wordless (almost) wednesday

October 20, 2021October 20, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica Flex AS-II made in November 1954

Thanks for stopping by and have a classic day!

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.

Can a DSLR from 2007 be considered a classic camera?

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021Chris and Carol 5 Comments

I’ll answer that straight away – yes. I believe the design of the Canon EOS 40D and its cousins are in a way timeless. By today’s standards 10.1-megapixels isn’t a lot but when you get down to it it’s enough for sharp images on your computer. Most people never print their images so if you’ve got a sharp monitor you’re good.

EOS 40D

The Spirit of Photography.
Welcome to the next generation of digital SLR photography-the Canon EOS 40D. The EOS 40D combines Canon’s tremendous know-how in both the digital and photographic worlds, creating a camera that not only does everything one would expect of a traditional digital SLR, but one that incorporates staggering leaps forward in technological innovation. With new features like Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System, Live View Function, a more powerful DIGIC III Image Processor, plus a 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 3.0-inch LCD monitor and more, the EOS 40D elevates digital photography to new heights, enhancing the shooting experience, and delivering images one could only expect from a Canon.

Canon’s lineup from a Spring 2009 sales brochure.

The Canon EOS 40D is a fun camera to use even to this day. Simple. compact but built to a higher standard than the Canon EOS Rebel line. It uses any EF or EF-S lens and when paired with a modern EF-S IS lens it’s a joy to use even when shooting focal lengths up through 200-300mm.

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/cameras/support-dslr/eos-40d/eos-40d

I have this wonderful set (yep, mint condition) for sale in my online camera shop. It’s been fully tested, it’s super clean, and has only 5K shutter actuations!

Thanks for stopping by!

Minolta Maxxum 7000i aka Dynax and a-7000i

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hello all! The next camera from my collection is headed to my online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Everything was still Made in Japan with this model.

Everything has been tested with a fresh Panasonic 2CR5 battery and all is good. The flash “talks” to the camera controls making nearly automatic flash photography simple and easy. The Minolta bag is like new and so is the camera – only a few scuffs here and there on the outside finish. It’s super clean inside and out (just like all of my cameras). The AF Minolta 50mm f1.7 lens is optically clean, clear, and sharp. Two Minolta camera straps are included as is the front and rear lens caps and body cap. The eyepiece, hot-shoe cover, and 2 expansion cards are also included. What I like is just how simple this camera can be to operate in full automatic mode or go old school and go full on manual.

The Minolta 35 – updated info from Paul Sokk

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all. I wanted to share my good friend Paul Sokk’s outstanding website that mainly deals with TLR cameras made by Yashica, Paul has added a comprehensive outline and history about the early years of Minolta and concentrating his research on the Minolta 35. Here is the link to his Minolta pages. http://www.yashicatlr.com/Minolta35.html

I hope you take the time to pop on over to Paul’s site as you’ll be drawn in with his excellent facts, advertisements, charts, and of course, pictures of each model and any known varieties and types. Let me just say his works are always well researched and presented in a clear telling of the entire lineup of cameras and lenses.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Sigma Minolta 100-300mm Zoom

October 11, 2021October 11, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I discovered this wonderful lens locally as it was for sale by the original owner. This one was mated to a Minolta Maxxum 7000i 35mm SLR film camera (1988).

Awesome auto-focus telephoto zoom lens with a Minolta mount.

It’s a large lens with a wide zoom range – not heavy so it’s a joy to use.

I have this lens in my online camera shop and I’ll be listing the Minolta Maxxum 7000i shortly.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Tamron AF 28-300mm Aspherical Zoom Lens

October 5, 2021October 5, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Testing my Tamron lens on my Canon EOS 40D.

Its got everything except image stabilization which I need whenever I get above 175mm or so and or have a slow shutter speed (less than 1/125th or so (it’s an age thing).

Here’s some test shots taken with this lens and mounted on my Canon EOS 40D. The 40D is a 10.1 megapixel DSLR from 2007.

I purposely shot these wide open (f/6.3) at 300mm because that’s where a lens like this will show its weaknesses. They aren’t as sharp as I’d like but they aren’t horrible either. Everything was shot using the self timer to trip the shutter and of course the camera was mounted on a tripod. This lens will perform better at f/11 and a bit shy of 300mm I would think. That will be my next test. Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!

New members in my digital “family” – chasing modern classics.

October 3, 2021October 4, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A couple of 10.1 megapixel cameras from Canon. On the left the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi and on the right the Canon EOS 40D.

Collecting digital cameras from the mid to late 2000s can be a fun activity as these cameras are being replaced by modern mirrorless digital cameras. I would consider the Rebel as an entry level DSLR and the 40D as a true almost pro-level DSLR. The good news is that these cameras use the common Canon EF lenses.

Do you have a favorite digital camera from the 2000s? Are these worthy enough to be called modern classics? Let us know in comments section. Thank you for stopping by and have a great day!

Yashica Binoculars – 1962

September 25, 2021September 25, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

This is a scan from the 1962 Australian importer Swift & Bleakley Camera & Accessory Catalogue. As discussed in a previous post, it is likely Yashica did not make binoculars that they sold under their name. It appears that was a common practice during the 1960s and 1970s. Most Japanese camera manufacturers had minor accessories like binoculars and tripods made by outside contractors who may or may not have built the items to Yashica’s specifications. My guess is that most of these binoculars listed above were only slightly modified from existing stock items. It’s no knock on Yashica since their reputation was made by building high-quality cameras and selling them at the lowest possible price and counting on volume to make their profits. It’s quite possible that Yashica still made a nice profit by reselling these binoculars banking on their good name to sell them to already established Yashica brand customers.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Friday Fotos! – Yashica Binoculars

September 24, 2021September 24, 2021Chris and Carol 1 Comment

I don’t usually collect binoculars but sometimes you come across a pair that scream “buy me”! These rather rare binoculars did just that. Of course, it helps that they carry the Yashica brand. Yashica binoculars enjoy a good reputation as being of high-quality with exceptionally good optics.

These lovely miniature binoculars are of the reverse Porro prism design and are in mint condition especially considering they were likely made in the early 1960s (maybe the late 1950s) not by Yashica but by a very well-known maker of binoculars the Seiwa Kogaku Company of Tokyo.

Japan imposed strict guidelines on the manufacture of binoculars and telescopes. These guidelines stated that binoculars were to be of the highest quality and be able to pass extensive testing and quality control procedures. As such, the original maker had to stamp in the metal casing their unique manufacturer’s mark regardless of the final branding.

Assembly manufacturer’s mark J-B93 is for the Seiwa Kogaku Company. There’s a secondary mark on the casting J-E50 for Tanaka Koki Seisakujo, Inc.

7 x 28 Extra Wide Angle. The optics are bright and clear. Focusing is a bit stiff but that’s expected as the original grease starts to dry out after all these years.

The beautiful felt lined leather case still looks new.

28 mm objective lenses. Kinda cute from this angle.

Excellent craftsmanship on the leather case and surprisingly all the stitches are tight.

Usually the bottom of a leather case takes a lot of abuse but this one is almost pristine. I haven’t been able to find another inspection sticker on the binoculars just this one on the case. The letters look like “E.G.M.C.J.” to me. I’ve seen this sticker on the bottom of other leather cases made in Japan and on the bottom of a wood serving tray made in Japan. My best guess is “Export Graded something Center Japan”.

The binoculars are very compact due to their optical design but are still rather heavy at just over one pound (490 grams). Thanks for stopping by and I hope to write more soon. Have a great day and evening!

Yashica 635 – Yashica’s dual format camera

September 17, 2021September 17, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

In my opinion, Yashica was the hands down leader in producing twin-lens reflex cameras starting in the early 1950s right up until the mid 1980s when the last TLR rolled off the assembly lines. In between there were some very important milestones achieved by Yashica. One of which is the Yashica 635. My good friend Paul Sokk has an excellent site dedicated to everything you’d ever want to know about Yashica so I’d invite you to visit his 635 pages at http://www.yashicatlr.com/66ModelsPage6.html#yashica635

Yashica 635 Instruction Booklet back cover.

One way to figure out when Yashica may have printed an instruction booklet is by the date code in this case printed on the lower left on the back cover. Not all instruction booklets released by Yashica had an obvious date code but in my experience quite a few did especially from the mid-1960s onward. In this example the 691 D 5Y 16 contains the date. I have high confidence that the 691 indicates the year and month 1969 January.

In this example, the serial number begins with 9 and the date code is ***691*** from the cover pictured above.

Here are a couple of additional examples (below).

In the example above, 673 is simply decodes to 1967 March which the hand written serial number 7041480 bears out. The first digit 7 is the year that camera was made. Typically cameras sat around in camera shops or distributer’s warehouses for a while before they were sold. This camera wasn’t sold until January 1969. TLRs were not as popular by the late 1960s as the rise in popularity of the 35mm SLR cut into sales in a big way. I’m sure this camera was heavily discounted by the time it sold.

So pull out your Yashica Instruction Booklets and have a go at “dating” your camera. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn. Feel free to contact me here for a go at your camera and instruction booklet. BTW, Canon was fantastic at printing easy to decode dates on their booklets and in their cameras, lenses, and accessories.

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