With the back cover removed full 1960s hi-tech is on display. The western looking “Y” was Yashica’s logo during this period. I believe it’s stamped on the back of the speaker.
Yashica Model YT-300 Transistor Radio
Yashica even put their name on the battery connector cap.Inside the back cover. In addition to making great cameras, Yashica also made some electronic devices such as movie projectors and editors, radios, tape recorders, and even a record player!The radio with it’s original goodies still intact. It’s a gorgeous piece of electronics that does not power up. I would love to get it fixed if it is even fixable.
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.
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!
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.
This image was scanned from a Yashica TL ELECTRO-X book from 1972 titled The Creative System of Photography.
Taken with a Yashica TL Electro-X and Yashinon-DX 21mm f/3.3 lens at f/5.6 at 1/60 second. Image by acclaimed professional photographer Takeji Iwamiya. Titled “Solarization”.
A scan from the Yashica Yashinon Lenses & Accessories booklet dated December 1973.
As you can see in the above scan, as late as late 1973 Yashica was still marketing their 21mm lens alongside the newer and certainly more modern 20mm ultra-wide lens. The 21mm is a retrofocus lens meaning that the mirror on a 35mm SLR would have to be in the up position as the rear element of the lens was just millimeters away from the film plane. A separate matching viewfinder would need to be mounted on the accessory shoe in order to frame your image. Fortunately an ultra-wide lens usually has such a wide view that parallax error would only be a factor at extreme close-up imaging.
Do to the relative scarcity of the 21mm lens, prices are much higher than one would expect to pay for a ultra-wide lens of a more modern design. If you find the lens in excellent physical and optical condition with its matching viewfinder and original lens case, expect to see asking prices generally north of $500 USD. If you’re lucky, you may get a good one with no issues at around half that price. I give this lens set a Chase Factor of 8 (CF-8) for the reasons stated above. I certainly don’t need it in my collection but it would be a nice to have.
Rear view of the Yashica 21mm DX lens with its matching 21mm viewfinder.
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.
Good day, all! My camera shop http://www.ccstudio2380.com is filled with an eclectic mix of some really cool and rather rare items this month. Here’s a small sample.
There’s a little bit for most everyone in the shop from rare historical pictures to vintage film and of course, classic and vintage cameras and photogear collectibles. I’m about to list a few Fuji and Fujifilm cameras from my personal collection – a new in the box Fuji Discovery 90 35mm camera set and a new in the box Fuji Discovery 3000 Zoom 35mm camera set. I’m always open to offers and if there’s something you’re looking for to add to your collection just contact me at ccphotographyai@gmail.com – I just may have what you’ve been looking for.
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.
My good friend Paul Sokk has authored one of the most comprehensive sites dedicated to all things (I mean all things) related to and about Yashica twin-lens reflex cameras you’ll ever see. As if cracking Yashica’s history wasn’t enough, Paul then went on to research pretty much everything there is to know about Nicca and the cameras they made and their contribution to Yashica and their development of the Yashica Pentamatic.
Nicca 3-S 35mm rangefinder from 1955.All decked-out with its 28mm W-Nikkor lens and matching viewfinder.
I could go on and on about Paul’s site or just give you the link – it will be well worth a visit and your time. http://www.yashicatlr.com/Nicca.html
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.
Hello all… I’ve been busy adding new items for sale in my online camera shop, CC Design Studios, which can be found at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
I’m offering a very nice 10% discount on almost everything in the shop plus some with free shipping! I have many more items not pictured in my collection so if there’s a particular camera or lens that you’re looking for I just may have it. You can contact me here or at ccphotographyai@gmail.com – 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
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.
Far left is the TL Electro X in silver chrome (it also was available in all black) and on the right the TL Electro X ITS which was only available in pro-black with the gold electron symbol on the pentaprism.Not to overlook the quality of the lenses from Yashica which were made in-house by Tomioka Optical. Here’s an Auto Yashinon DS-M 50mm f1.4 – super sharp lens (and fast).
If you’re looking to acquire a true classic 35mm SLR that will ease you into film photography, then I highly recommend getting this model Yashica. They were produced in rather large quantities during the late 1960s through the mid-1970s and if you find one that looks as nice as this one (and is a one owner) then the likelihood of getting one in fully working condition goes way up. Avoid online sellers that provide fuzzy pics and vague descriptions – look for sellers that will answer your direct questions as to the functional condition of the camera. The good news is that this Yashica uses a very common battery – I’m using an Energizer A544-6V alkaline (also known as an LR44). The battery provides the correct voltage with no drop-off over time.
BTW, this one was made in the then newest Yashica factory in Hong Kong and is marked “Hong Kong” on the bottom plate vice “Japan” which would be marked on the right side back of the top plate. This one will be leaving my collection soon as I am currently downsizing my camera collection. You can watch for it in my online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
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.
Hi all! We’ve been very busy adding items from our collections of things into our camera shop (CC Design Studios) at http://www.ccstudio2380.com this past week. Here’s a little peek at what’s been added.
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.
Hi all! I hope everyone is well and staying safe. I’d like to share some of the exciting new items I’ve added in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
My shop is hosted by Etsy so most everything in the shop can ship worldwide with a variety of payment options. You can also purchase items direct from me by contacting me at ccphotographyai@gmail.com
Thanks so much for stopping by and if there’s something specifically you’re looking for just drop me a line and I’ll see if I have it.
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.
We enjoy collecting and sharing our Yashica cameras with our readers, especially if they tend to be a little hard to find and in such outstanding condition. I say this is hard to find just because not many were made at Yashica’s new factory in Hong Kong during 1973. As the saying goes, this was assembled in Hong Kong from parts made in Japan.
There’s really no difference between the models assembled in Hong Kong from the ones made in Japan that we’ve been able to detect. In our experience the fit and finish is the same with no known issues particular to the HK model. In fact, the HK models that we’ve owned seem to be in excellent condition overall with exceptionally nice satin chrome surfaces that hold up well over the years.
Typically ‘JAPAN’ would be on the top plate next to the serial number but on these models ‘HONG KONG’ is on the bottom.The serial number is easy to decode. 3 = 1973, 10 = Oct, 01219 = the number built up to this point for that month.
The lens on this beauty is a fast and sharp Auto Yashinon DS-M 50mm f1.4 made for Yashica by the recently acquired Tomioka Optical. All Yashica camera bodies use M42 screw mount lenses up to the C/Y mount cameras made much later.
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.
