Yashima YashicaMat – 1957

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

Yashicamat, Yashica-Mat, YashicaMat – they’re all the same camera, and as was typical for Yashima (later Yashica) they had a difficult time staying consistent when it came to the way they named their cameras. At this point in time, Yashima had only been around since 1953 so I’ll cut them some slack. By 1958, Yashima became Yashica as the company adopted the name of its cameras.

So here is a super early sales brochure (Spring 1957) for the new YashicaMat 120 roll film twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera, the YashicaMat.

High-res scans are posted below from my own brochure.

Front cover.

What I find interesting is that the camera that’s depicted is the very first version of the model with a 75mm Lumaxar f3.5 taking lens (bottom lens) that were only available for a very short time before being replaced by the lens described in the brochure – 80mm Lumaxar f3.5 lens. There’s no written history to definitively know why the change was made so quickly or why they switched at all. It’s possible Tomioka Optical had difficulty providing enough 75mm lenses to meet the production demands of Yashima.

Inside centerspread. Look closely and you can just barely see 75mm on the bottom portion of the lens retaining ring (bottom lens). Both lenses say Lumaxar with the viewing lens (top lens) the clearest of the two.

Back cover scan below.

Back cover. Yashima’s camera line-up as of early 1957 (newest models).

If you look closely at this back cover you can see Yashima’s full corporate name – Yashima Optical Industries, Company, Limited, and their headquarters were located in Shibuya in Tokyo. The factory was in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, and later Shimosuwa.

Thanks for stopping by and if you chase down a nice Yashica-Mat that you like be sure to check out my good friend Paul Sokk’s excellent TLR site at http://www.yashicatlr.com to learn more about the camera that you’re about to purchase. – 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.

wordless wednesday (almost)

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

You can visit me on Instagram @ccphotographyai and thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Yashica’s Yashica-Mat TLR

May 3, 2022May 3, 2022Chris and Carol 1 Comment

This one is from 1968. It features an 80mm f3.5 Yashinon taking lens (bottom) and an 80mm f3.2 viewing lens (top) with a Copal MXV shutter. This was Yashima-Yashica’s first crank film advance TLR introduced in 1957.

An early sales brochure from 1957 or 1958.

For more about this amazing camera please visit my friend Paul Sokk’s site at http://www.yashicatlr.com/66ModelsPage5.html#yashicamat

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to follow me on Instagram @ccphotographyai – Chris

Happy SUNday!

May 1, 2022May 1, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Souvenir book from the 1964 Summer Olympics that were held in Tokyo.

It was a wonderful time for the people of Japan to show the world how far they had come since the end of the War.

Olympic grounds and village.

The site used by the Olympics was once used by the JIA during WWII as a training ground. Later, the U.S. Government took control of the area. Here’s an excerpt from an article written at the time of the Olympics…

TOKYO, Sept. 15 — If the members of the United States squad at the Olympic Games think that the Olympic Village, formally opened today, was designed especially to make Americans feel at home, they will be right. It was.

The conversion of the former Washington Heights United States military housing area has not substantially altered the intentional resemblance of the 165‐acre site to an American suburb. Wide green lawns bordered by evergreens, cement sidewalks and the buildings themselves reproduced an American town so faithfully that the Americans who lived there needed to foot no contact with an alien land outside the guarded gates. The presence of Japanese servants supplied the only local touch.

The athletes from other countries, who have never been to the United States, will find in Tokyo’s Olympic Village a complete sampling of American suburban living. The principal difference is that the new refrigerators, washing machines, television sets and other household equipment being installed in the tidy cottages bear Japanese instead of American trademarks—but the design is essentially American, part of the debt owed to United States industry by Japan’s booming economy.

The 249 cottages built for American servicemen and their families and the 14 block‐like buildings that once were bachelor officers’ quarters and residences for single women employed by the United States forces will house more than 8,000 athletes and officials from 98 nations.

There’s even an interesting video on YouTube that shows a bit of the history of the area. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov4wOvCdQCM

The book was originally purchased at the large Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo.

Occasionally these books will pop up on various online auction sites like eBay and Yahoo Japan Auction. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

more trees

April 30, 2022April 30, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thanks for stopping by and go hug a tree (and your family)! – Chris

Canon Model 7 Set from 1962

April 29, 2022April 29, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve decided it’s time to part with one of my favorite 35mm rangefinders – my Canon Model 7. It took quite a while to find this gem but it’s time to move on and let another collector enjoy it. Maybe someone with more free time will take it out for a photo walk. It’s 100% fully working even down to the meter.

The camera is nearly flawless with just the slightest signs of previous use.

It comes with the original instruction booklet in Japanese and I’ve added an English version too. The lens catalog and the products guide are both printed in Japanese and contain some great bits of info and have never seen before (by me) lens and accessories.

It’s available now in my online camera shop (hosted by Etsy) at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – thanks for stopping by! – Chris

wordless wednesday

April 27, 2022April 27, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Crazy hard to find Yashica J-3

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica J-3 with Auto Yashinon 5cm f2 lens (and Yashica’s ‘Sailor Boy’).

One of the hardest cameras in Yashica’s line-up by far is the J-3 in pro-black with a matching all-black lens. Released in 1962 in limited quantities this was Yashica’s first-ever all-black 35mm SLR. As best as I’ve been able to find out, Yashica never advertised the black model or even acknowledged it in any brochure or catalog. I currently have two and I sold the one pictured here in this post a few years back (I kept the lens, hood, and cap).

Both of my cameras are in fully working condition right down to the meters. The meters aren’t accurate but they’re not TTL meters anyway so no big deal. Currently, there are two black J-3 cameras for sale on eBay but neither one is in collector condition from what I can see.

That’s my classic camera fix for today. Thanks for stopping by and if you happen to have one of these classics consider yourself lucky. – Chris

Leica Leicavit Rapid Winder

April 25, 2022April 25, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve placed my Leica leicavit rapid winder for sale in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. The Leicavit will work on the Leica IIIf and IIIg 35mm rangefinder cameras from the 1950s with a serial number higher than 400,000. This winder has been fully serviced and adjusted by Mr. Yoxin Ye who is a well-known Leica repairperson.

Designed for “Sequence Photography” per Leica’s instruction booklet. This one will work with the IIIf and IIIg.

Here is the Leicavit pictured on my 1956 Leica IIIg.

As pictured, it comes with the original box and tissue paper. Not very many of these are available that have been fully serviced. It was tested on my Leica IIIg and 100% is working. Thanks for stopping by and if you’re interested in purchasing it please visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com which is hosted by Etsy. You can also follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Happy SUNday! – My Leica gets a new case

April 24, 2022April 24, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Leica IIIg from 1956 gets a new leather half-case from TP Original http://www.tporiginal.com

I like the contrast between the rich color of the leather (Volcano) and the gray and silver metal of the Leica’s body.

I plan on replacing the black leatherette that covered the body when it came from the factory at some point as I have the replacement panels.

The camera has been fully serviced by Mr. Yoxin Ye so it’s good to go as it’s been calibrated, cleaned, lubed, and adjusted.

What do you think? Do you like the naked look of my camera?

Here it is presented without its leatherette coverings and with the Leicavit rapid winder attached.

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

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Tag Blogging