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Yashica Mat 124
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:28 am    Post subject: Yashica Mat 124 Reply with quote
I won few weeks ago (with my very low bid Very Happy the Yashica Mat 124 from ebay. When it came, it's film counter didn't work and it's inside lens looked horrible dirty. So I gave it to my trusted camera repair shop and I got the camera back last week. The camera wasn't only repaired, they had also made the battery conversion to make it's lighting meter work and they've also found Rollei's yellow and orange filter box and hood for that. Very Happy



I had time testing it earlier last week with one Delta 400 film. These two from that test film. For my big relief, the optics seems to be alrigh.Very Happy Scanner epson V600.





Last friday was sunny day here and I had time take a walk with it at Suomenlinna with three different films (Portra 400, HP5 400 and XP2 400).
Scanned those pics yesterday and here's some from that walk and all these pics taken with the Yashica Mat's lighting meter values.

XP2 400




HP5 400 (straight from the scanner without any PP)








Portra 400





and two tests towards the sun. Some flares and I think I didn't put the hood properly (vignettings at top corners)






PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
That is a great camera many people love it, congrats! Nice to see you save her life!


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice images. Well done!

The yashinon did very well his job. Details and contrast are OK to me.

Your CDS overexposes a bit, doesn't it?


PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Beautiful camera and beautiful photographs! I wish there was a proper repair shop like that here, I need a new mirror and focus screen for mine, and a battery conversion would be fantastic.

I'm waiting for a roll of 120 film to be returned after processing right now. It's the first roll I shot using the auxiliary wide-angle lens attachment. I can't wait to see it turns out! Smile

BTW, is the Rollei hood causing that slight vignetting?


PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks friends!

Those Portra cave (and also for those towards the sun tree pics) were quite chancelling lighting situations and I didn't trust the values that the Yashicaca Mat gave for these test pics and I boosted those a little bit, but those HP5 film test pics shows that it's metering is quite reliable for the most situations.

And maybe the Yashinon lens angular field is that much larger than Rollei's that the rollei's hood causes vignetting with Yashinon lens. ..Or maybe I didn't put the hood properly then. Have to look that with next film with her.

If I remember right I used the hood there also with this yellow filter test pic towards the sun and here's no vignetting. Film XP2.


PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have the `G' version in all black, your version looks smarter, but works the same. Watch out for `wind on' problems, it is a weakness with these models. If you treat her gently you'll be okay, but if you use it like a `ticket machine' you will wreck her! Many Rolei accessories will fit, but on wide apertures the Rolei hood can vignette on close ups. Lens is SHARP and is unkind on full face portraits of young an beautiful girls, it shows EVERYTHING!!
And your photos are lovely, nice to see you're so adept at B/W photos


PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the wind on problem warnings MTHall . Of course I handle her kindly.

After these first tests I already really love this camera. It gives just the right feeling in hands from the very beginning. I love the square format and this one is now pair for my Isolette for those (and then for the very serious photographing at 6x6 I have my Holga and Halina-Prefect Laughing

With this Yashica Mat I like especially that some kind 'childs point of view' about the world and that's just because the lower photographing angle with it hand held. Sometimes maybe chance to get somehow similar kind feeling to the pics as like you can see in Ozu's movies (he put the camera always about half meter high from the ground and used only 50mm lens with his movies)


PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice camera and pictures ! I like the lamp ,the cave ones and the last with the trees !


PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hemmo wrote:
With this Yashica Mat I like especially that some kind 'childs point of view' about the world and that's just because the lower photographing angle with it hand held. Sometimes maybe chance to get somehow similar kind feeling to the pics as like you can see in Ozu's movies (he put the camera always about half meter high from the ground and used only 50mm lens with his movies)


Waist level finders are great for shooting people, they view from the best angle to achieve the `right' perspective. Eye-level viewpoints tend to look down on the subject and impart a small amount of distortion into the perspective, small, but it shows. Also every thing around the subject is at an unnatural angle, while the waist level view-point puts the surrounds to the subject on a level perspective. It's worth shooting the same shot from both perspectives and comparing them. There is often a surprising difference, I've often hunkered down to take a shot with my slr, just for this purpose.

BTW the Seagull TLR has a similar weakness with it's wind on, it is too easy to be enthusiastic when cranking it onto the next frame, hitting against the crank's end stop, repeatedly and too firmly, WILL end in tears, there are few repairers and even less spares available these days. Rolei and MamiyaC330's on the other hand, were built like tanks.


PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very nice pictures, and a great camera. Cool


PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just in case you were thinking of it yourself, after waiting for a couple of years I finally found a Yashica wide-angle auxiliary lens for the Yash-Mat 124 and I wish I hadn't bothered. The pictures are soft, with vignetting in the corners.



PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
peterqd wrote:
Just in case you were thinking of it yourself, after waiting for a couple of years I finally found a Yashica wide-angle auxiliary lens for the Yash-Mat 124 and I wish I hadn't bothered. The pictures are soft, with vignetting in the corners.



Ouch! see what you mean Peter, pardon my curiosity, this was a Yashica accessory lens intended for the 124, it was directly into the bayonet mount, ie., didn't have a filter between it and lens? The lens was closed a few stops? Tele-extenders and their sister wide angle extenders were fraught with difficulties as I remember from back when exchanging lenses were just a dream! These auxiliary lens were meant for a particular lens/camera setup, didn't like full aperture or close focus, picky or what? I bought one a while back for my camcorder, it worked better as a paperweight! But don't give up, experiment a little by fitting it onto you viewing lens and try different situations, you might find it works under certain restrictions?

BOL
Martin


PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Those Portra cave (and also for those towards the sun tree pics) were quite chancelling lighting situations and I didn't trust the values that the Yashicaca Mat gave for these test pics and I boosted those a little bit, but those HP5 film test pics shows that it's metering is quite reliable for the most situations.


It's a beautiful camera.

Ah like the second shot and the chandelier lamp shots but the others have been spoilt by flare and overexposure. As you said above, ye boosted some. Ah don't think they needed it. Ah'd try comparing the camera metering with a handheld meter, incident and reflective or a dslr meter tae see how accurate the Yashica meter really is.

Cool


PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Once again many thanks to you all friends! Smile

And yes, with those my first test pics overexposed ones were just my stupid faults and I've seen with the next rolls that the Yashicas metering values are really suprisingly reliable
<=> learning by doing Laughing Laughing Laughing

And one other nice way is to learn from all you this forums wonderful members who are always so kindly sharing their knowledge here at all different threads.
I really appreciate all this very much here at mfl-forums. Very Happy

At this thread one very precious information (at least for me) has been to avoid this exellent camera's weak point (possible wind on problems) and now also that wide-angle auxiliary lens poor performance abilities. Now I know also that I don't have to seek that kind anymore for my Yashica.

So many many thaks to you all from me and my Yashica Mat! Smile


PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
MTHall wrote:
peterqd wrote:
Just in case you were thinking of it yourself, after waiting for a couple of years I finally found a Yashica wide-angle auxiliary lens for the Yash-Mat 124 and I wish I hadn't bothered. The pictures are soft, with vignetting in the corners.



Ouch! see what you mean Peter, pardon my curiosity, this was a Yashica accessory lens intended for the 124, it was directly into the bayonet mount, ie., didn't have a filter between it and lens? The lens was closed a few stops? Tele-extenders and their sister wide angle extenders were fraught with difficulties as I remember from back when exchanging lenses were just a dream! These auxiliary lens were meant for a particular lens/camera setup, didn't like full aperture or close focus, picky or what? I bought one a while back for my camcorder, it worked better as a paperweight! But don't give up, experiment a little by fitting it onto you viewing lens and try different situations, you might find it works under certain restrictions?

BOL
Martin

Yes, this is a proper Yashinon bayonet-mounted Wide Angle auxiliary lens. No filters, no hood, and I very much doubt it was at fully open or closed aperture - probably f5.6 or f8. The lettering on the case and the box is in the later Optima style.

I waited over 2 years for this to turn up, and it wasn't exactly cheap, so I'm not going to give up on it lightly. I'll give it another chance, but you can understand my disappointment with it so far.





PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice, same model as mine Peter, Is it possible a previous owner has misassembled it? does it look tampered with? missing parts? I don't think Yashica would merchandise rubbish, that vignetting is bad! I would expect softer though, just like the 2x piece I use between my lens and camera, you always loose a little sharpnes, but yours I'd say was exsessive. there has to be a reason...........?
BOL
Martin
Quote:

Yes, this is a proper Yashinon bayonet-mounted Wide Angle auxiliary lens. No filters, no hood, and I very much doubt it was at fully open or closed aperture - probably f5.6 or f8. The lettering on the case and the box is in the later Optima style.

I waited over 2 years for this to turn up, and it wasn't exactly cheap, so I'm not going to give up on it lightly. I'll give it another chance, but you can understand my disappointment with it so far.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 6:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's nice to see you using the Yashica Mat. I've had one for years, handed down from my grandfather, and it has performed decently for me, at least in my opinion. Congratulations!


PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The attachment never were good optically.

The rollei were crap borders image productor too (Rollei mutars 0,7 and 1,5)

The wide or tele rollei (with the 4/135 mm lens) were greats cameras. Really greats.


PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
sonyrokkor wrote:
The attachment never were good optically.

The rollei were crap borders image productor too (Rollei mutars 0,7 and 1,5)

The wide or tele rollei (with the 4/135 mm lens) were greats cameras. Really greats.


And today those Rollei's are quite rare! The Wide fetches really silly money. It's true of all `add on' lens adapters, a loss of resolution is normal. Comes under the tag `You don't get anything for nothing', but back in the 1950's this was the only way to extend a fixed lens camera and still is, these add on lens are still made and supplied for digital fixed lens cameras, Olympus and Fuji still do. But proper telephotos and wide angle lens, zoom or prime will always be the way to go for quality results.
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