New items in my Camera Shop for September

September 13, 2021September 13, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hello and thanks for stopping by! I’ve added some really unique and rare items in my online Camera Shop which is hosted by Etsy at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Lots more to see at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Hong Kong streets – 1979

August 10, 2021August 10, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Both of these images were captured with my Canon F-1 on Kodak Kodachrome slide film – handheld at 2-3 seconds. The colors are not the best but sometimes Kodachrome behaves badly at night at long exposures (well, that’s my excuse anyway). I don’t remember where in Hong Kong these were taken except the second image must have been near Fleet Landing if I recall correctly.

It’s just a box

August 7, 2021August 7, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Chasing boxes — sounds pretty lame and it is in the big picture of collecting classic and vintage cameras but a camera box from the early 1960s can be either a rat or a gem after all these years. They’re just colorful cardboard with some stickers here and there after all and cardboard doesn’t do well if stored improperly. Moisture, bugs, sunlight, heat, pollution and crushing are just a few of the nasty things that can degrade 40, 50, and 60 year-old cardboard.

So, knowing all of the things that are stacked against finding a collectible camera box I’m happy to say that this one is a pleasant surprise. It’s far from perfect but it’s still very nice (no not so funny smells either).

My best guess is that this box was made in late 1962 based on the serial number of the camera that’s written on the bottom of the box.

Originally the area that’s blacked out said 50mm f1.4 lens but a previous owner carelessly modified the box when the body was separated from the lens when sold.

Here’s the camera that came with the box (a nice bonus). The box is nice because the camera is in near mint condition and is fully functional. The Canon Model 7 accepts LTM screw-in lenses from Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Leica, and a bunch of others. The bayonet part around the opening was designed to accept Canon’s ‘dream lens’ the 50mm f/0.95 which you can discover more about it at https://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/s43.html

So there you have it… another aspect to collecting classic film cameras, collecting the boxes that went with them. Most people dispose of the camera box right after they took their new camera out of the box (I’m guilty) and some left the original box at the camera shop when they took their camera home (not guilty).

A scan from a *Canon Product Catalog* from March 1967 (the Canon 7S had already been released). Note the ‘dream lens’ is affixed in this catalog’s image.

Friday Fotos! – Logos

July 30, 2021July 30, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Red logos as it turns out.

Yashica’s first 35mm camera – 1958

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

63 years of dirt. Here’s the before image of my recently acquired Yashica 35 by Yashima. It was made in April 1958 which makes it one of the earliest known examples of this historic camera. Sharp eyed viewers will also notice that the lens says Yasinon vice the name that was eventually used, Yashinon.

Nice and clean now. This one was assembled in April 1958 at Yashima’s Shimosuwa factory on the shores of Lake Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

This one features the Yasinon (vice Yashinon) f/1.9 lens. It’s one of the earliest known examples still in the wild.

Canon S.L.R. Series Brochure – Japan 1979

July 12, 2021July 12, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I wanted to share this gorgeous sales brochure from Canon dated 11/79. The cover (above) is one of the best images that I’ve seen on a Canon brochure from that period. Amazing shot! Awesome cameras and lenses.

**The back cover with a nice list with prices of available Canon FD lenses.**

**The Canon F-1 and available accessories with prices.**

I purchased this brochure directly from a collector in Japan. I hadn’t seen this brochure in an English version previously so I was happy to add it to my collection. Missing is the AE-1 Program and AT-1 as well as any of the cameras in the new T Series.

My first post…

July 10, 2021July 10, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

First Look!

JULY 31, 2015 CHRIS AND CAROL

The exciting first look (in print) of the Pentamatic…

First official appearance of the Pentamatic occurs in the May 1960 issue of Modern Photography magazine. In the June 1960 issues of Modern Photography, U. S. Camera and Popular Photography, the first full-page ads appeared for the Pentamatic ’35’ reflex camera. The actual release date in the United States has almost always been considered by many to be March of 1960.

As of yet, I haven’t found evidence in print to support the March date. I do know that the Pentamatic was shown at the 36th annual ‘Master Photo DeaIers & Finishers Association’ trade show (MPDFA) held in St. Louis from March 21-25, 1960. I don’t know if the Pentamatic was released in Japan at an earlier date. From the progression of the serial numbers, by March 1960, about 1,500 cameras had been produced since production began in December 1959 at the Yashica Suwa factory. I doubt that there were enough cameras by March to support any widespread release in Japan or in Asia at that time. By June 1960, about 6,000 cameras had been built. There may have been enough to ship to the world markets starting in April and May. At their peak of production (summer 1960), it looks like Yashica was rolling out about 1,200 to 1,400 cameras each month.

Have a “Camera Holiday” in Japan. May 1960 magazine ad.

Part two of the “Camera Holiday” in Japan promotion. Very nice mention of Yashica’s factory in Suwa and the wonders of Japan!

Yashica provided this first ever look at their new Pentamatic SLR at the March 1960 MPDFA trade show in St. Louis.

First published look at the new Pentamatic from Yashica. May 1960

Minolta Products Catalog – 1957

July 9, 2021July 9, 2021Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Chasing Classic Sales Brochures

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

In addition to chasing after classic cameras I enjoy chasing down vintage sales brochures as they can be a great source of detailed information direct from the manufacturer. Often times it’s the only avenue for discovering which accessory goes with which camera. Here’s a great Canon brochure from Japan dated 05/1980 (PUB. CJ01 – 022).

Actually Canon refers to this as a catalog.

Although I have this same information in other brochures and catalogs they’re scattered around in different albums so it’s nice to have them all here in one place. Since this catalog was released in May of 1980, some early and discontinued accessories are not shown. Also missing from this publication is the Canon AE1-Program and the AT-1 and it predates the release of the T Series (T50, T70). I’ll scan and post some additional pages over the next few days. Stay tuned!

Contax RTS – getting it right

July 4, 2021July 7, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My recently acquired RTS stripped of its faulty skins. It’s a blank canvas and I like the look for now. The mirror is locked in the up position (the little lever to the right of the lens mount).

This scan (below) is from a Yashica marketing brochure from early 1975. There’s been so much misinformation about the origins of the RTS that I thought it would be best to go to the source to get the facts straight.

Lots of flowing marketing speak in there but it delivers with no uncertainties who did what and why. The when isn’t mentioned but many of the pictures inside this brochure are from mid 1974 based on the cameras, lenses, and accessories pictured (not just the RTS stuff). It’s generally believed that the initial talks between Yashica and Zeiss started as early as 1971. I might mention that this was an extremely challenging time financially and structurally for Yashica with some accounting and management issues reported in the global press which led to a bit of a scandal of epic proportions for Yashica’s founder(s).