‘Jolly’ from Disney’s 101 Dalmatians
Have a beautiful day and thanks for stopping by! – Chris
Tag Photography
Pentamatic vs. Pentamatic S – Yashica’s Heavyweights
It’s time to revisit this post as it introduces new readers to the “wonders” of the Pentamatic series of SLRs from Yashica. Chris
The Pentamatic was Yashica’s first single-lens reflex (SLR) and was released in 1960 (May-June) timeframe. The Pentamatic S was released about mid to late 1961. Not much changed between the two – the S model added a built-in self-timer and most notably, a provision for mounting an exposure meter to the top right of the camera that coupled with the shutter speed dial. Other small changes were to add lugs for holding the neck strap (moving them from the extreme right and left sides of the body on the Pentamatic to a more typical front mounting on the S). Unseen from the exterior is a change to the focusing screen inside the pentaprism. The original fresnel screen in the Pentamatic was replaced with a split image screen in the model S. For me, that change makes the Pentamatic S much easier to focus and improves the brightness inside the viewfinder.
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A Flash from the Past
I picked up a box full of these vintage light bulb sized flashbulbs the other day as part of a camera purchase (Graflex Super Speed Graphic 4×5). The seller of the camera added them in as an afterthought. Looking at the screw-in bases I wonder how many people have put these in a regular lamp socket “for fun”? Not recommended as it would more than likely cause the bulb to explode and trip the circuits in the house (if it didn’t burn it down first)!
I’m thinking these things flash pretty brightly
Once I get the Graflex up and running I’ll probably give one of these a try. By the way, this batch is available in my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you’d like to add some vintage bulbs to your collection.
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.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
Yashica Pentamatic – 1960
Gettin’ its 1960s groove on with a little bit of fun in the studio.
Yashica ヤシカ Pentamatic ’35’
The Pentamatic was Yashica’s first 35mm single lens reflex (SLR) camera. For a company known for building quality twin lens reflex (TLR) cameras, it was a big step forward for them. It wouldn’t have been possible without the combined expertise of the engineers, designers, and craftspeople from Nicca Camera Company which Yashica had acquired in early 1958.
The Pentamatic with its placement of the cold shoe on the camera’s left top plate moved this clip on exposure meter away from the shutter button and film advance lever. A much more convenient location.
It’s a uniquely beautiful camera with all sorts of interesting angles and that forward facing shutter release button. (see below) The cold shoe (accessory shoe) wasn’t mounted on top of the pentaprism as was common (well most SLRs didn’t have a cold or hot shoe yet) but instead was located on the upper left side of the camera and combined with the rewind lever. (see above)
That wonderful shutter release button – right where your “trigger” finger wants to be when holding such a heavy camera.
A crop of the full-page ad from the June 1960 issue of Modern Photography. Yashica’s first public advertisement of their new SLR.
A complete set as it would have come from the factory with the exception of the lens. I swapped out the standard Tomioka made 5.5cm f/1.8 lens for this beauty.
Earliest known sales brochure (from Japan) for the Pentamatic. We’re unsure of its exact month of issue but it appears to be at least from the first half of 1960 as it talks about the cooperation between the designers at Nicca and Yashica to bring this camera to market. Many thanks to my good friend Paul Sokk for the kind use of his brochure. For more from Paul, stop by his amazing site at http://www.yashicatlr.com
Thanks for stopping by and hopefully you’ve learned a bit more about this wonderful camera from Yashica. – 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.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
Beauty and the Beast
The Canon New F-1 and New F-1 AE ’84 Olympic
The Canon New F-1 which was released in late 1981 replaced the original F-1 which made its appearance in 1971. This latest F-1 was a radical step forward for Canon’s professional camera as it incorporated many features into the camera that were previously only available as an accessory. The 1985 Los Angeles Olympics model followed in line with previous Olympic editions – 1976 Montreal and the 1980 Lake Placid.
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.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
Minolta’s Gem from the 1970s
The Minolta SR-T 102 aka SR-T Super. In its day it was considered to be one of the best all-around 35mm SLRs.
1973-1975
With proper care, these well-built cameras (and Rokkor lenses) will deliver decades of use. The shutter is mechanically timed and the battery is only needed to use the TTL light meter.
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.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
OK, Creepy 35mm Slide
This super cool 35mm slide viewer from the 1950s has an interesting surprise inside – how about a creepy scientist?
Yikes! I don’t really want to know what’s on that counter.
Full disclosure – the slide says it’s an official photograph of the Veterans Administration so I’m thinking it’s OK.
Thanks for stopping by and BTW, this is available at 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.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
Canon Photo Gear in the shop – new arrivals!
Select items from my collection of Canon photo gear are now on sale in my online shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – pop on over and check them out – you may find something that strikes your fancy. Some unique Canon items from the Summer Olympics that were held in Los Angeles in 1984 and even a hard to find 1976 Olympics lens cap from the Olympics held in Montreal.
Happy hunting!
Thank you!
Original instructions from 1981
Instruction book for the A-1 from 1981
“Action Grip” for the Canon A-1 and AE-1 Program – SOLD! Thank you!
A rather rare Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar lens with the Exa-Exakta mount – 1952
Canon fanny pack from the 1984 Olympics
Canon camera strap still new from 1984
Getting harder to find – 55mm lens cap commemorating the 1976 Olympics
Hardly ever seen here in the US – 52mm lens cap
Many more items wait to be discovered in the shop as I continue to sell off my collections of photo stuff. I’ll be listing a mint condition Yashica Mat-124G TLR soon as well as a mint condition Canon New F-1 (F-1N) LA Olympics 35mm SLR! Stay tuned.
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.
Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
The ‘Best Of’ 2018 – the most favored pics on my Flickr page
I guess it’s required to do some type of “best of” as the New Year approaches so here’s my take on it. I thought about picking my own favorites from the year but that’s too hard – so I decided to let my Flickr friends do it for me. The following images garnered the most “favorites” during the year but not necessarily the most views. Thanks to all of the followers of my blog here on WordPress – I enjoy reading your posts and I especially enjoy your comments. Peace and Happiness in the New Year! – Chris
My Flickr page can be found here
These are in no particular order and it’s obvious that I take a bunch of pics of cameras! Do you have a favorite? Please let me know in the comments section – thank you!
My favorite pic of me because it was taken by my lovely wife Carol.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a fantastic 2019 and beyond!!! – 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.
Copyright © 2015-2018 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
open for business
Christmas cactus in all its glory!
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.
Copyright © 2015-2018 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 