My first Yashica Pentamatic ’35’.Hyper-rare Yashica Pentamatic II – was only released in Japan for a very short time.Yashica Model A still in its factory plastic.Yashica J-5 35mm SLR (1964).Yashica J-3 35mm SLR (1962).Rare Yashica TL Electro X without the gothic ‘Y’ on the pentaprism (early first version).
As you may be able to tell, Yashica produced a wide range of cameras and there’s plenty of rare varieties worth chasing. I only discovered the TL Electro X without the gothic ‘Y’ about two years ago after convincing myself there was nothing new to collect from the Yashica line.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day and evening! – 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, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.
Yashica 8E Zoom movie camera brochure from November 1960. I like to collect these early Yashica brochures, especially the ones that have a printed date code. Whenever I’m doing research on Yashica’s history having a brochure with a date is invaluable.
The Cover
Closed the brochure is about 195 x 135mm. Yep, that’s one of the ‘Yashica Gals’ drawn on the lower right. There are three different ones and as best as I can tell they were never named by Yashica. They made their appearance around this time across several brochures.
Inside Features
Yashica’s big cine camera with an impressive Yashinon Penta Reflex f1.8 11.5mm to 33mm zoom lens.
Back Cover Pages
The date code is on the extreme lower right – *N11T35* – The 11 is for November and the 35 is the Showa Era in this case Showa 35 (add 25 to the Showa Era = 1960).
Yashica started producing 8mm movie cameras as early as 1956 and was all in by the date of the brochure. Projectors, editors, interchangeable lenses most notably made by Zunow for Yashica, and accessories such as the title pictured above left. Many more brochures to discover from this period.
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 J-3 with Yashica extension tubes and right-angle finder (1962).Auto Yashinon f2 5cm lens.A few years later here’s a gorgeous Macro Yashinon f2.8 60mm Tomioka lens set (1964).
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
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.
Also known as the Yashica Flex S. I’ve put together a nice complete set of this hard-to-find early TLR from Yashima-Yashica. As you can see on the box, at this point in time the company that would change its name in 1958 to Yashica was still Yashima Kogaku Seiki Company. The instruction book is in English as the camera was marketed by the Miura Trading Company and not directly marketed by Yashima. The Model S was the first TLR with a “built-in exposure meter”. The meter was simply a light meter made for Yashima by Sekonic and attached to the camera’s left side. The selenium cells for the meter are located under the nameplate which is a flap that swings upwards.
If you would like to know more about this landmark camera then I invite you to visit my good friend Paul Sokk’s Yashica TLR site at http://www.yashicatlr.com/66ModelsPage2.html
Paul’s work on the Yashica TLR family of cameras is second to none. He’s also included a wonderful addition to his pages with additional pages dedicated to Leica, Nicca, Leotax, Minolta, and others. Give his site a read and tell him Chris sent you!
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.
Regular readers know that the main focus of my collection has been centered around cameras made by Yashica. I have collected quite a few examples going back to their 1953 origins. This particular series caught my fancy a few years back when I was lucky enough to find a pristine Yashica J-3 in a pro-black finish with a matching lens. When it comes to chasing classic cameras, the J-3 in black and in pristine condition is no easy task. Here are a few images of what I’ve put together so far.
Chasing these guys has been fun, to say the least. It’s not that any one of these is rare in the true sense of the word but finding pristine examples has been the tough part.As best as I can tell, the J-7 wasn’t the last one produced in the series as the J-4 came out just a bit later.The black J-3 was never mentioned in any brochure which was odd considering it was Yashica’s first all-black SLR and was produced in limited numbers.Since the cameras from Yashica were never meant to be of interest to collectors very few survive to this day in mint and better condition. The little circle on the camera’s left side front is the CdS exposure meter. These cameras did not feature TTL (thru-the-lens metering).
If you decide to collect this series you’ll find a very nice assortment of lenses to choose from as Yashica produced thousands over the years. The body accepts m42 screw-in lenses which for a time was one of the most widespread lenses made.
Here is what a complete in-the-box set looks like for the silver J-3 from around 1962.
As always thanks for stopping by – I hope I’ve shed sufficient light on this often overlooked series from Yashica. Maybe a few of you would enjoy the chase in pursuit of these mid-1960s gems. – 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, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.
Yashica J-3 35mm SLR in wonderful black & white.Yashica J-3 in glorious color.Here it is in a more traditional silver and black body. The brochure is from 1962.
This black body version of the J-3 is extremely difficult to find online. Yashica didn’t release production figures and I’ve never been able to find a mention of it in any English or Japanese product brochures.
I like both images and it would be hard to say which version is my favorite. The black & white image seems a fitting way to express the stark black of Yashica’s first pro-black camera. The color version I believe gives depth to the smooth black surfaces. Do you have a favorite? Let me know. 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
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-Mat EM TLR ready to shoot.Yashica TL Electro X ITS with Auto Yashinon 55mm f1.2 Tomioka lens.
The Yashica-Mat EM has a built-in exposure meter which can simplify shooting with these somewhat awkward cameras. The meter is powered by selenium cells so no batteries are needed. After 50 years most meters have stopped working but I’m lucky mine is still functioning.
The Yashica TL Electro X ITS is a wonderful camera period. Simple and straightforward controls and an easy-to-see and use exposure meter visible through the viewfinder. Here it’s pictured with an awesome Auto Yashinon 55mm f1.2 Tomioka lens.
If you’re on the hunt for a classic film camera to use then certainly check out either one of these. They’re both easy to find in online auction sites or maybe your uncle has one in his closet.
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
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.
Everybody is doing it so why not us? We’re having a very nice 15% off sale on select items in our online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (this weekend only). Stop by and see what we have in stock. Here’s a small sample…
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.
This is one of the best sets I have ever run across in all of my years of collecting (well OK, it’s in my top ten at least).
Amazing complete set from Yashica. A virtual time machine from 1965.
The Yashica D twin-lens reflex (TLR) is one of the more popular models from Yashica’s line of medium format 120 roll film cameras. The camera is fully functional and looks (and works) as if it arrived from the factory yesterday! The Yashikor lenses are crystal clear. This set comes complete with its original inner and outer boxes, inside packing materials, all papers, and its original beautiful brown leather case. By the way, it’s a matching number set – the camera serial number matches the box and papers!
I had a buyer for this set in mind and it sold within 24 hours of my listing it in my online camera shop. It originally came from a collector in England.
Here are a few more boxed sets I was lucky enough to find in my travels.
I’m like a kid on Christmas morning whenever I find these still “new in the box” camera sets. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! – 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, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.
Back in 1956, the classic Japanese sci-fi monster movie Rodan was released in color to wide acclaim. In the Japanese original Rodan was Radon (Original title: Sora no daikaijû Radon).
Something that I’ve always liked doing is whenever a camera is used in an older movie I like to see if I can tell which model or at least the brand of the camera that’s depicted. Obviously cameras sometimes just flash across the screen as they are usually just props used to enhance the story so it can be very difficult to identify the camera beyond the basics (TLR, SLR, rangefinder). In this movie at about the 41:15 mark, the young newlywed is about to take his bride’s picture while touring an active volcano. He’s clearly using a Yashima YashicaFlex Model C twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera when he sees Rodan fly towards them. In horror, he runs away while throwing the camera to the ground.
Screen capture of the YashicaFlex after hitting the ground.
The YashicaFlex Model C was produced between September 1955 and June 1957 making it a good choice for this then high-budget flick (it was the first monster movie from this famous studio to be filmed in color). I wonder if Yashima (Yashica) paid for product placement?
Another camera I’ve spotted in a movie is the Calypso (later Nikonos) camera Bond gives Domino in the classic Thunderball (1965). The camera apparently takes underwater shots and has a built-in Geiger counter! From my IMDb contribution to “goofs” – “When Q hands Bond the underwater camera and tells him it takes 8 shots by pressing a button, the camera is plainly seen as a black Calypso 35mm camera with has black gaffers tape covering the name across the bottom. Later while onboard the yacht, Domino is seen with the camera as she walks in the passageway while using it as a Geiger counter. The camera falls to the deck when Largo confronts her and the lens is seen popping off. We hear the sounds of the counter and see some type of gadget inside just behind where the lens was. When she bends down and picks it up, Largo takes it from her and the camera is briefly seen with the silver lens re-attached”. Another camera in a movie is the Exakta VX 35mm SLR Jimmy Stewart uses in the Hickcock thriller Rear Window (1954).
Thanks for stopping by! Do you have a favorite movie where a camera plays a part? Let me know in the comments. Thanks.
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.
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 