Rare Yashica Minister-700 Camera Leaflet

February 6, 2022February 6, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I purchased this gorgeous advertising leaflet from a collector in Japan that is as fresh as the day it was printed back in 1964 (best guess of the actual date).

Yashica Minister-700 35mm rangefinder film camera.

The lower portion of this leaflet talks about a test that Asahi Camera magazine published in December 1964 praising the sharpness and speed of the f1.7 Yashinon 4.5cm lens and the accuracy of the built-in CdS light meter.

Yashica Minister-700 “DeLuxe” model 35mm rangefinder camera. There’s no mention as to what makes this a DeLuxe model other than the cost of a premium leather case for an additional 1,800 JPY.

The Yashinon f1.7 4.5cm lens has 6 elements in 4 groups. A lens like this would not normally be on a “simple” rangefinder like this at this price point of 18,000 JPY in 1964.

This model is not as common as the other models in the Minister “family” and it would be an excellent find for any collection. 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.

Yashica’s ‘Stealth’ Camera

February 4, 2022February 4, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I know, sounds like clickbait. By stealth, I’m referring to a camera that few have heard of so it flew under the radar and avoided potential buyers back in 1972, 1973, and 1974. I don’t know how many Yashica sold but I do know it’s a difficult camera to find in working condition that isn’t beat to heck. So, if you’re looking for a challenging chase may I add this camera to your list.

It looks as though the first cameras rolled out in March 1972 and ended around February 1974.

The Yashica Electro AX. It’s a hard one to chase down and still get a working model that isn’t beat to heck.

It’s the same model but pictured with three different lenses. It’s also the only M42 lens mount body with the two leatherette patches on either side of the pentaprism.

The date code on this brochure is either 1974 or July (07) 1974 (lower right numbers).

My Electro AX was made in November 1973. Takes M42 screw-in lenses.

Here’s an earlier post I wrote about this camera https://yashicasailorboy.com/2020/01/31/yashica-electro-ax-yashicas-goofy-automatic-exposure-slr/

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Sears Tower 35 made by Nicca

February 3, 2022February 3, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Catalog pages from a Sears Roebuck camera catalog from 1952.

The Nicca-Tower Type-3 is an excellent camera to add to any camera collection featuring early Japanese 35mm rangefinder cameras. They can be a bit on the higher price range but well worth your time chasing one down. If you’d like to discover more about Nicca cameras please visit my good friend Paul Sokk’s wonderful site at http://www.yashicatlr.com/Nicca.html#type3

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Dreaming of my Fuji…

January 29, 2022January 29, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

The Fujica GW690 (large) medium-format film camera by Fuji. It’s the largest 120/220 roll film camera in my collection and let me tell you, it’s a beast! It boasts an EBC Fujinon f3.5 90mm fixed lens that goes far and above any other film camera I’ve ever used. Check out this unedited image below – the detail that can be captured on a 6x9cm frame of film is amazing.

I love the look of Neopan Acros 100 film and its ability to capture the finest details.

I love the statement – “Light Weight and Compact”. I’m not quite sure that 6x9cm is considered to be a large format camera but who am I to argue with the gang at Fuji Photo Film marketing.

If you’ve never heard about this camera I highly recommend you take a stroll through the various online selling sites and check out this wonderful camera. There are “millions” of them out there so it’s not a difficult camera to chase down. I don’t ever see myself selling this camera as I originally purchased it from Japan at a great price and I love using it (although it’s been a long time). Be sure to check out my previous posts about this camera in the links below. Thanks for stopping by and I hope I’ve encouraged you to take a peek at these online. – Chris

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

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

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

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