New Yashica Pentamatic Set – all the goodies too!

October 17, 2017October 17, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

We’re always on the lookout for interesting Pentamatic sets. This was purchased from the original owner who purchased it in March of 1961 in Philadelphia. It’s the first Pentamatic set that had the “dealer price card” included.

It’s a beautiful camera in nearly mint condition – hardly any signs of use and of course it works perfectly. This particular camera was made in August 1960 and the lens is from around the same time.

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The interesting negative holder from Kodak (upper right) is from the first roll of film that the original owner shot (high contrast B&W copy film). I’m not sure of the exact period the Kodachrome film is from but I do know that I’ve shot more than my share of Kodachrome in my life.

The dealer price card was designed to slip into the cold shoe of the camera (by folding the little tab on it and inserting it in the shoe).

Carol and I are always looking for nice examples of all models of the Pentamatic (Pentamatic, Pentamatic II and Pentamatic S) so if you have a nice one to sell please feel free to contact us through our blog or at chriscarol@ccstudio2380.com

Be sure to stop by our online store at https://www.ccstudio2380.com

Thanks! Chris and Carol ^.^

Please respect that all content, including photos and text are property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Newest Pentamatic – another fine Yashica joins the family.

September 18, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A recently acquired Yashica Pentamatic for our collection. This one came to us from a fellow collector here in the southeast US.

This one includes the Auto Yashinon 5.5c f/1.8 lens that puts the lens as a very late production model (maybe mid 1961). Here’s a chance to check out our Pentamatic from many angles.

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The angled shutter release button is in a perfect position for maintaining a solid grip on this heavy body while releasing the shutter.

The lens serial number, No. 60521000 is unique in the fact that it’s a whole number (21000).

The cold shoe is mounted on the camera’s left side top plate. Actually a very good spot for it.

This unique lever controls the rewind knob which pops up from under the cold shoe (it moves from the “A” position).

The body serial number, NO. 126013189 decodes to: 12 = December, 60 = 1960, 13189 = 13,189th made since December of 1959.

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The lever is now in the “O” position which allows the back to be unlocked.

Pulling up the rewind knob completes the opening.

Our love affair with this fine camera continues. We just can’t get over the clean lines and excellent design.

If you want to acquire a nice Pentamatic for your own collection, they come up occasionally on US online auction sites and infrequently on auction sites in Japan. Nice examples can be had for under $50. Super nice examples will go closer to $100 with some guarantee of functionality from the seller.

Original Pentamatic Accessories

June 1, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Some of the original accessories that were available for the new Pentamatic…

When Yashica’s first single lens reflex (SLR) 35mm camera hit the world markets in the May-June 1960 time period, they were ready with a host of well designed accessories. From simple screw-in filters to extension tubes and the new bayonet mount lenses, Yashica had a nice selection to choose from. Here are just a few examples…

Pentamatic ‘Right Angle Finder’ for low angle and close-up photography. This simple finder mounted securely to the camera’s eyepiece and had adjustments for focus and could be rotated 90 degrees to the left for vertical copy work. The image is reversed so it does require some getting used to. Here it’s mounted to our Pentamatic-S.

A small collection of boxes gives some idea as to the diversity of the early accessories. Note the general theme of the design… each shows off the pentaprism design of the camera. The right angle finder box appears to be from a slightly later design as it has a different look from the other two.

Pentamatic Extension Tubes mounted on my Model-S Pentamatic camera body and Auto-Yashinon 5.8 cm (58 mm) f/1.7 standard lens. The lens is super bright and is super heavy! Camera and lens weigh-in at 2 lbs 5 oz (1056 g)!

Pentamatic ‘Extension Tubes’ mounted on our Model-S Pentamatic camera body and Auto-Yashinon 5.8 cm (58 mm) f/1.7 standard lens. The lens is super bright and is super heavy! Camera and lens weigh-in at 2 lbs 5 oz (1056 g)!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Yashica Pentamatic II at a recent auction.

May 30, 2017May 30, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

If you’ve been following our blog about the Yashica Pentamatic II, then you know that it had one of the shorter production runs of any 35mm Yashica SLR camera. Released in September of 1960 – only a few months after the original Pentamatic went on sale in May of 1960, the model II was replaced by the Pentamatic S by January 1961.

So few of these come up at auction that’s it difficult for a collector to find a good example of one to bid on. This Pentamatic II (pictured below), just sold on an online auction for ¥8,500 with fairly robust bidding activity. While that’s not an extremely high final sales figure, it was rather high in our opinion for a camera that may not be functional with a lens that may have some issues (fungus, mold). Having said that, given just how rare the Pentamatic II is, it is certainly undervalued by some collectors. The camera set looks to be in good condition overall – no major issues seen with the body and it looks complete.

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The serial number (NO. 96001891) would indicate that this body was made in September 1960, and that it was number 1,891 in the production run. For one month that is actually a high amount produced compared to the monthly totals of the original Pentamatic. We will point out that the only change that we’ve been able to find between the two models is that the model II uses a different standard lens – 5.8cm, f/ 1.7 Auto-Yashinon vice the original’s 5.5cm, f/ 1.8 A-Y lens.

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So there you have it – a Pentamatic II with the correct lens, strap and a genuine Yashica filter sold for around $80. You should expect to pay in the vicinity of $100 for a clean version with certified working shutter.

Thanks for your visit and as always, happy hunting!

Chris

Canon AE-1 Program – An alternative to the more costly A-1

May 4, 2017May 4, 2017Chris and Carol 3 Comments

Canon’s A Series of cameras were among the best in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Often overlooked, the Canon AE-1 Program (it was also available in a pro black body) was a fun and accurate SLR during its heyday. Of course the Canon A-1 and the AE-1 were the most popular of all.

The AE-1 Program, like all of the Canon A Series of bodies, used the Canon FD lenses – here with the popular and super lightweight 50mm f/1.8 lens.

AE-1 Program in pro black and Olympic Edition.

If you get a chance to pick one of these up for a fair price we think you’ll be surprised at how well the auto exposure modes do under challenging lighting situations. It’s not built as robustly as the A-1 but can be had for much less.

The AE-1 P makes a nice addition to any Canon collection and certainly would look good in any collection of early Japanese SLRs.

Thanks for stopping by!

Camera: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170

Chris

FIFA World Cup 1986 Canon T50

May 3, 2017May 3, 2017Chris and Carol 5 Comments

Probably not many of these floating around in the U.S. – this was in our collection of ‘all things Canon’ for awhile but has since moved on to another collector. We thought it deserved a spot on the blog if only because few people know of its existence.

The Canon T50 is one of the simplest cameras (35mm SLR) that Canon ever produced. It accepted all Canon FD lenses, took 2 AA batteries, had a power winder built-in and had programmed automation!

Cool logo!

Simple Simon! Shutter button, function dial, hot shoe and rewind lever.

Nice bright graphics!

Bold hand grip and clean design.

If you want a simple, and we mean simple, 35mm SLR film camera to play around with, then the T50 and its cousin the T70 are just the ticket. Both take all of Canon’s FD lenses – and that’s worth the price of admission any day!

Camera: Sony Cyber-shot W170

Chris

Black Tie Affair

March 8, 2017March 8, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica’s best in pro-black…

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Featured… TL Electro-X (1971) TL Electro-X ITS (1973) J-3 (1962) Yashima Flex (1954)

Thanks for your visit. Comments always appreciated.

Chris

Yashica J-7 …1966 / update 1

March 4, 2017March 5, 2017Chris and Carol 5 Comments

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…

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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.

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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.

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CdS light meter sensor “window”.

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Rare complete set with the original box.

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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 ^.^

Yashica TL Electro-X

March 1, 2017Chris and Carol 2 Comments

One of the most successful SLRs from Yashica – the ‘Pioneer in Electronic Cameras’… the Yashica TL Electro-X. The world’s first electronic single-lens reflex camera.

A random collection of clips from Yashica sales brochures and our eclectic collection of all things Yashica –

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‘ITS’ = Integrated Technology System… maybe.

We’ve recently added this hard to find accessory from Yashica. It was still new in its original box! It will be used in our studio for some copy work.