Mamiya C33 twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera from 1965.
Studio Camera – Fujifilm X-A10 with Fujinon Super EBC XC 16-50mm Lens
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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
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.
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
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.
The Canon F-1 was released in 1971 and represented Canon’s first professional level 35mm single-lens reflex camera. This beautiful set is from 1972 and features a Canon FD 50mm f1.4 lens.
Complete kit including the correct first edition instruction booklet.Chrome nose Canon lenses are my favorite.Early models do not have the film reminder slot on the rear of the film door. Early serial numbers in the 1xxxxx range are your assurances that it’s an early model.
Chasing an early model Canon F-1 has become a bit harder as these cameras are now over 50 years old. Finding one with an original chrome-nosed Canon lens is even harder but certainly worth the effort. 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.
Hi all… if you’re looking to get into medium-format film photography may I suggest you look for the Yashica Model A as a good starting point. The camera is super simple to operate and is very affordable compared to other Yashica models. The better price doesn’t get you an inferior camera though as the Model A uses high-quality Yashica lenses made by Tomioka Optical of Tokyo. Here’s an example of a Model A. This one was made in 1966 and is in mint condition.
The right side has a large focusing knob in feet and meters and a smaller film advance knob (upper left).This camera’s left side features an accessory shoe.A red viewing window indicates which exposure you’re on.Film loading is simple as is unloading. The camera uses easy to find 120 roll film. I like using film from Fujifilm.Both the viewing lens (top) and the taking lens are Yashikor f3.5 80mm made by Tomioka Optical. The shutter is made by Copal and features speeds from B (Bulb) to 1/300. The shutter is cocked by moving the lever (with a green dot) downward after advancing the film. The shutter release is the silver button on the lower left of the faceplate. The aperture is set by the silver lever to the right of the taking lens.Instruction booklet from the first version of the camera (1956).
Why I love the Yashica-A. It’s simple to use and simple to operate and with less fussy features it’s likely to operate for decades to come and it’s easy to chase down on the online auction and buying sites (eBay, Etsy, Mercari). What’s the downside? Like any camera that’s over five decades old, fungus and mold on the lenses are the biggest issues. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to get at the lenses and give them a good cleaning as long as the fungus hasn’t etched the glass lens elements. I find my Yashica-A’s lens is just as good a picture taker as my much more feature-laden Yashica-Mat EM with a Yashinon lens. For much more on everything related to Yashica TLRs, stop by my good friend Paul Sokk’s site at http://www.yashicatlr.com – 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.
Fuji Photo Film Company Fujica GW690 on the left and Fujifilm FinePix S9900W on the right.A 6×9 cm film camera from the 1970s.
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.
Hello all – it’s been a while since I’ve shared a few of the items I have in my online camera shop which is hosted by Etsy at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
As always, everything in my shop is of the highest quality and in some cases, quite rare or at least very hard to find. Lots of stuff to add a nice touch to your camera collection. If there’s something you’re looking for and you don’t see it please drop me a message here or at ccphotographyai@gmail.com as I just may have what you’re looking for. Thanks for stopping by and please keep the citizens of Ukraine in your thoughts and prayers. – 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.
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 