Yashica J-P

September 14, 2022September 14, 2022Chris and Carol 3 Comments

A little gem from 1964.

The “not often seen” category applies to this Yashica SLR from late 1964 through 1965. Actually came out about the same time as the Yashica J-5.

The J-P was a back-in-time camera from Yashica… while the J-5 was drawing rave reviews from the press and the public for some of its advanced features, Yashica decided to bring back a stripped-down 35mm. No built-in exposure meter… a focal plane shutter with a top speed of only 1/500… no attached cold shoe or hot shoe and they took away the ASA/Din dial.

On this model, they (Yashica or another distributor) further added a rather primitive 5cm f/ 2.8 preset lens of extremely small size. The result was a lightweight 35mm SLR with a price point of around the $120 to maybe $140 price range? Not sure that this combination of body and lens did not show up in any sales brochure of that era. Could have been, with discounts, at or below $100!!!

We were lucky enough to add this mint condition J-P with the odd little lens to our collection. We’ve seen enough of them on various sites to believe that Yashica did in fact mate these two together although it may have been a regional thing and the possibility that one of Yashica’s trading companies put the set together.

We will continue to search and hopefully, we’ll run across a complete set in its original box. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris and Carol

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Yashica Penta J and the J-P

July 27, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica’s first 35mm single-lens reflex camera with the Praktica-thread (M42) mount lenses was the Yashica Penta J… at least here in the United States and in Japan. Elsewhere (most of the world) the camera was known as either the Yashica Reflex 35 or Reflex J (Australia and possibly the U.K.). As best we can tell, they were all the same cameras with different top plates to accommodate the different names (logos).

Part of the demise (lack of sales success) of the well-built Pentamatic series of cameras that preceded the Penta J, was that Yashica decided to go with a Pentamatic exclusive bayonet mount lens system. Sturdy and well designed to be sure, but being unique limited the available lenses that could be swapped between cameras. The Praktica design M42 screw thread mounting system was in widespread use at the time and Yashica’s bayonet design just went against the flow.

IMG_20160102_0007

IMG_20150926_0026

IMG_20160102_0005

IMG_20160102_0004

Now fast forward to 1965 ish… Yashica introduces the new J-5 AND the J-P! In between those years Yashica had introduced the J-3 and J-4. Why would Yashica go back in time and bring out another 35mm SLR in 1965 that was the cousin to the 1961 Penta J? Notice we say cousins… not brothers. They shared the same platform with one another but as you can see in the image below the top plates were of a different design.

DSCF1268

DSCF1277

IMG_20150903_0027

IMG_20150903_0025

Yashica J-P 6-27-15 Papers

Stay tuned… more to come on these Yashica classics.

Many thanks, Chris and Carol

Yashica’s Penta J and the J-P

June 21, 2016July 26, 2017Chris and Carol 1 Comment

No date on this sales brochure but our guess would be early 1962. The J-3 is the newest camera featured as it had all the goodies one would want in a modern SLR. The Penta J (upper left) had just come out in 1961 and it was Yashica’s first 35mm SLR with screw thread mounted lenses. The Pentamatic S arrived in early 1961 but used bayonet mounting for its exclusive design. Notice that the pentaprisms on the Penta J and Pentamatic S share the same design while the J-3 breaks with the previous cameras and ushers in the style that would carry through the remainder of Yashica’s SLR run of M42 cameras.

Yashica Penta J.

Yashica Reflex 35 in Germany.

Australian Reflex J sales brochure.

1965 J-P on the left and the 1961 Penta J on the right. Cousins but not brothers. The shutter release button is on the right front on both cameras… Yashica added a self timer on the J-P and of course the top plates are different (most noticeably the design of the pentaprism). Some small changes to the design of the mirror box. Unseen from this view is that the J-P does not have a ASA/DIN dial like the Penta J had on the camera’s bottom left. Small note about weight… Penta J weighs in at 656 grams and the J-P weighs only 619 grams. No built-in exposure meters but accessory exposure meters were available at additional cost.

The J-P with a rather unique 5cm f/ 2.8 lens. The lens has to be the smallest of the M42 mount lenses and certainly it’s one of the lightest at only 136 grams!