Tag Japan

Yashica TL Electro-X

Chris and Carol 2 Comments

One of the most successful SLRs from Yashica – the ‘Pioneer in Electronic Cameras’… the Yashica TL Electro-X. The world’s first electronic single-lens reflex camera.

A random collection of clips from Yashica sales brochures and our eclectic collection of all things Yashica –

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‘ITS’ = Integrated Technology System… maybe.

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We’ve recently added this hard to find accessory from Yashica. It was still new in its original box! It will be used in our studio for some copy work.

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Original box. Lucky find!

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The Copy Stand listed for 20,000 JPY in 1971. About $55 USD

 

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Large dealer’s sign. Two sided but non lighted. Ca. 1968

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Yashica ‘Sailor Boy’ with another version of the slogan and electron logo. The ‘Sailor Boy’ first made his appearance in 1962.

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Elegance on ice.

Do you have something to add to our database about this interesting camera? Please feel free to comment. 

Thanks,

Chris & Carol Photography ^.^

Yashica Pentamatic S – Phase 1

Chris and Carol 2 Comments

A long neglected (not by us) Yashica Pentamatic S is getting a much needed restoration and some re-imagineering  by us as a top-level professional SLR.

A few peeks before the color coats get applied. Stripped of its hardware and sanded to slickness – 2000 grit sandpaper – she’s ready to shine again!

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We love the hints of brass that are showing through the factory silver finish after the wet sanding. The Pentamatic family of SLRs have one of the sharpest looking pentaprisms around. Without a clunky accessory shoe on the top of the finder, the Pentamatics have a clean, modern design. This one is from early in the production run in 1961. It’s number 237 off the assembly line at the Yashica campus in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture.

Stay with us as we will post updates along the way!

Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S9900W

Thanks, Chris and Carol Photography

 

Fireproof

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Rescue crewman’s fireproof helmet. USS Midway (CV-41), underway from Yokosuka, Japan in the South China Sea. 1978

No post production. As captured and composed.

Camera: Canon F-1 (1978 version)  Kodak Kodachrome 25  Canon FD 80-200mm f4 @ 4 sec

Yashica AIII – Rare Gray on Gray 1959

Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Very uncommon Yashica twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera – made in October 1959. This one is in beautiful dove gray leatherette and machinery gray metal. Designed for and sold in the Japanese domestic market and for export to Europe. Focusing scale is in meters only on this version. Others have dual scales.

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The serial numbers on the camera match the guarantee card. 

⇑ Complete set as it would have appeared for sale in Japan. This amazing 57 year old beauty still functions perfectly! The shutter speeds are spot on, the focus is sharp and the Tomioka lenses are crystal clear. It does have a few spots of corrosion and discoloration on the aluminum and steel body parts – Japan has a warm and moist climate that wasn’t always friendly to old cameras.

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Rare no hood logo.

⇑ The dove gray leatherette is tight and complete (a few minor stains) and the darker gray metalwork retains its factory sheen. The camera inside is clean as well with only minor dust seen when looking through the viewing hood.

The gray (and other colored cameras) from Yashica are always super collectible. We were very lucky to acquire this complete set. We have the original box but it has seen much better days. Perhaps a small restoration is in order.

Thanks for stopping by! Comments are always welcome.

Chris and Carol

 

Yashima-Yashica Leather

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A misleading title? We’re not sure. It’s doubtful that in Yashima’s early days of camera manufacturing, that they made their own leather case goods. They had plenty on their plate already – lens production (mostly testing), machining parts, pouring cast aluminum bodies, stamping out metal pieces and of course, putting it all together in a box and shipping it off to various Trading Companies and camera dealers around Japan and the world. Oh did we mention, inventing new camera designs too.

We believe that Yashima-Yashica had their leather case goods made by at least 4 different suppliers – each with their own maker’s marks stamped on the bottom of the case.

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Could the trademark be ‘Tomioka Kogaku’? In the early days of Yashima/Yashica, did they use leather cases made by outside companies? More than likely since they would not have had the facilities or skills to produce quality leather products in large quantities IMO.

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This image is of the bottom of our Yashicaflex Rookie’s leather camera case. Some of the 1950s era Yashima-Yashica cases have similar marks. With an occasional exception, most 1960s era cases do not carry these marks.

The mystery… we believe that these are ‘maker’s marks’ or trademarks of the company that manufactured the case for Yashima-Yashica. The marks are similar to marks found on Japanese tin toys from the same period. Our theory is that Yashica did not have the facilities or skills to make leather cases on their own in the early days of production and that outside leather crafters added their individual trademarks to the cases.

Other marks that we’ve seen… T.K , NT , GSS and another K.K but in a diamond shaped box.

If you know of the origins of these type of marks on Japanese leather goods please add your comments. We would love to know for sure.

Thanks… C&C ^.^

 

 

 

Taking an old friend out and about… Canon EOS Rebel 2000

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I know – what a goofy name! Rebel 2000? WTFO! (a nautical term often heard aboard U.S. Navy ships at sea).

Silly names aside, it’s been a good little Canon and has done pretty much everything I’ve asked it to do over the years. No outstanding features – just  sharp images and as close to a point and shoot analog SLR as there was in the late 1990s. I believe Carol gave me this one for Christmas 2003.

Since we’ve decided to pare down our collection of cameras, this one will be listed for sale soon. We like to test our cameras with film first so that we can state that the camera and lens works as advertised -plus we get to shoot some film with an old friend one last time.

It takes two CR2 batteries which we found for under $10 (with shipping) on eBay. We’ve loaded a fresh roll of Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 and now all we need is a sunny day. The Acros 100 is for another day and another camera.

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The camera and lens weigh next to nothing – a breeze to carry around places like Walt Disney World and it did well when we used it on our trip to Disneyland and Yosemite back in 2004. After years of carrying around a heavy Canon F-1 with equally heavy lenses, this camera and lens set me free to concentrate on composition and not the gear (and the pain in my neck). It’s a camera that’s had enough versions made over the years and in enough quantities that finding additional lenses for it would not be a problem if we were keeping it. The next owner will get a very well taken care of SLR that should be trouble free for years to come.

Standard issue EOS Rebel 2000 with the 28-80mm zoom lens.  ⇓

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Super clear and easy to understand LCD with just the right amount of info. ⇓

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It takes 58mm screw-in filters. ⇓

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It’s a good looking camera with an easy to keep clean surface. ⇑ ⇓

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Nice fill-in flash when needed. ⇓

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So there you have it. A simple Canon that’s very capable of delivering sharp, well exposed images. Lightweight – easy to pack. It makes it easy to concentrate on composition and not the camera. Just what you want when venturing out with an old friend.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

 

Super Yashinon-R 400mm Lens

Chris and Carol 4 Comments

One of Yashica’s big boys – 1961 model. Super Yashinon-R 40cm f6.3 telephoto lens with the M42 mount. A very early M42 mount from Yashica-Tomioka.

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Front view of this interesting lens…

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One of the first long focal length lenses for Yashica’s M42 screw mount 35mm SLR camera bodies. I would guess from the extremely low serial number that this lens was made in late 1961 or very early 1962. I have never seen a lens from Yashica “in the wild” with such a low number. 400 = focal length and the next 4 numbers are the production number 0009 meaning the 9th one made after the prototype.

Thanks for your visit! Comments are always welcome.

Chris & Carol ^.^