Friday Fotos!

January 28, 2022January 28, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hyper-rare Yashica Pentamatic II – was only released in Japan for a very short time.

Yashica Model A still in its factory plastic.

Rare Yashica TL Electro X without the gothic ‘Y’ on the pentaprism (early first version).

As you may be able to tell, Yashica produced a wide range of cameras and there’s plenty of rare varieties worth chasing. I only discovered the TL Electro X without the gothic ‘Y’ about two years ago after convincing myself there was nothing new to collect from the Yashica line.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day and evening! – 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.

Yashica’s J-Series of 35mm SLR Cameras from the 1960s

January 22, 2022January 22, 2022Chris and Carol 1 Comment

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

January 1988 Nikon Ad

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Ad for Nikon cameras and Pan Am from Life magazine. How many of these Nikon’s have you owned in your film camera years? I had a Nikonos II way back in 1971. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

November 1953 Advertisements

November 27, 2021November 27, 2021Chris and Carol 1 Comment

From Life magazine, November 23, 1953

“The Champagne of Ginger Ales”. Quite a dry party.

I don’t remember them looking like this in the mid-1960s and early 1970s.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! – 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

Happy Friday – 15% OFF!

November 26, 2021November 26, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Everybody is doing it so why not us? We’re having a very nice 15% off sale on select items in our online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (this weekend only). Stop by and see what we have in stock. Here’s a small sample…

We can ship worldwide through our partnership with Etsy at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris

Best Yashica ever!

November 23, 2021November 23, 2021Chris and Carol 4 Comments

This is one of the best sets I have ever run across in all of my years of collecting (well OK, it’s in my top ten at least).

Amazing complete set from Yashica. A virtual time machine from 1965.

The Yashica D twin-lens reflex (TLR) is one of the more popular models from Yashica’s line of medium format 120 roll film cameras. The camera is fully functional and looks (and works) as if it arrived from the factory yesterday! The Yashikor lenses are crystal clear.
This set comes complete with its original inner and outer boxes, inside packing materials, all papers, and its original beautiful brown leather case.
By the way, it’s a matching number set – the camera serial number matches the box and papers!

I had a buyer for this set in mind and it sold within 24 hours of my listing it in my online camera shop. It originally came from a collector in England.

Here are a few more boxed sets I was lucky enough to find in my travels.

I’m like a kid on Christmas morning whenever I find these still “new in the box” camera sets. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! – Chris

Kanpa! by Konica

November 22, 2021November 22, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Awesome little camera from Konica.

Konica’s “party camera” – Kanpai

Thanks for stopping by and if you’d like, Google Konica Kanpai and see what you find. – Chris

more LIFE – 1987

November 18, 2021November 19, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The cover of Life magazine from January 1988.

How many of these events and people do you remember? The 1987 Ford Festiva LX (pictured below) was made by Kia for Ford. I actually owned a 1993 Festiva which was virtually unchanged from this model. 12-inch wheels by the way and awesome gas mileage approaching the low 40 mpg range on the highway.

And talk about changes. The 1954 De Soto (pictured below) from an ad that appeared in the November 23, 1953 issue of Life.

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

Monster cars from Detroit – 1969

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021Chris and Carol 2 Comments

I just found a Life magazine from September 27, 1969, that was loaded with new car advertisements (which is to be expected in a September issue). Car manufacturers introduced their new model cars typically in the early fall. Here are some “land yachts” from Detroit.

Actually the two smallest cars from Chevy for 1969.

Another monster from GM. Wide-Track Pontiac Grand Prix.

Look familiar? It’s the same platform over and over again – just different body designs – huge 2-door cars.

The same car over and over again. Looks just like the Caprice, doesn’t it?

In 1970 I worked with a guy who had this vehicle and in the small shopping center where we worked, he could never find a spot to park his monster.

Here is the issue of Life magazine that these cars ads are from.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

New arrivals in my camera shop!

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Just in time for Christmas shopping, I’ve added many new items from my collection of cameras, lenses, and photogear. Almost everything is on sale at 10% off and most have free or reduced shipping to customers in the USA. I do ship worldwide too. You can shop in my online store at http://www.ccstudio2380.com