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Yashica FAQ
What follows is the current version of the Yashica SLR FAQ, any additions are
welcomed. If you prefer another format, please visit the Yashica corner on my
homepage, http://pobox.com/~cg/photo/yashica/. Yashica SLR FAQ
Cees de Groot <mailto:cg@pobox.com>
____________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 What info about Yashica is available on the Web?
1.2 Should I buy Yashica?
1.3 The brand Yashica
2. What Yashica 35mm SLR bodies are available?
2.1 FR-1
2.2 FR-2
2.3 FX-3
2.4 FX-3 Super 2000
2.5 109MP
3. What lenses are available?
3.1 What's the difference between Yashica DSB and Yashica ML lenses?
3.2 Wide-angle
3.3 Normal
3.4 Moderate telephoto
3.5 Telephoto
4. And what about accessories?
______________________________________________________________________
1. Introduction
Welcome to the Yashica SLR FAQ. This FAQ, a work in progress, is meant
to collect knowledge on the range of 35mm SLR cameras, lenses and
accessories made by Yashica. This is $Revision: 1.3 $ of the FAQ.
This FAQ is available on the World Wide Web, in several formats:
o HTML format <http://pobox.com/~cg/photo/yashica/yashica-slr-
faq.html>
o SGML format <http://pobox.com/~cg/photo/yashica/yashica-slr-
faq.sgml>
o plain text <http://pobox.com/~cg/photo/yashica/yashica-slr-faq.txt>
o PostScript <http://pobox.com/~cg/photo/yashica/yashica-slr-faq.ps>
If you have any problems, suggestions, or questions, please contact
the maintainer, Cees de Groot <mailto:cg@pobox.com>.
1.1. What info about Yashica is available on the Web?
Probably more than I'm aware of. Here's my list:
o I'm maintaining a mailing list, the Yashica SLR Digest. You can
subscribe to the digest by sending a mail to
majordomo@evrl.xs4all.nl with in the body the line:
subscribe yashica-slr-digest
o I've also dedicated a part of my homepage
<http://pobox.com/~cg/photo/yashica> to the topic. Information on
the mailing list and the FAQ is over there and more might be added
in the future.
o On the Usenet, these newsgroups are relevant:
o rec.photo.equipment.35mm, about 35mm equipment in general. Lots of
this is of course about the big brands, but you'll find something
about Yashica as well, occasionally.
o rec.photo.marketplace, where buyers and sellers meet. Yashica stuff
is regularly offered over here.
o Information about the currentl line of Yashica SLR products can be
found on Yashica's corporate Website <http://www.yashica.com>.
1.2. Should I buy Yashica?
As usual, it depends. I started with Yashica because I lend my fathers
camera and I didn't want to spend a whole lot on new equipment.
Actually, I did spend a whole lot on a Nikon camera a year ago, but I
found that autofocus didn't really work with me and that I couldn't
afford the Nikon glass I wanted anyway. So I sold that and bought a
lot of Yashica stuff for the money.
The great thing about Yashica is that it is completely underrated. The
market is so small and demand is so low, that prices are way below
what you pay for other brands, with comparable quality. Most people
are quite positive about the quality Yashica delivers (both mechanical
and optical).
The bad thing about Yashica is that the market is so small and supply
is so low, that it can be quite hard to find something you need. More
often than not, you are stuck with the option of forgoing a particular
accessory or buying something with Contax on it, which is a quite
expensive brand.
With mentioning Contax, there's the second great thing. The upgrade
path is unique. You start with a Yashica body and Yashica glass, then
upgrade to Carl Zeiss lenses, and finally upgrade to Contax bodies. In
the meantime, you have your old Yashica stuff as a backup system,
everything is completely interchangable.
1.3. The brand Yashica
I need some history here. Yashica has been around for quite a while,
and some old camera's, especially the twin-reflex camera's for the
medium format, are still quite popular. Nowadays, Yashica is a part of
Kyocera, and fills in the low half of the photo market for this
corporation (Contax fills in the upper half).
Yashica has been making 35mm cameras for a long time; the current line
started with the introduction in the 70's of the Yashica/Contax mount
(which we'll call the Y/C mount from now on) that is still in use.
Older cameras are probably just collectors items by now, but I'd like
to be filled in here.
2. What Yashica 35mm SLR bodies are available?
All Yashica bodies are manual focus. This list is probably incomplete,
and I can only describe the FR-1 because that's the body I own. Please
fill me in here.
2.1. FR-1
A body with an electronic shutter and TTL metering put onto the market
together with the Contax RTS, with which it can share most accesories.
It's a very simple classic body, with an aperture-priority mode and
manual modes with shutter speeds from 1/1000th to 1 second and bulb.
Exposure compensation is possible +2 to -2 in full steps, film
sensitivity can be set from 12 to 3200 ASA. The front of the body
sports a flash connector, the self-timer and a depth-of-field preview
button. The rear has a button to activate the meter, which can be
locked by the film winding lever. Next to the meter is the socket for
the remote control cord. The 92% viewfinder shows diafragm, metered
shutter speed and a manual mode indicator. You can attach an FR winder
to the bottom and replace the back with a databack.
2.2. FR-2
I once held one briefly, and it looked to me as an FR-1 with some
cosmetic changes. Anyone out there who knows the differences?
2.3. FX-3
A fully mechanical body with a simple metering system. I have never
seen a more basic body: you can set shutter time and film speed, there
is a button to switch on the TTL meter, a film wind lever, the shutter
release, a timer lever, and a lens unlock button. That's all there is.
Nice points: it's very compact and light-weight, you have mirror lock-
up with the timer, and it doesn't need batteries to operate.
2.4. FX-3 Super 2000
Current version of the FX-3. Differences?
2.5. 109MP
A body with a built-in motorwinder. I assume that this is supposed to
be the replacement for the FR line?
3. What lenses are available?
Yashica shares its mount with Contax, which means that you can use
Contax Zeiss T* lenses, which are rated most of the time somewhere
between Nikon and Leica. Furthermore, most aftermarket brands support
the Y/C mount so you can add Tamron, Tokina, Vivitar and Sigma lenses
to your system. There is a brand named Sun that I only have seen on
Y/C mount lenses - maybe somebody can tell me more about them.
This FAQ will only discuss Yashica lenses; we'll discuss other brands
only where the Yashica lens line leaves gaps.
3.1. What's the difference between Yashica DSB and Yashica ML lenses?
According to Gary Schloss <mailto:schloss@datadepot.com>:
[...], my understanding is that the DSB lenses are single-
coated, whereas the ML ones are multicoated (ML = Multi-
Layer).
Question: what about macro lenses?
3.2. Wide-angle
28/2.8 DSB
I bought mine second-hand for around US$70. It seems quite
sharp, and the photographer I bought it from agrees with me:
before he had made the investment in a Zeiss 28mm, he used it
for wedding stuff on his Contax and found the results quite
satisfactory.
I think there are more wide angle lenses. Which ones?
3.3. Normal
50/2.0 ML
Basic 50mm glass. I have one, but never use it.
50/1.9 ML
I have one as a backup, but I don't use it much so I can't tell
anything about it.
50/1.7 ML
Mine looks busted, because I had to take it apart in order to
clean the aperture blades and had to damages a couple of screws
in the process. At least this inside look left me with a good
impression of the lens innards - I couldn't discover any
significant parts in plastic, everything was metal. I can't
complain about its sharpness, I think it is a very fine lens.
50/1.4 ML
3.4. Moderate telephoto
135/2.8 ML
Is there a shorter telephoto as well, say 90mm?
3.5. Telephoto
200/4 ML
A nice piece of glass. It's not very big, it feels rugged, and I
think the lens is quite sharp. I've made great hand-held shots
wide-open, which look sharp and show a very pleasing ``bokeh''
(bokeh is how the out-of-focus stuff looks like, in short). As
usual, it is dead cheap.
I've heard of a 300/5.6 and a 500/8 (mirror). Am I correct?
4. And what about accessories?
To be setup. Could probably mention the components of the Yashica
Dental system, remote control cords, flashes, teleconverters,
extension rings, etcetera. Any information is welcome.
--
Cees de Groot http://pobox.com/~cg <cg@pobox.com>