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The Yashicamat did arrive yesterday...
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:56 am    Post subject: The Yashicamat did arrive yesterday... Reply with quote

It's in a general excellent shape. Needs a minor cleaning, but I think I got a nice one!.



I also got a roll of FUJI ISO100. But it will have to wait a little in the queue until I finish the rolls on the Minox, Electro 35, the Praktika and the P30, and I read carefully the manual.

BTW, I finally received yesterday the two Pentax-K to M42 adapters (for the K100D and the P30). So I suspect a high active weekend...

Jes.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thats great Jes!

You will have a lot of great memories with this camera. It is a really great performer. Enjoy Very Happy


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! It looks beautiful, to me. Cool

This will be yet another new type of photography, Jes! It is a fun exercise looking through the viewfinder, and everything is reversed.

I LOVE that "reversed" feature, as it "takes me away" from the subject for a moment, and I can concentrate purely on the balance of the composition.

Remember that ALL Yashica TLRs have an inherent problem. If the M/X lever is in the M position and you engage the Self-Timer the shutter gets jammed, and there is no way to un-jam it without tearing the camera apart. Many photographers put a piece of tape or other blocking item to not accidentally move that lever to M.

I use the "sports finder" (people forget that the sports finder is a very nice way to shoot) and the viewfinder hood + magnifier about 50/50 for my shots. I almost never try to shoot by looking into the viewfinder without the use of the magnifier - for me it is too imprecise.

The JOY in the camera, though, is the BEAUTIFUL big view through that magnifier! Focusing is great, and the scene SNAPS into focus! Surprised

The grid lines (if you have them) are efficient at leveling the horizon.

You will have a great time with this beauty. It looks clean, and the lens looks mint! The camera just seems to melt into the brain, it seems like it is so ergonomically attached. I think that might be because the viewfinder forces you to be "right there" with the scene.

And, of course, just wait until you see a big transparency.... Wink

Have fun! Great buy, Jes!


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

congrats Jes, this one look new


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You know Larry is right about the timer issue. For all those reading. Never use the timer with any old copal shutter. You will be rolling the dice. If you want to have a timer for these old mechanicals (or semi-mechanical in the case of the electros). Get a little screw in timer. They are cheap and cute as hell. Many old leaf shutters will jam for good if used with the built in timer. Maybe someone with more tech savvy can elaborate on why.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 9:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

F16SUNSHINE wrote:
Thats great Jes!

You will have a lot of great memories with this camera. It is a really great performer. Enjoy Very Happy


Thanks Andy, I've enjoyed it since I opened the box. It's so well built, feels solid like a rock, everything it's in place... The two small wheels for changing the speed and the aperture, are in the right place. I was able to understand how everything worked without the need of reading the manual. Even discovered how to cock the shutter by accident, when trying.

An engineering marvel, no doubt.
Jes.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congrats mate ! Enjoy this beauty!


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Larry,
The extreme quality of your nice landscapes and forest pictures decided me to try it. I think I've been lucky in getting a well conserved one.

Laurence wrote:
Wow! It looks beautiful, to me. Cool

This will be yet another new type of photography, Jes! It is a fun exercise looking through the viewfinder, and everything is reversed.

I LOVE that "reversed" feature, as it "takes me away" from the subject for a moment, and I can concentrate purely on the balance of the composition.


Yes, yu're right. By looking downwards, outside the plane of the picture, allows a better abstraction than if you have the camera in the same plane. It's like if you were not at the same place. As you say, much better to concentrate in the picture itself. I don't understand why this kind of viewer has been dismissed in the new designs. I feel it great!.

Laurence wrote:

Remember that ALL Yashica TLRs have an inherent problem. If the M/X lever is in the M position and you engage the Self-Timer the shutter gets jammed, and there is no way to un-jam it without tearing the camera apart. Many photographers put a piece of tape or other blocking item to not accidentally move that lever to M.


Thanks for pointing it. I haven't seen nothing about that elsewhere. It's like cocking the shutter before changing the speed on the FED. The safety tricks that no one has to forget.

Laurence wrote:

I use the "sports finder" (people forget that the sports finder is a very nice way to shoot) and the viewfinder hood + magnifier about 50/50 for my shots. I almost never try to shoot by looking into the viewfinder without the use of the magnifier - for me it is too imprecise.


That'ts funny. I tried to understand what was the use of that big lens sitting under the top cover. At first I thougth about something to have an horizontal viewfinder, but I quickly discarded the theory because it was impossible to see anything cleanly. And when I read the manual was deligted to see it was a magnifier for focusing. Now I feel I'll never focus without it...

Laurence wrote:

The JOY in the camera, though, is the BEAUTIFUL big view through that magnifier! Focusing is great, and the scene SNAPS into focus! Surprised

The grid lines (if you have them) are efficient at leveling the horizon.


Yes, I got them. And I appreciate very much them, because they will warn me against my natural trend to bow to the right.

Laurence wrote:

You will have a great time with this beauty. It looks clean, and the lens looks mint! The camera just seems to melt into the brain, it seems like it is so ergonomically attached. I think that might be because the viewfinder forces you to be "right there" with the scene.


You told the right word: ergonomy.

Laurence wrote:

And, of course, just wait until you see a big transparency.... Wink
Have fun! Great buy, Jes!


Thanks, Larry. Let's see what I can do with it.

Jes.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

poilu wrote:
congrats Jes, this one look new


Thanks, Poilu. Even the inside is clean and free from rust. There are some minimal scratches on the outside just on one of the corners. A nice conserved one!.

Jes.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
Congrats mate ! Enjoy this beauty!


Thanks Attila!. Now I own a long queue of wonderful cameras waiting to be tried. Today is a sunny day and I got the M42 to Pentax-K adapter, so I nice day to try a Pancolar Wink

Jes.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Laughing I look forward your posts, try to find some green and blue subjects that would be great to see in boring winter.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 11:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congrats, Jes. That looks like a very clean and cared-for example.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fantastic Jes, another Y-M fan! I know you'll enjoy using this camera and I hope you get some magnificent pictures. You'll make lots of new friends who want to ask you about it, even if you haven't got any film in it! Smile

And wow, what a bargain! There's a 124G finishing soon, already more than 3x the price you paid.
[edit: It finished over 4x!! Click here to see on Ebay]

Laurence & Andy - thanks v much for the tip about the self-timer. Up till now I haven't been able to move the self-timer lever on my cam, I thought it was jammed, but after reading your messages I changed the sync lever to X and it became free. I wasted one frame testing it, but I'll probably never use it again.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

peterqd wrote:
Fantastic Jes, another Y-M fan! I know you'll enjoy using this camera and I hope you get some magnificent pictures. You'll make lots of new friends who want to ask you about it, even if you haven't got any film in it! Smile

And wow, what a bargain! There's a 124G finishing soon, already more than 3x the price you paid.
[edit: It finished over 4x!! Click here to see on Ebay]

Laurence & Andy - thanks v much for the tip about the self-timer. Up till now I haven't been able to move the self-timer lever on my cam, I thought it was jammed, but after reading your messages I changed the sync lever to X and it became free. I wasted one frame testing it, but I'll probably never use it again.


Hi Peter!, At first I was looking for a 124G because it takes the 220 rolls as well.
On the other hand now I'm happy with the F16Sunshine, so the lightmeter and the other minor differences were not justifying the price difference. I like it so much yet, I've spent a lot of time watching the fine design and exercising the camera without a roll in...

Yes, definitely I'm becoming a Y-M man Wink

Jes.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am thinking on it too Embarassed I am afraid even if I have this cam I can't make any same good pictures what Larry did.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
I am thinking on it too Embarassed I am afraid even if I have this cam I can't make any same good pictures what Larry did.


Me too Attila, but remember there was once a time when Larry hadn't taken any pictures with it either. I don't think anyone with as little experience of using a TLR as you and me could expect to make such fantastic images straight off - it takes a lot of practice and experience, as well as natural skill and talent. Smile


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes it is.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The one thing that throws most people is the square format and for the majority of TLRs, the idea of a fixed lens.

Oh, and the reversed view in the finder.... Laughing

Once you get into the 'square' mindset, you find yourself composing in a different way from 135 and for the fixed lens, using the 'foot zoom' more.

A lot of times you find that a scene that you never imagine would work in 6x6 actually does, and sometimes even better than in 135.


PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bob955i wrote:
A lot of times you find that a scene that you never imagine would work in 6x6 actually does, and sometimes even better than in 135.


I must say for landscapes I'm finding the 6x6 format difficult to learn - too much sky and not enough width.


PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

@Peter:

Try using the foreground more if possible to balance things a bit if the sky's not too interesting, or you don't want a lot of sky, and again if possible step back for more width, or to the sides for an alternative viewpoint. You could try using a WA auxiliary lens which will give you the width but that'll give you more sky as well and you might not be too happy with the IQ of the additional lens either.

This was what I was meaning about the concept of a 'square' mindset and use of the 'foot zoom'.

I have a Velvia 50 6x6 slide I shot years ago using the Yashi 635 of the Old Man of Storr on Skye which works very well - I tried the same shot on 135 and found that a portrait orientation was the closest I could get to emulating the compositional balance of the 6x6.

I wish I could show you from my own work what I mean but I don't currently have a scanner that will take 135 slides, never mind 120, although I'm saving up for one of the new Epsons.

Have a look at Charlie Waite's site for some ideas and see what I mean about use of foreground:
http://www.charliewaite.com/gallery-page-cats.asp?m=42


PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jesito wrote:
Attila wrote:
Congrats mate ! Enjoy this beauty!


Thanks Attila!. Now I own a long queue of wonderful cameras waiting to be tried. Today is a sunny day and I got the M42 to Pentax-K adapter, so I nice day to try a Pancolar Wink

Jes.


I can help you in that hard task, if you want. Just call me and we can meet on a saturday or sunday. Would you like to come to Cambrils? It's a very photogenic place... Very Happy

By the way, that Y-M look like a serious tool, definetely not a toy.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Juanma wrote:
Jesito wrote:
Attila wrote:
Congrats mate ! Enjoy this beauty!


Thanks Attila!. Now I own a long queue of wonderful cameras waiting to be tried. Today is a sunny day and I got the M42 to Pentax-K adapter, so I nice day to try a Pancolar Wink

Jes.


I can help you in that hard task, if you want. Just call me and we can meet on a saturday or sunday. Would you like to come to Cambrils? It's a very photogenic place... Very Happy

By the way, that Y-M look like a serious tool, definetely not a toy.


Sorry Juanma, I've just seen your message!!!. Too late, but thanks anyway.

Jes.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jesito, just to expound on a couple of earlier statements that you and I talked about:

Looking down "into" the scene through the viewfinder gives a sense of detachment that is wonderful. I agree with your statement that it is somewhat like looking at the scene from "another place". I also feel that it is sort of similar to painting - the matte screen is the "canvas".

It is surprising to me that more people don't consider the TLRs with the waist-level finders. At least not currently. At the time of the "heyday" of the Yashica Mats, literally millions of photographers found the virtues of this splendid way to make photographs.

When you get some slides or negs back, take a look at the extreme corners - it will amaze you how well the focus and sharpness is kept!