One of our favorites – along the south bank of the St. Johns River in almost downtown Jacksonville.
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4 and Fujifilm FinePix S9900W
Chris
Tag Photography
Photo Gear No More – the ones we regret.
As collectors, Carol and I have to make some tough decisions from time to time (actually a lot). While we would love to own every camera, lens and photo thingy that strikes our fancy, we, like most people, have a budget. Well not really a budget per se as a budget requires planning and thought – something we rarely do. What we have in reality is limited space (and funds) just like most people. Compromises must be made – negotiations entered into and decisions rendered.
So our collection is a dynamic thing – a living, breathing thing that must be fed and then purged. Buy – play with – cherish and then sell. Here (in no particular order) is some of the gear that we wish we still owned…
Canon FD 17mm f4 super wide angle lens ⇓
Why? It was in mint new condition with no issues. The glass was pristine and we had the proper Canon lens hood and both Canon lens caps (and case). It just didn’t wow us! I had always wanted it since day one (1978) and had to settle on a Canon Fd 24mm wide angle instead due to the silly cost of the thing. I LOVE the 24mm – it is one of my most widely used Canon lenses. When we finally got this 17mm in 2014 and shot with it, well, nothing special. The images weren’t dramatic enough to justify owning it so it was sold. Why the regret now? We didn’t give it a fair shot. Maybe we shot a roll and a half with it. Not enough time really. The other reason – when it’s mint you freak out all the time about messing it up and messing with the resale value. Stupid reason but it happens.
Asahi Pentax Spotmatic with the Takumar f1.4 lens ⇓
Why? Beautiful camera in nearly perfect condition. We’ve always appreciated the early Asahi Pentax 35mm SLRs and this one fell into our hands. We would have rather had a working H2 or something along those lines but none were available at that time. Why the regret now? See above. Another case of a mint camera (for the collection) and unlikely that we’d ever shoot with it. Now we wish we had kept it to at least shoot some film with it. Oh well, it’s gone and unlikely to be replaced.
Nikonos II ⇓
Why? It was my first ever 35mm camera! Purchased new by me in 1971. I took it everywhere and used it both above and below the surface of the water constantly. She was in great shape when I sold it in 2011- my SCUBA diving days were over and no reason to keep it. Right? Wrong! My regret is purely nostalgic. My first 35mm camera! What was I thinking!!! It’s still the only Nikon I’ve ever bought!
Canon T70 35mm SLR ⇓
Why? Built-in motor drive, multiple auto exposure modes and drop dead simple to use. Uses the complete family of Canon FD lenses and exposures were as accurate as our A-1. Why the regret? We’ve owned about 10 of them over the years and have used them extensively. We’re just used to the little beasts and this happens after each acquisition and sale. We begin to miss that goofy style and its other quirks. (This one was sold to a collector in Australia).
Fujifilm XP100 FinePix go anywhere digital camera ⇓
Why? Fun little Fuji that we often took to the beach for some awesome surf shots – plus it’s a cool green! We made some neat videos with it too – great images and sound. I decided to sell it as we didn’t need a closet full of seldom used digital cameras. They become relics quickly in the fast paced world of pixel capturing. We regret it now whenever we’re at the beach and the waves are killer!
Asahi Pentax 6×7 medium format camera ⇓
Why? A gem of a camera! Mint condition and it took some stunning pics! Eye-level finder with meter and we had the big wooden hand grip and at least 2 new lenses for it too. Weighs like 2 kilotons or close to it! The 6×7 format can enlarge very nicely and the Super Takumar lenses were sharp. Why the regret? We can’t find one as nice to replace it without spending crazy money and we let ours go for too little. We have a Fujica GW-690 now so the need for the 6×7 format is lessened. Besides, the Fujica is as beat to hell as anything we own and that’s a good thing. No worries about scratching it up so we actually use it.
Canon FD 300mm f4 telephoto lens ⇓
Why, why, why? We bought it because we’ve always wanted that focal length and couldn’t afford what we really wanted – the FD 300mm f2.8 L white lens. Another case of a mint condition lens that looked like it was made yesterday. In reality it was a dark lens (f4) and a bit clumsy to use. We used it mostly on a tripod and our little town is not a telephoto town. What we mean by that is that our town is made for wide angle shots (old buildings with lots of details) and not tripod mounted lenses. Plus I’m just too old to hand hold 300mm lenses anymore and don’t want to be bothered straining my neck with it. The regret? I wish I could still hand hold a 300mm lens damn it!!! Actually I still want the f2.8!
So there you have it. Certainly it’s not all the gear we miss – just a small sample. If we can round up the images of some of the others there may be a part two.
Do you have a favorite piece of gear that you regret selling (or heaven forbid, gave away)? Let us know. Thanks
Chris and Carol ^.^
I See Red – Fujica DL-20
Pretty little Fujica DL-20 from 1983.
The world’s first 35mm drop-in loading camera! Simply load your Fujifilm cartridge into the opening on the bottom, close the back – and your Fujica will do the rest!
Features a Fujinon 38mm f/4 lens with built-in lens and viewfinder cover.
Released in March 1983 in Japan, it was also known as the ‘Auto Mate’.
Original list price in Japan was 30,000 JPY.
Shutter fires from 1/100 to 1/300 of a second.
Also released at the same time the more feature packed DL-100 (Auto Ace).
Solid little thing! Thick plastic everywhere and a bright red finish too!
Manually set ISO settings (100 & 400). 3 zone focusing. Auto exposure (EE).
Built-in electronic flash.
Push the film cartridge into the opening on the camera’s left side with about 5 cm of film extended – close the back and it auto loads the film.
Cute centerfold art… love the image on the far right!
Weighs in at 300 g. Fits nicely in your hand (although a bit small for me) and fits in a coat pocket with ease. A simple, compact 35mm point and shoot camera from Fuji Photo Film.
We don’t know if we’re going to shoot the Acros first or load up some bright Fujicolor. Soon we hope!
Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S9900W
Thanks for stopping by!
Chris
Thank You!
Carol and I would just like to say thank you to everyone who’s stopped by our blog over these past 2 years! It’s been a pleasure sharing our little bits of knowledge with you all and what a joy it is to read your wonderful posts!
Die hard Mets fans and lifelong photographers – Chris and Carol.
What’s been reaffirmed for us is that the world isn’t falling apart – that it isn’t filled with just hateful people with horrible agendas. Caring people are everywhere…
Positive thoughts and actions, kindness, sincerity and charity to those less fortunate leads to true happiness in life (a loving partner helps to). An endless supply of old cameras to play with doesn’t hurt either!
To the amazing people who follow us, we hope we add a bit of fun to your day and maybe we’ve turned you onto an old Yashica or two along the way! The number of visits our blog gets from around the world just blows us away! It would be easier to list the countries that haven’t visited yet rather than the ones that have.
To the people we follow – thanks for sharing your knowledge with us and the rest of the blogging world! We’ve learned so much from your posts and marvel at the images in your blogs. Inspirational to say the least!
Thank you! Thank you!
Chris and Carol ^.^
Yashica Flex AS-II by Yashima Optical
One of the original group of 6 cameras that Yashica (Yashima Optical Industries Company, Ltd.) made in the early to mid 1950s. This AS-II was introduced in 1954 and featured a built-in (well, attached) light meter. They’re solid cameras these early Yashica TLRs, and in our opinion, had some underrated features as well as great lenses. The light meter was made by Sekonic by the way.
Yashica Flex AS-II with built-in light meter (just visible on the camera’s left side). The light meter’s cells were located under the nameplate and were exposed by lifting up the nameplate flap.
The AS-II featured Yashimar lenses that were made by Tomioka Optical for Yashica. A Copal shutter with a blazing fast 1/200 top speed!
If you’re in the market for a vintage Yashica TLR then the AS-II should be on your list. Be advised that most will not have a working light meter – if you get one with one it’s a bonus. They are a bit hard to find – 63 year old cameras don’t often look this good or work perfectly. We were lucky as we were able to purchase this one from a collector in the US for a reasonable price.
Taken on the US Post Office steps in downtown Fernandina Beach, Florida. The post office dates to 1911.
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4
Chris
Cool Signs
As seen on an abandoned souvenir shop along a Florida highway. At first glance I thought that they sold film and what not as they were the first stop in extreme Northeast Florida for southbound tourists. Cold drinks, smokes, candy, stuffed gators and Florida junk like that. But I got to thinking that it might have meant films as in movie films. This building was left to rot many decades ago and right next door is a closed motel on the same property. Some locals say that the souvenier shop showed movies from time to time for the guests at the motel and some of the bored to death locals. Makes sense as it was in the middle of nowhere and back in the 1960s or earlier that would be a draw.
Anyway, cool old faded signage regardless of what went on. ^.^
Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S9900W, Samsung Galaxy S4
Chris
Yashica Moves to a New Factory 1972
We’ll be the first to admit – not an exciting title or topic for a blog. It may even be a stretch for a blog named the ‘Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic’. But we feel compelled to share information about the Yashica Company, however slight and trivial, with our dear readers.
Yashica’s first factory was along the shores of beautiful Lake Suwa in the small town of Suwa. The next location (from Yashica brochures) was in Shimosuwa-machi, Suwa-gun, Nagano Prefecture. This was the industrial campus of Yashica and it grew over the years to occupy almost every square meter of the property.
Opened in 1956 along the shores of Lake Suwa in Nagano.
A different view of the same campus. Yashica was running out of room by the mid-1960s.
Back cover of the Yashica TL Electro-X ITS instruction booklet. The booklet was printed in Japan in June 1972.
At the time of the printing of the above book, Yashica was operating 3 factories. The top line that begins with the Yashica ‘Y’ on the far left is the address of the main headquarters of Yashica which was in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. The next line is the location of the Suwa plant – Shimosuwa. The third line is the new plant in Okaya which was still in Nagano Prefecture. The 4th line was an unknown (to us until recently) factory in Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture (southwest of Tokyo and just west of Yokohama). As you can see, Yashica operated at least 14 other sales offices and service centers across Japan in mid-1972.
Back cover of the Yashinon Lenses & Accessories booklet printed in Japan in January 1973.
Between June 1972 (the first book above) and January 1973 (the second book above), Yashica closed its campus and factory in Shimosuwa. The only factories listed are the new Okaya factory and the Sagamihara factory. That was a big move for Yashica and as we understand it, they had purchased the old silk mill in Okaya as far back as 1959. As of this book, Yashica did not close any of its other sales offices listed from the previous book.
The factory was officially dedicated in December 1972. According to Yashica documents, the factory didn’t achieve full production until late 1974 or early 1975.
The Yashica Okaya factory complex in the summer of 1974.
Why is any of this important? It isn’t unless you’re a Yashica Fanatic like us. Oh, it did have a strong ripple effect on the company though. Japan was in a bit of an economic slowdown in the early 1970s and it came to a head in late 1974 for Yashica. Mismanagement and embezzlement (and the costly move) caused Yashica to lay off workers – unheard of in Japan at the time. They closed the Sagamihara factory which put 900 Yashica employees out of work. That had an effect on the factory at Okaya and Yashica was soon in deep financial trouble. Their cameras were still top notch but the first warning shots about their future were fired.
It is my understanding that Mr. Shiro Kaneko was installed as the new president of Yashica by the Nissho-Iwai Company (Yashica’s distributor) and by the Taiyo Kobe Bank which by 1974 had put its full financial resources behind Yashica’s new marketing efforts.
Thanks for your visit! Hope you got a little something out of it. – Chris
Serious Photography!
If you’re a regular reader (or curious visitor) you’ve hopefully picked up that we (Chris & Carol) enjoy sharing images of cameras that have crossed our paths over these many years. You may have also noticed that while we post countless images of cameras, lenses and what not, we’re not overly technical when it comes to photo gear. We’re not going to “beat you over the head” with needless specs of the gear we share – just (hopefully) good imagery of the wide-world of photography.
With that said, we’d like to share an image of a camera that never fails to make us smile –
Our son Timothy’s first (and only) camera – a Pikachu 35mm with genuine Pokemons inside! Tim just loved this camera and it’s an important part of our collection still.
As always, many thanks for your visit. We hope it made you smile – after all, that’s what photography is all about…
Chris & Carol and Pikachu and Ash too!
Yashica J-7 …1966 / update 1
The last in Yashica’s “J” series of 35mm single-lens reflex cameras. These wonderful cameras carried Yashica through the dynamic changes in 35mm photography during that decade.
The J-7 is not a common camera. We don’t have a feel for the amount of sales for this model. The Yashica TL Electro-X was on the horizon – the J-7 was the last of the old technology bodies. Soon thru-the-lens (TTL) metering would turn things around for Yashica.
Here’s a photo essay of this classic and classy camera…
Yashica J-7 35mm SLR film camera. The last of the ‘Penta J’ series of cameras from Yashica. The J-3, J-4, J-5 and then the J-7. All were well-designed heavyweights… lots of brass and glass. No TTL metering.
Also of note is that this is the first time that Yashica lists “Yashica Trading Co., Ltd.” at its Jingumae, Shibuya-ku headquarters. The J-7 was the last of the “J” series and the TL-Super was Yashica’s first TTL exposure metered 35mm SLR.
There are two slight variations on the TL-Super. Version 1 is shown here. Look closely at the film advance lever… it is all silver very similar to the J-3. On the Version 2 of the TL-Super the lever is very similar to the later TL-Electro X with part of the lever silver and the rest black plastic.
CdS light meter sensor “window”.
Rare complete set with the original box.
The J-7 is about as hard to find (in nice condition) as the J-4. The J-5 and J-3 being the most common. Each model makes a very fine camera to get into film photography with as most average (working) bodies going for well less than $50. Since the Yashica uses the universal M42 screw-in lens mount, there’s a whole world of outstanding lenses to choose from and not break the bank.
Good luck!
Chris and Carol ^.^
Pentamatic II Brochure
We finally have our proof that the original Pentamatic ’35’ and the Pentamatic II were advertised and sold in the Japanese domestic market. This brochure is dated February 1961 which va…
Source: Pentamatic II Brochure
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 