Yashica in Hong Kong

May 16, 2020May 22, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s known that Yashica had a presence in Hong Kong very early on but the establishment of an actual factory in Hong Kong didn’t happen until around 1968. A friend of mine on Flickr has spotted a rather unique marking on the back of his Yashica Minister III which was released early 1966.

Just to the right of the viewfinder, this Yashica Minister III has a seldom seen marking indicating that the camera was in some way processed in Hong Kong. Image courtesy of Graham Buxton-Smith.

BTW, the serial number decodes to 8 = 1968, 3 = March, 1816 = number 1,816 made that month. The “H” does not necessarily indicate Hong Kong.

Minister III from the mid-1960s. Image courtesy of Graham Buxton-Smith. The camera on the left has the Hong Kong markings.

Apparently, before Yashica operated a full-scale factory in Hong Kong it appears that they may have sent partially completed cameras there for final assembly. Usually, it would have “Assembled in Hong Kong” or simply “Hong Kong” on the camera. I’ve seen “assembled in Hong Kong from parts made in Japan” before but not engraved anywhere on the camera body. My best guess is that Yashica was attempting to save on labor costs or import fees by doing so. By the way, the “H” before the serial number in this example may not indicate Hong Kong. It’s been reported that some cameras have been spotted with the “H” but engraved Japan. More investigation is needed.

Courtesy of Paul Sokk at http://www.yashicatlr.com

By 1986 Yashica stopped making the Yashica Mat 124G. Notice that at the top of this address list it says Kyocera Corporation vice Yashica. Yashica was acquired by Kyocera in 1983.

So, not a significant discovery but an interesting one to a Yashicaphile. Has anyone else spotted a Yashica with “Processed in Hong Kong” before? If you’ve had please share that info with me here or at ccphotographyai@gmail.com – Thanks, Chris

Our camera shop can be found at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa – 1951

May 14, 2020May 14, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A wonderful classic 35mm rangefinder camera made in Stuttgart by the Zeiss Ikon company in 1951. The Contax was for a time a strong competitor and innovator with the likes of Leica.

This lens shade is an A42 slip-on hood.

This brochure was printed in February 1954.

Outstanding features for its time. The date is the last 3 digits on the lower left side 2-54.

Zeiss Ikon AG Stuttgart A 42 1115 lens shade for the Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/ 1.5 50mm lens.

Only $2.50 originally back in April 1954.

Thanks for stopping by and if you’re looking for an underappreciated 35mm rangefinder with an awesome lens then give the Contax IIa and IIIa a try. – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

wordless wednesday

May 13, 2020May 14, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

IMG_20181227_0008

IMG_20170316_0008

IMG_20170316_0006

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Macro Monday – blossom

May 11, 2020May 11, 2020Chris and Carol 3 Comments

Playing amongst the blossoms from Mother’s Day.

DSCF8775

DSCF8768

DSCF8777 DSCF8779

A beautiful bouquet of flowers from our daughter Lindsay for Mother’s Day.

My Fujifilm FinePix S9900W handled the contrasty lighting well. Little or no post-production necessary. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Our camera shop is always open at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Happy SUNday! – Mother’s Day Memories

May 10, 2020May 10, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Chris and Mary

My mom and me at Jensen Beach, Florida in December 1976. Photo by Carol with my Yashica TL Electro X on Kodak Ektachrome color slide film. Always thinking of you especially on this day.

Have a beautiful and safe day everyone. Thanks for stopping by. – Chris

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.

wordless wednesday

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

monolith

misty sunset

Have a beautiful, happy, and safe day. Thanks for stopping by – Chris

Pop on over to my camera shop and have a look-see what I have – http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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.

Minolta SR-T 201 35mm SLR

May 4, 2020May 4, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

One of the workhorses of the mid to late 1970s – the Minolta SR-T 201 is built like a tank (and weighs just slightly less) and its design shouts basic but functional. A perfect camera for a beginning film photographer.

Natural light from a north-facing window softened the look of the vintage chrome.

The Minolta SRT 201 was in production between 1975 and 1981 which is a pretty long run for such a basic camera. The competition at that time was fierce between Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and even Yashica for solid SLRs that wouldn’t break the bank. Minolta had a good reputation for delivering value and its Rokkor lenses (this one takes the MD mount) in a wide range of focal lengths. maximum apertures, and budgets. Excellent quality used Rokkor lenses that would fit this camera are plentiful in online auction sites.

It comes in a black and white version too!

DSCF8253

A simple top plate with easy to adjust controls.

So why is this Minolta perfect for a first-time film shooter? It’s pretty much as manual as you can get – the button type battery powers the built-in TTL (thru-the-lens) exposure meter but the shutter is completely mechanical with speeds from ‘B’ (bulb) to 1/1000th of a second. If you choose to meter with a phone app or hand-held exposure meter then you don’t even need the battery. The viewfinder is bright and it displays the selected shutter speed across the bottom and a match needle indicator along the right side.

DSCF8259 (2)

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to pop on over to my camera shop to see what I’ve got in stock. Visit http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris

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.

In the Shop – New Arrivals for May

May 3, 2020May 3, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! I hope you are doing well and staying safe. Here are some items that I’ve listed in my camera shop recently which can be visited by popping over to http://www.ccstudio2380.com

snip may 3

snip may 3 a

Lots more in the shop and a big thank you all for stopping by! – Chris

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.

Happy SUNday! – Toy Trains

May 3, 2020May 3, 2020Chris and Carol 1 Comment

Lionel locomotives from the 1950s.

Have a beautiful day and be safe! – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com for all of your photo needs including cameras, film, and other photographic collectibles.

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.

Friday Fotos! – Classic Rangefinders

May 1, 2020May 1, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Image courtesy of Paul Sokk www.yashicatlr.com

Recently my good friend Paul Sokk added this wonderful Leica IIIc to his collection of 35mm rangefinder cameras from the late 1940s and 1950s. The Leica is an original design made in Germany and the Nicca and Leotax are considered copies or clones made in Japan.

The Leica IIIc (front) is from 1946-47, the Nicca 3-F (middle) is from 1956, and the Leotax K is from 1955-58. These cameras use what is known as L39 (LTM) screw mount lenses of which literally thousands were made and thousands are still available today in a wide range of focal lengths.

If you’re looking to get into film photography with a totally manual camera then these should be on your list to take a closer look at.

On the left, the Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa and on the right the Nicca built Tower Type-3.

Pictured above are a couple of contenders from 1951. The Contax is an original design from the 1930s and was manufactured in Germany. The Tower branded camera was made by Nicca in Japan and features a Nippon Kogaku Nikkor f/ 2 5cm lens. The Contax sports a Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/ 1.5 50mm lens. The Contax also has an attached selenium cell exposure meter that can be useful for setting the correct aperture and shutter speed. A word of caution about these 70-year-old meters, if they are working (responding to light) then assume that it’s not accurate until you can check it against a modern meter. Most of these types of meters have long since failed.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa with selenium meter (top center) flap opened.

Paul’s beautiful Leica IIIc

Paul’s gorgeous Leotax F with Topcor f/ 3.5 5cm lens.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope my post stirs some interest in these wonderful cameras. I do have a Tower (Nicca) set available in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you care to take a look at it, pop on over.

Take care and stay safe! – Chris

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

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Tag Photography

Yashica in Hong Kong

It’s known that Yashica had a presence in Hong Kong very early on but the establishment of an actual factory in Hong Kong didn’t happen until around 1968. A friend of mine on Flickr has spotted a rather unique marking on the back of his Yashica Minister III which was released early 1966.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa – 1951

A wonderful classic 35mm rangefinder camera made in Stuttgart by the Zeiss Ikon company in 1951. The Contax was for a time a strong competitor and innovator with the likes of Leica.

wordless wednesday

Macro Monday – blossom

Playing amongst the blossoms from Mother’s Day.

Happy SUNday! – Mother’s Day Memories

wordless wednesday

Minolta SR-T 201 35mm SLR

One of the workhorses of the mid to late 1970s – the Minolta SR-T 201 is built like a tank (and weighs just slightly less) and its design shouts basic but functional. A perfect camera for a beginning film photographer.

In the Shop – New Arrivals for May

Hi all! I hope you are doing well and staying safe. Here are some items that I’ve listed in my camera shop recently which can be visited by popping over to http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Happy SUNday! – Toy Trains

Friday Fotos! – Classic Rangefinders