta J version 1 camera above. The clue as to what the “J” stands for is circled in red and underlined in green.

If you look closely at the Japanese characters that I’ve circled in red, ジャガー they represent the word “jaguar”. If you then go to either Google Japan or Yahoo Japan and search for “Yashica Jaguar”, you’ll see at least 3 different blogs that refer to the Penta J as the “Jaguar”.

With that mystery (to us) solved, I believe that the Penta J fits in nicely to another camera that Yashica released in the summer of 1960 – the Yashica Lynx-1000 which is a 35mm fixed lens rangefinder camera (image below).

The Yashica Lynx. Released about a year before the Penta J = Jaguar.

The ad states that the camera goes by the nickname of the “wildcat” hence the name “Lynx” and that it “catches the moving body agility like its name”.

So there you have it – a minor mystery solved… and the answer was staring us right in the face!

Thanks for your visit! Remember to check out our e-commerce store at https://www.ccstudio2380.com

Some of our art prints are available at https://society6.com/ccstudio2380

A gallery of some of our photography can be found at https://500px.com/yashicachris

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Nicca 3-S on location

October 29, 2017April 17, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

1950s vintage Nicca rangefinder 35mm camera shot on location – c1911 post office.

Nicca at PO

After a day spent on a photo walk in our local historic district, our Nicca takes a break for a beauty shot. The mid-afternoon lighting is always just right in this 100-year-old post office – the table once held ink wells (the hole behind the camera) and the wood table top has such a wonderful patina and texture.

Our Nicca 3-S is fully operational – it’s considered to be one of the best Leica copy cameras produced in Japan in the early part of the 1950s. The 5cm f/ 2 lens is a Nikkor and is clear and sharp.

Of interest, the <E.P> mark on the rewind knob (extreme left) indicates that this camera was available for sale in Japan as an exempt purchase, meaning that it was for sale only to military personnel and their families, diplomatic personnel and their families and possibly available at duty-free shops. Photogear marked with the <E.P> symbol was not for sale to Japanese citizens as it was tax-exempt.

Thanks for your visit!

Chris

Shameless plug – stop by our e-commerce shop at https://www.ccstudio2380.com for more great and interesting stuff! ^.^

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

A Heineken in Palma de Mallorca – 1986

October 29, 2017October 29, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A refreshing Heineken enjoyed on a warm afternoon while touring Palma – Canon F-1 on Kodak Kodachrome 25 color slide film.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Vestfjorden, Norway – Norwegian Sea

October 25, 2017October 25, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

September 1987

Canon F-1 with Canon FD 80-200mm f/ 4 zoom lens set at 80mm. Kodak Kodacolor film.

Canon F-1 with Canon FD 80-200mm f/ 4 zoom lens set at 200mm. Kodak Kodacolor film.

During the Cold War, The U.S. Navy conducted carrier flight operations in Vestfjorden on a somewhat regular basis. These shots (and many more that I haven’t scanned yet) were taken from the flight deck of my ship, the USS Forrestal (CV-59) in late September 1987.

I can’t remember if the ship (and I stink at ship identifying) in the photo is a naval vessel from Norway, Great Britain or the USSR.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

At the Palace Gates – London 1987

October 23, 2017October 23, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Buckingham Palace – Iron Gates – September 1987

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Canon F-1 with Canon FD 24mm f/ 2.8 lens on Kodak Kodacolor film.

Scanned from the original 4×6 prints with a Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II.

The photographer – Captured

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Happy SUNday! Isle of Wight – 1987

October 22, 2017October 22, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Scanning some Kodak Kodachrome slides from my trip to England in September of 1987. It’s hard to believe that it’s been thirty years since I was there.

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This lovely home was photographed around mid afternoon under tricky lighting conditions. Kodachrome 25 isn’t at its’ best in less than full sun but I believe the colors are appropriately warm given the circumstances. Little post production of the image apart for some minor cropping to remove the edges of the slide mount and to tone down the highlights to bring out more details in the wall in the bright sunlight. Taken with my Canon F-1 using my favorite Canon wide angle lens (FD 24mm f/ 2.8).

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Iconic symbol of England. I think the red has held up well on the slide after all these years. Only minor tweaks were needed in post production (removing the slide mount edges via a small crop). Kodak Kodachrome 25 taken with my Canon F-1 fitted with my Canon FD 24mm f/ 2.8 lens. Looking back on this image after all these years I can’t recall why I didn’t capture the entire booth on the right. I just remember that I liked that the two leaned together at the top.

I use a Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II for my scanning.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit our online shop at https://www.ccstudio2380.com for some interesting items (shameless plug!).

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Bigger Ben – London 1987

October 21, 2017October 21, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Forgoing the traditional images of Big Ben, I choose a close-up at 200mm – September 1987

Actually quite an amazing thing of beauty, function and intricate detail. Canon F-1 with Canon FD 80-200mm f/ 4 zoom lens on Kodacolor.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Tag 35mm Photography

Pentax IQ Zoom 105WR – Weather Resistant 35mm Compact Camera

Are you looking for a compact 35mm camera with a powerful 2.8x electronic zoom (38-105mm) and the ability to be able to plunk this camera into water, sand, snow, and mud? Of course you are!

Too many compact 35mm film cameras have to be babied – can’t take them out in the rain, snow or down to the beach and definitely a no-go for white water rafting! Not so for this super tough compact from Pentax!

Described as “New, never used. Got as a gift”. Update 1…

I just received this camera from an online purchase –

Update 1: I sent the request for a full refund at 3:58 PM and had a full refund by 4:25 PM. Thanks to the seller for accepting responsibility for his error and quickly refunding my original purchase price including shipping.

Our House – Honmoku, Yokohama 1977

The Yashica Penta J – aka Yashica Jaguar

To us, a super find!

Nicca 3-S on location

A Heineken in Palma de Mallorca – 1986

Vestfjorden, Norway – Norwegian Sea

At the Palace Gates – London 1987

Happy SUNday! Isle of Wight – 1987

Bigger Ben – London 1987