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.
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.
This wonderful set sold to another collector a while back but I wish I still had it in my collection! Oh well, it’s time to look for another one. – Chris
New in my shop today is this awesome Canon New F-1 with AE Finder FN, Canon FD 50mm f1.8 Lens and the Official 35mm Camera of the 1984 Olympic Games Lens Cap (plus all boxes, straps, caps, instruction booklets, warranty cards).
This is the first time that this set has been offered for sale and it’s in nearly perfect cosmetic condition and in 100% fully working (tested) condition.
The best Canon SLR to come out of the early 1980s – by far!
The Canon New F-1 with AE Finder FN is a professional camera that combines a balance between the electronic and mechanical worlds – its electromechanical hybrid shutter provides greater overall accuracy and a wider range of shutter speeds. If the battery fails, you can continue shooting at any of the high speeds or B, all of which are mechanically controlled. A new Energizer battery has been installed and…
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.
My Yashica LM as seen on my Burke & James Press 4 x 5 camera’s focusing screen.
Yashica LM from 1957.Yashica LM complete set.
The Yashica LM has a “built-in” exposure meter that’s attached to the camera’s left side. It’s a selenium cell meter so no batteries are required but after 60 years most have stopped working. This one still works! For more about all Yashica TLRs, visit my good friend Paul Sokk’s site at http://www.yashicatlr.com/66ModelsPage4.html#yashicalm
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.
My Teac A-4300SX from 1977 is close to being used again after sitting for at least 20 years! I just need to lubricate a couple of rollers and check the drive belt(s) inside. I know that it powers up so that’s a good start. I purchased it while I was stationed in Japan in the late 1970s at the Yokosuka Base Navy Exchange (Building A-33). Every WestPac Sailor knows A-33!
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.
Yashica-635 twin-lens reflex, dual-format film camera from 1958 and the Yashica Pentamatic-S (with no model number exposure meter) from 1961.
Both were groundbreaking cameras for Yashica in the late 1950s and early 1960s as Yashica made steps to broaden its offerings.
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 added this lovely Canon AV-1 to my online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. If you’re not familiar with this model it’s worth your time to read a bit more about it as it has some very interesting features and is super simple to use (it’s a great camera to use when you’re just starting into film photography).
This one is from 1981. A nearly perfect example of this not often seen Canon 35mm SLR. The AV-1 (Aperture Value) camera is pretty unique in that you select the aperture you want on the FD lens and then the camera selects the proper shutter speed for true auto exposure photography. The AV-1 accepts all of Canon’s FD mount lenses (tons of them to choose from) and works directly with the dedicated Canon Speedlites like the 133A, 155A, 177A, and 199A.
This one is in collector’s condition – it’s that nice.Load the film, set the ASA (far left dial) adjust the shutter dial (red A), pick an aperture (here it’s set to f8) compose and focus your subject then fire away.The AV-1 accepts all of Canon’s FD mount lenses which is a bunch!The AV-1 uses an easy-to-find and not expensive 6v A544 battery that’s sold pretty much everywhere. I buy these batteries online in groups of 5 to save even more.
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.
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 