Sub-aqua zoom lens...

biggles3 · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 58 Location: Crickhowell, Wales

OK folks, here's something you don't see every day - a Yashica ML 35-70 f3.5, one of the best short zooms that is a close rival to its exalted Zeiss cousin.

But, as you can see here, it's almost hidden inside an underwater housing. This is an unbelievably rare Contax Sub-Aqua 137MA unit, with an accompanying TLA30 flash housing. It dates from 1982 and I have yet to find another copy of either housing.

The ML 35-70 f3.5 is a fabulous lens and is now much sought-after - sadly, often with a price to match. It was produced alongside the ML 35-70 f4 - another gem - which is a two-touch zoom. It seems odd that Yashica should produce the two lenses simultaneously but they are very different from each other, with the f4 version being much more compact and lighter. For a short period, both lenses were being manufactured with the truly stunning ML 28-50 f3.5 lens - one that received the highest rating from Amateur Photographer magazine in the UK. Luckily, so few people are aware of it that it can often be found for crazily low asking prices - if you see any of these lenses, they're worth grabbing.

All three lenses perform extremely well on today's digital cameras, though both the 35-70 f3.5 and 28-50 are substantial pieces of glassware...

#1

#2