Not sure about this one.

December 14, 2024December 14, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A reader sent me these pictures of his Yashica TL Electro X ITS camera and asked if I knew anything about this version. I hadn’t seen a gold and lizard skin Yashica before (Contax, yes; Yashica, no).

I’ve seen similar lizard skin coverings, but from the image, it’s difficult to tell if it would have been applied at the factory.

The serial number indicates it was made in August 1970.

The plating quality looks sub-par, but it’s pretty worn again, so it’s difficult to tell.

Here is a genuine gold Contax camera with lizard skin coverings that’s presently for sale on an online auction site (see below).

This one is in new condition, so comparing the two cameras is difficult. Yashica joined Contax in 1975 to create a new line of modern Contax-branded cameras.

I suppose Yashica or one of its distributors might have made this gold TL Electro X version, but if they did, they left off the ‘ITS’ logo (badge) that would have been on the camera’s front just to the left of the lens. See an example of a genuine TL Electro X ITS camera below.

What do you think? Genuine or not? Ultimately, it’s his camera, and if he likes it, then great. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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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. Copyright © 2015-2024 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan. All rights reserved.

What’s up with that ‘electron’ thingy?

February 10, 2022February 10, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My good friend Paul Sokk (www.yashicatlr.com) asked me this just yesterday and I vaguely remembered writing something about it after finding a definition from Yashica.

Probably Yashica’s most famous ‘electron’ camera the TL Electro-X ITS.

Yashica wasn’t alone in its use of the symbol. According to Paul it likely started with the Seiko ES shutter on a Minolta Electro Shot 35 camera and since then it was used for the most part to identify cameras with electronically controlled or timed shutters.

Here’s a snip of a brochure in my collection (mid-1970s) that presents Yashica’s definition of the symbol.

Looks like something Doc would have liked from **Back to the Future**.

BTW, I’m pretty sure but with no proof from Yashica that ‘ITS’ meant ‘Integrated Technology System’ or something along those lines. The gang at Yashica never bothered to define it officially in a brochure or user manual. I like ‘It’s The Same’ as Paul reminded me of in an email recently.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

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

Throwback Thursday – Reflections on a lens

July 22, 2021July 22, 2021Chris and Carol 2 Comments

**Auto Yashinon 55mm f1.2 by Tomioka Optical – 1973**

Monster glass from Tomioka. The lens has a super low serial number that puts it within the first few months of production. The camera is the Yashica TL Electro X – ITS made in April 1973.

This image first posted on my Flickr site in November 2019 and so far has been a very popular image amassing over 70 favorites. Image was taken with my Samsung Galaxy S8+ using natural light.

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, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

wordless wednesday

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The Best of Yashica – 1972

May 28, 2021May 28, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

From the Yashica book The Creative System of Photography. Some of the lenses pictured here are nearly impossible to find today in mint or near mint condition. I do know some intrepid Yashica collectors that have come very close to owning all of this.

To chase down all of this is a pretty monumental task so I’d give it a Chase Factor of a solid 10 (CF-10). Good luck chasers!

A tale of two boxes from Yashica.

May 26, 2021May 26, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

From 1973, a box for the TL Electro-X ITS (Integrated Technology System). The box reflects the efforts of Yashica’s marketing division to create a more sophisticated looking box consistent with the new look to the TL Electro-X.

The original Yashica TL Electro-X box. This one is from mid-1970.

If you’re looking to add the correct box for your Yashica TL Electro-X be sure to match the proper box to the two different cameras. BTW, except for some external appearance differences, the ITS and the original Electro-X cameras are the same. The ITS was only available in an all black body whereas the original was available in both a satin chrome and black body.

If you look closely you’ll see that this box uses green for the “TL” and “35” logo where the true original uses a red “35” logo and a white “TL”. Oddly this variation of the box is from May 1970 which is right in the middle of the other boxes with the red logo. I haven’t decoded if it means anything changed in relationship to the camera or was it just a marketing exercise to see which looked better.

Yashica TL Electro X ITS – Integrated Technology System

December 27, 2019December 27, 2019Chris and Carol 1 Comment

Have you ever wondered what the ‘ITS’ stood for? For most people, probably not – but if you’re a Yashica Fanatic probably yes.

Yashica TL Electro X ITS from 1973

Undated sales brochure for the TL Electro X ITS. By the way, the marketing people had the name ‘Tomioka’ removed from this cover image of the lens – it’s the big empty space on the left side of the lens ring.

After years (yes, years) of searching almost everything Yashica published I’ve come to the conclusion that the intent of the marketing behind this camera was to promote Yashica’s first real system 35mm SLR. No, it doesn’t have an interchangeable back or viewfinder like the Canon F-1 and the Nikon F, but it did have a host of quality lenses and accessories. Oh, and no motor drive.

So ‘ITS’ most likely means ‘Integrated Technology System’ since the TL Electro X was advertised as having a brain – a built-in IC brain with an electronically controlled focal-plane shutter and electronic LED exposure control.

Mint set from September 1973 with the later Yashica (Tomioka) Auto Yashinon-DS 50mm f1.4 lens. Take note of the writing on the box about electronic photography.

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In later years when Yashica teamed up with Contax and Zeiss to develop the Contax RTS – ‘Real Time System’.

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.

Fast Glass from Canon & Yashica

December 20, 2019December 20, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A couple of true heavyweights from Canon and Yashica-Tomioka.

Canon F-1 from 1978 and the Yashica TL Electro X ITS from 1973

The Canon FD 55mm f 1.2 lens is from 1972 which makes it a rather early FD lens. It lacks the S.C. or S.S.C. markings indicating that it’s not coated or at least the marketing people decided not to promote that feature. The Tomioka Optical made lens is an Auto Yashinon 55mm f 1.2 model from very early in the production run. Its serial number puts it about 1968 and it was the 769th made.

The Canon lens weighs 551 grams vs the Yashica’s 332 grams.

There’s a big difference in weight between the two lenses yet they are both equals in maximum aperture. The Canon takes a 58mm filter and the Yashica uses a 55mm filter.

I hope to be able to do a side by side test of these two lenses using Fotodiox adapters on my Fujifilm X-Series mirrorless digital camera. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Studio Camera: Fujifilm X-A10

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.

Macro Monday – Monster Glass

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019Chris and Carol 2 Comments

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One of the finest fast lenses ever – well pretty close anyway. Made by Tomioka Optical for Yashica (and others) this ultra-fast 55mm f/1.2 lens is a perfect match for the Yashica TL Electro X ITS that it’s mounted on.

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.

Yashica’s TL Series of 35mm SLRs

September 23, 2019September 23, 2019Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica’s evolution during the 1960s and beyond started with their first TTL (Thru-the-Lens) exposure metered cameras – the much loved TL Series which were introduced right after the successful J Series (Penta J, Reflex 35, J-3, J-5, J-P, J-4, J-7).

It began with the exceptional TL-Super in April 1966. The chronology is as follows based on serial numbers and not based on advertised or previously known release dates.

TL-Super Apr 1966
TL Nov 1967
TL Electro-X Oct 1968 Type 1
TL-E Jun 1969
TL Electro X Jul 1969 Type 2
ITS Dec 1970
Electro AX Mar 1972
TL-Electro Apr 1972
FFT Jul 1973

The TL Series ended in 1978 with the last TL-Electro made. All of these Yashicas used the M42 screw-in lenses which were made by a variety of lens makers.

It’s easy to decode your camera’s serial number as Yashica used a 3 or 4 digit date code at the beginning of the serial number. As an example, here’s a serial number on a TL-E (90607952) 9 = 1969, 06 = Jun, 07952 = 7,952nd made that month in sequence from 00001.

Here’s a TL (2816946) 2 = Feb, 8 = 1968, 16946 = 16,946th made that month in sequence.

If you’ve got a serial number that you can’t quite decode send it to me at ccphotographyai@gmail.com

Thanks, 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 Yashica TL Electro-X ITS

Not sure about this one.

What’s up with that ‘electron’ thingy?

Throwback Thursday – Reflections on a lens

wordless wednesday

The Best of Yashica – 1972

A tale of two boxes from Yashica.

Yashica TL Electro X ITS – Integrated Technology System

Have you ever wondered what the ‘ITS’ stood for? For most people, probably not – but if you’re a Yashica Fanatic probably yes.

Fast Glass from Canon & Yashica

A couple of true heavyweights from Canon and Yashica-Tomioka.

Macro Monday – Monster Glass

Yashica’s TL Series of 35mm SLRs