Uh oh - Yashica M was never a Minister...
Feb 6, 2024 13:00:17 GMT
on Feb 6, 2024 13:00:17 GMT
Posted: Feb 6, 2024 13:00:17 GMT
Just as with the previous thread on the MII and Minister II, recent acquisition of a Yashica M has made me realise that this camera too is not truly a member of the Minister family...
Yashica M__Minister
There has long been an assumption that the camera marked Yashica M was simply a Yashica Minister with a superior lens (Yashinon 45mm f1.9 vs f2.8), but having received a boxed version, I now recognise that this is not the case.
The camera is actually titled the Yashica 35 Model M with the f1.9 maximum aperture referenced too. Although the M was manufactured alongside the Minister, the cameras were marketed as entirely unrelated models - even though their bodies are identical.
Having seen this, it now makes even more sense that the MII and Minister II should be treated as unrelated cameras. Indeed, the MII can now be seen as the genuine successor to the M while the Minister II can continue to enjoy its position as the improved model of the original Minister...
Of course, while acknowledging the lineage of the two Yashica M models, it is important to remember that the M-3 is NOT part of that small family; it was the initial name for the Minister III until Leica threatened Yashica with a lawsuit over use of the name. Furthermore, the Electro M5 has no connection with the Minister series.
Yashica M__Minister
There has long been an assumption that the camera marked Yashica M was simply a Yashica Minister with a superior lens (Yashinon 45mm f1.9 vs f2.8), but having received a boxed version, I now recognise that this is not the case.
The camera is actually titled the Yashica 35 Model M with the f1.9 maximum aperture referenced too. Although the M was manufactured alongside the Minister, the cameras were marketed as entirely unrelated models - even though their bodies are identical.
Having seen this, it now makes even more sense that the MII and Minister II should be treated as unrelated cameras. Indeed, the MII can now be seen as the genuine successor to the M while the Minister II can continue to enjoy its position as the improved model of the original Minister...
Of course, while acknowledging the lineage of the two Yashica M models, it is important to remember that the M-3 is NOT part of that small family; it was the initial name for the Minister III until Leica threatened Yashica with a lawsuit over use of the name. Furthermore, the Electro M5 has no connection with the Minister series.
