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on Jan 14, 2024 15:11:28 GMT
Posted: Jan 14, 2024 15:11:28 GMT
OK folks, we've had some great threads on the Minister series of Yashica rangefinders and they are great cameras. By convention, it has always been assumed that the MII is simply an early version of the Minister II - after all, they look practically identical... Oh, how wrong we've been and I've been particularly lax in allowing this error to circulate... Yesterday, I received a lovely working MII for £10 delivered - a true bargain. My other MII is in storage but on entering the new model in the inventory, two things stood out immediately: firstly, it looks different to my existing MII and secondly, its serial number is higher than one of my Minister II models. So, there are two cosmetically different MIIs but more significantly, the new arrival's serial number suggests that the MII and Minister II were in co-production for a period.  Yashica MII lateBoth of my MII and all of my Minister II cameras have serial numbers starting: II xxxxxxx. What can also be confusing is that if you bought an early production Minister II, it was branded on both packaging and manuals as Yashica 35 M-II (note the hyphen in the M-II). However, the MII is a significantly enhanced camera over the Minister and Minister II. While they share the Copal SVL shutter, the MII has a faster top speed of 1/1000s (vs 1/500s) and a minimum aperture of f22 (vs f16). So, is the MII rightly included in the Minister series (after all, nowhere on the camera does the name Minister appear) or should be on its own, a separate marque? |
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on Jan 15, 2024 10:30:03 GMT
Posted: Jan 15, 2024 10:30:03 GMT
Interesting! I note two variants on my Yashica Family Tree chart, and one of the images I used is the one below. Does this match the earlier version, or do we have yet another variant?  |
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on Jan 15, 2024 11:07:42 GMT
Posted: Jan 15, 2024 11:07:42 GMT
Interesting! I note two variants on my Yashica Family Tree chart, and one of the images I used is the one below. Does this match the earlier version, or do we have yet another variant? Hi Bob, I'm so sorry to be such a nuisance... The first thing I did was to check out your chart and thought 'Oh no, bobblehat is not going to thank me'... The image you have used is correct for the first iteration of the MII BUT my old version starts with II 1xxxxxx which suggests it was produced in 1961 and not 1962. All of the late versions of the MII and all the initial versions of the Minister II (Yashica 35 M-II) start with II 2xxxxxx confirming 1962 as the start of production. As the MII is a different camera from the Minister II, given its higher spec., and both versions of this model have only cosmetic differences, perhaps what might be easiest is to switch images across, have the MII as a stand-alone marque with a 1961-62 date and leave the other label as it is under the switched Minister II image. Even though there are two distinct versions of the MII, given that we also know of two different versions of the Minister III (not including the M3) and only have a single illustration of that camera on the chart, treating the MII in the same way would be consistent. That would seem to be the simplest solution... If you are brave (and foolhardy) enough to decide on absolute detail and accuracy, you would need to mess up the chart by adding in the late version MII and the Hong Kong model of the Minister III with its inferior lens. Please don't shoot the messenger - again...  |
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on Jan 15, 2024 11:31:33 GMT
Posted: Jan 15, 2024 11:31:33 GMT
No point in ever shooting the messenger  I was thinking along the same lines as yourself when I asked the question about my image matching your earlier version ... should I switch images around and put 1961 on the earlier version ... so yes, easiest solution! I'm intrigued now about the M3/Minister III variants? Does the Hong Kong version look like the Minister III image below ... but with a different lens?  If it does, then I could possibly make a note of the lens variants on the chart, if you would be kind enough to give me the relevant details? Similar to the Minister D (1.9/2.8) text box (above the Minister III image). |
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on Jan 15, 2024 12:25:01 GMT
Posted: Jan 15, 2024 12:25:01 GMT
No point in ever shooting the messenger I was thinking along the same lines as yourself when I asked the question about my image matching your earlier version ... should I switch images around and put 1961 on the earlier version ... so yes, easiest solution! I'm intrigued now about the M3/Minister III variants? Does the Hong Kong version look like the Minister III image below ... but with a different lens? If it does, then I could possibly make a note of the lens variants on the chart, if you would be kind enough to give me the relevant details? Similar to the Minister D (1.9/2.8) text box (above the Minister III image). Hi. If you look down the current page of threads under Rangefinders you'll see a post titled 'Yashica Minister III - all 3 versions' from January 2022. You can see the third version on the right of the piccie which features a Yashinon 45mm f2.8, not a Yashinon-DX, lens. By the way, it carries the unusual engraving on the back ' PROCESSED IN HONG KONG' below its serial number with the tell-tale H prefix. I hope that helps. |
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Group: Moderator
Post: 2,040 (563 liked)
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Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Jan 15, 2024 12:47:54 GMT
Posted: Jan 15, 2024 12:47:54 GMT
Hello bobblehat , As a side-bar, I think simplifying the list in the way discussed is the right approach. Yashica produced so many cosmetic variations of certain models that it would be impractical to show them all - I'm thinking particularly of the J rangefinder models where we have identified at least 5 versions of the same camera. I also just spotted one of my Minister IIs where the minister insert under the viewfinder window is gold on black instead of the usual black on white; probably a few left over from the original Minister model... |
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on Jan 15, 2024 12:53:33 GMT
Posted: Jan 15, 2024 12:53:33 GMT
Thanks for that .... I'll have a look! (p.s. I've sent email with possible change ) |
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