Yashica L AF vs. Kyocera T Scope

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

In case you missed this post the first time around here’s another look at these two exceptional cameras by Yashica-Kyocera.

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Round 1 – The Introduction

The Yashica-Kyocera L AF from 1986 and the Kyocera T Scope (Japanese name, T3 elsewhere). The L AF was assembled in Hong Kong with parts made in Japan and the T Scope was made in Japan.

Key feature – waterproof (more like weatherproof) – not a dive camera.

kyocera t scope

N.A. Scope = “New Angle Scope”

The scope is just like a waist-level finder – pretty cool actually.

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I’ll be doing a side by side field test of these two cameras shortly. Is the T3 really worth the extra money over the Yashica? The T Scope features a Carl Zeiss T* Series Tessar f/2.8 35mm lens against the Yashica (Tomioka?) f/3.5 32mm lens. I have a hunch that the Yashica’s lens was also made by Zeiss at the Tomioka factory in Tokyo. We’ll see if the vaunted T* coating makes a noticeable difference.

Not often seen…

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Hi! Mickey Mouse – Fuji Fun

May 2, 2019May 2, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Fujifilm Hi! Mickey Mouse MD – released March 1995 for sale in Japan.

The camera set sold for ¥6,300 and this one was purchased at Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo in December 1995.

Fixed focus Fujinon f8 33mm lens with a shutter speed of 1/100

This was one of the early officially licensed Mickey cameras from Fuji Photo Film Company. It sold for ¥5,800

Fuji Hi! Mickey Mouse – released in December 1989 for sale in the home market. This simple point and shoot 35mm camera is based on the Fuji Bene camera that was also only available in Japan.

Not autofocus but fixed focus – Fujinon f9.5 35mm lens with a shutter speed of 1/100

They are both as simple as simple can be – load film, compose, click. As with most all of the basic Fuji cameras, it produces an acceptable image especially under full sun with fast film or with the flash.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com for a nice assortment of classic cameras and vintage photo gear. – 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.

Fuji’s Modern Classic – Discovery Mini Dual Date 35mm P&S Camera

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

If you’ve been a regular follower of this blog you know that my interests extend beyond just collecting Yashica cameras. One of my passions is collecting still “new in the box” 35mm cameras from the Fuji Photo Film Company – both Fuji and Fujifilm branded 35mm compact camera sets.

Today in my camera shop I’m happy to make available this wonderful Fuji set originally sold through Ritz Camera here in the US. (original sales receipt included)

The Fuji Discovery Mini Dual Date 35mm compact point & shoot camera is one of my favorites – it features a simple button that switches between a 28mm wide-angle Fujinon lens to a more normal focal length 45mm lens. Even the viewfinder switches to show the different view with the lens. Like most of the sets I offer, this one is completely new and in mint condition and has been fully tested with fresh batteries (included).

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You’ll get everything pictured here – I’ve kept the original Fujifilm color film that came with the kit (expired) and the original CR123 lithium battery (likely expired) but I’ve added a brand new lithium battery as well as a new Sony button battery for the date/time functions. (which have been set) DSCF9432

The camera is a beauty and with all of its features, it qualifies as a modern classic in my book. The Fujinon f3.5 28mm wide-angle lens is fast and sharp and the f5.5 45mm lens is a perfect normal lens for general photography. I’ve used this model in the past and the 28mm lens and autofocus and autoexposure make it a great street camera capable of some nice candids while roaming the streets (use Neopan 100 for some great mood shots).

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The camera is based on the Fuji Cardia Travel Mini Dual – P that sells in Japan – the US model dropped the panorama mode otherwise they’re the same.

28/45mm Motorized Dual Lens
Drop-in Film Loading
Film Prewinding
Auto Focus
Auto Flash with 3 Modes
Date or Time Printing Capability
Close-ups to 18 inches
Landscape Button

This fun to use set will come with a genuine Fuji custom camera case, a lens cleaning kit, a photography guide booklet by Fuji, a Fuji photo album, a roll of Fujifilm and the batteries. It’s ready to go right out of the box! Guaranteed!

The date and time functions have been set and I’ve installed a new Sony button battery.

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It can be purchased directly here by clicking on the payment button – this set will ship FOR FREE in the USA and I’ll ship it worldwide with a few exceptions. Please ask for a shipping quote first.

More details can be found at http://www.ccstudio2380.com and of course, it can be purchased directly from there too.

Fuji Discovery Mini Dual Date 35mm Compact Camera Outfit

Complete Fuji Discovery 35mm compact camera outfit - made in Japan in late 1990. This kit is a Ritz Camera special and comes with everything pictured. It's ready to shoot with right out of the box! Guaranteed! It's getting super hard to find camera sets like this that are still considered new and unused. It's the best way to experience 35mm film photography and not break the bank. This set mails to the USA FOR FREE - worldwide shipping available... please ask for a quote. Thanks for looking! Chris

$98.00

A Fun Sized Camera from Fuji Photo

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019Chris and Carol 3 Comments

Modern APS (Advanced Photo System) film cameras get no love in today’s world. The film is no longer made (but it’s still readily available) and the cameras seem quaint by 35mm camera standards.

But these late 1990s and early 2000s cameras were and are quite sophisticated. Here’s a rather nice one (it’s actually brand new and never used) from Fuji Photo – the Fujifilm Nexia 250ixZ which was released in July 2001. From what I can tell there were about 16 different Nexia models from Fujifilm that featured a zoom lens and another 8 models with a fixed focal length lens. That’s a bunch of APS cameras produced within a few years of one another.

At ¥23,000 it listed for just under $200 here in the US. It has a nice bright centered viewfinder.

The 250ixZ uses one CR123 battery which is still available at a fair price. The APS film cartridge is as easy as it gets – open the compartment and drop it in – no messing with the film itself. The camera has a switch which can adjust the image from a normal shot, wide-angle and a kinda panorama view (C,H,P).

APS cameras with “MRC” feature the ability for mid-roll film changes which is quite handy. This model includes date/time imprinting.

It featured a Fujinon Z 23-57.5 mm zoom lens with a somewhat slow f6.7-11 aperture. 5 elements in 5 groups. When the built-in lens cover is slid open the flash pops up and the zoom is activated. It’s small (like all APS cameras) and weighs in at 175 grams.

These APS cameras are available for pennies on the dollar and sometimes still “new in the box” sets become available on Etsy and eBay. If you’re looking for something a bit different in film shooting I highly recommend giving an APS camera a try. Remember that the film is no longer made so anything you buy is expired. How expired and the storage conditions will determine the final look to your pictures.

The 250ixZ far left, the 3200ixZ in the center and the 4200ixZ on the right. A camera for every budget!

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.

Daily ‘Fuji-Fix’ the Fuji DL-150

June 12, 2018June 12, 2018Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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Sharp little point and shoot from 1986. For more click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Konica Kanpa! – A fun ‘Party Camera’ that takes your picture when you yell, “Kanpai!”

February 4, 2018February 4, 2018Chris and Carol 4 Comments

Confused??? Don’t be. Here’s a fun little 35mm film camera made by Konica in 1989. It’s called the Kanpai – essentially “cheers”. It’s a voice-activated camera that was designed to attach to a special mini tripod that allowed the camera to swivel (up to 100 degrees) and would take a picture whenever someone at a party yelled “cheers!” or whatever.

Part of our “Modern Classics” and “Plastic Fantastics” collection of film cameras.

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The microphone on the front of the camera (the 3 little holes next to the microphone icon) adjusts to the ambient sounds of a party and would then “listen” for when someone yelled “cheers” or whatever – it would then operate a small motor in the base which would turn the camera (when attached to the dedicated tripod) towards that sound and snap a picture. The lights above the microphone indicate the level of ambient sound and some degree of sensitivity.

The “framing monitor” is simply an optical waist level finder. The LCD indicates the selectivity and sensitivity (little Pac-Man looking thingy) of the microphone and how far the camera rotates to capture an image when attached to the dedicated tripod.

Not the original tripod – no cute shoes (yet).

konica kanpai 1

From a Konica press release: “One of three sound-level settings can be chosen. When used on low, the shutter is automatically released after 11 minutes and every three minutes thereafter even if no sound is detected, or when it detects a moderate noise level lasting at least 0.2 seconds. On medium and high sound-level settings, however, the camera fires only when responding to sounds with durations of 0.3 and 0.5 second or longer respectively (a single clap of the hands, for instance, won’t trip the shutter).

Although exposure interval times will vary with the camera’s sound-activated setting and noise levels, a 24-exposure roll of film typically will be fully exposed in 20 to 40 minutes. When mounted on its exclusive tabletop tripod, which couples to the camera’s film-wind motor, the Kanpai rotates left or right after each exposure (in a panning range of approximately 80 degrees) to capture action throughout the room. However, a tripod-mounted camera can also be fixed in one position. When not in its sound-activated release mode, the Konica Kanpai becomes a straightforward, fully automatic compact camera, featuring programmed auto-exposure, a fixed-focus 34mm lens, automatic film transport and ISO film-speed settings (100 & 400), and built-in flash. A clever framing monitor, located on the top of the camera, allows the photographer to take low or high-angle shots without having to look through the viewfinder.”

collage kanpai

The camera has a Konica 34mm f/ 5.6 fixed focus lens and an electronic programmed shutter capable of 1 to 1/200 sec. Designed to be used mostly indoors with the flash, I could see it being used as a street camera with its waist level finder.

Auto flash, self-timer, automatic exposure, and auto rewind. Date/time imprinting.

Fresh batteries were inserted (by the way, the date/time defaulted to 1-1-87 and stops at 1-1-19). It takes (1) 2CR5 6V lithium battery and (1) CR2025 button battery.

konica kanpai 3

List price in 1989 was ¥30,000 (about $215 USD) in “stone” finish (we think this one is stone).

We’re still on the lookout for the original tripod and shoes! Many thanks go out to our friend Peggy at Camera Go Camera for passing along this super cool camera! By the way, her site has some neat “STUFF” that she’ll be happy to send your way – check it out!

Available in red.

Party Animal!

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“Let’s get the party started!”, “Kanpai!”, “Cheers!” – also works if you yell “BANZAI!”

BANZAI, Daniel-san!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember, if you have some neat film cameras for sale – we are buyers! Contact us at chriscarol@ccstudio2380.com

C&C ^.^

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.

Fujifilm Endeavor 310ix Zoom – Compact APS Film Camera

January 2, 2018January 2, 2018Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Another “Modern Classic” and “Plastic Fantastic” from the late 1990s. These sophisticated cameras became the mainstay of the industry before the onslaught of the first wave of useful low-end digital cameras.

Fujifilm 310ix Zoom

Part of Fuji Photo’s popular Endeavor series of APS cameras. The 310ix is equipped with a Super-EBC Fujinon 24-70mm power zoom lens and a host of other advanced features typically only found in the APS format.

This wonderful camera is in its original straight from the factory condition – never used and fully working.

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Some of the accessories that are included in this kit are a Fujifilm branded camera cloth in its bright “Fujifilm green”, a remote control that could be attached to the neck strap and used to fire the shutter, nylon neck strap, complete instruction booklet and a roll of Fujicolor 200 APS film (expired 2000).

The camera takes (1) CR123A battery which also provides power to the date/time and title functions. Here you can see part of the keypad used to set the printing functions.

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One of the functions of this camera is the ability to change film mid-roll and to switch to panorama mode. It has a solid feel to it with some heft and the build quality seems strong. APS films are no longer made but there are plenty of expired rolls available online through auction sites and the traditional online “monster from the jungle”.

You can purchase this wonderful camera at our online store at https://www.ccstudio2380.com

Thanks for your visit!

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 Plastic Fantastics

Yashica L AF vs. Kyocera T Scope

Round 1 – The Introduction

Hi! Mickey Mouse – Fuji Fun

Fuji’s Modern Classic – Discovery Mini Dual Date 35mm P&S Camera

A Fun Sized Camera from Fuji Photo

Daily ‘Fuji-Fix’ the Fuji DL-150

Konica Kanpa! – A fun ‘Party Camera’ that takes your picture when you yell, “Kanpai!”

Fujifilm Endeavor 310ix Zoom – Compact APS Film Camera

Another “Modern Classic” and “Plastic Fantastic” from the late 1990s. These sophisticated cameras became the mainstay of the industry before the onslaught of the first wave of useful low-end digital cameras.