Yashica Minister 111

[kryss]

Anyone have any info on this camera? Has a fixed Yashinon DX 45mm f2.8 lens.I tried search but came back 404 error.Thanks

[tb_a]

That's what I've found:

http://forum.mflenses.com/yashica-minister-iii-t10557.html

http://oldcamera.blog/2014/10/04/yashica-minister-iii/

Cheers,

[kryss]

Many thanks Thomas...

[luisalegria]

(Nearly) Everything you want to know about Yashica Rangefinders, including, most important, how to get most of them working.

http://www.yashica-guy.com/index.html

On the Minister III

The introduction of the Minister III is recorded as 1963. This design moved the sensor for the photo electric cell from the usual upper left position found in many cameras, to a cluster mounted within the lens assembly. This Cyclops design would take into account any lens filters, and prevented a lens shade from stopping any part of the light from reaching the exposure metering system. The true photo-electric cell requires no batteries, and the meter reading of the camera displayed here, still matches a Sekonic reference meter to this day.

The Citizen shutter assembly houses a Yashinon lens with 5 Optical Elements in 4 Groups with a maximum aperture of ƒ2.8 lens and a 45mm focal length. Speeds range from 'B' 1 2 4 8 15 30 60 125 250 1/500th secs. Strobe synch is good at any speed. M synch is at 1/15th sec. The shutter release button accepts a standard threaded cable. The self timer lever is located at the bottom of the lens barrel.

ASA speed control for the meter is from 10 to 400, still wide enough to be useful today for 99.9% of any images that it may be called upon to capture.

The exposure meter needle on the top plate of the camera points to a number from 2 to 18. When the outer lens ring with a matching number set is lined up with the indicated number, the correct exposure selected can be viewed through a small port on the lens barrel. The ƒ stop varies as the shutter speed selection ring is turned. This is about as idiot proof a system as anyone could design, and still provide full manual control. The camera rear door opening mechanism matches the prior Lynx 1000 and the following Minister D.

- - - - My own editorial - I have several Yashica RF's, including Lynx 1000, Lynx 14, and Lynx 5000

These are slightly more complex than the Minister III but the problems of age are similar.
In general the Minister is closest, probably, to the Lynx 1000

Things to watch out for -

- Stuck shutter. Usually requires a lighter fluid flush and relube. All of mine did.
The meter cell in there on the lens will complicate opening the lens-shutter for this due to the annoying wires.

- Cocking mechanism fails to cock shutter. This can be caused by a stuck shutter, but also due to failure of the linkage system. Yashicas are pretty good this way unlike others, but its chronic with these RF cameras (don't ask me about Petri).

- Tarnished beam splitter in the rangefinder giving a faded, weak slit-image patch. Beyond cleaning everything, and the half-silvered part of the beam-splitter very very carefully, there isn't much to do here but replace the beam splitter. Anchor Optics sells beam splitter (half-silvered) mirror blanks. YMMV on cutting/resetting these.

[kryss]

Many thanks luis,I just got one free and it appears to be functionally Ok it still has a partly used 35mm slide film inside but at my age not interested in fiddling around with film cameras or shooting film.I have possibly 40 Pentax film cameras from H1 -PZ1P many Konica cameras including Konica Omega 6x9+a 220 back,Yashica FX and FX1 also Contax RTS all with film drives.Hasselblad ELM and ELX + scores of expensive lenses and other accessories and a Bronica SQM with spare body and lens +accessories like a Polaroid back. I should start listing on MF and then Ebay.