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on Oct 31, 2015 1:24:28 GMT
Last Edit: Oct 31, 2015 1:28:24 GMT by dragos
As there is low activity last time here on forum,i suggest this topic.
On your opinion, if there we will try to make a rarity top of Yashica lenses.... what will be yours?
I will start with mine, taking in consideration my researches on trying to find them, with the mention that i don't have info regarding the number of copies produced and with exclusion of the "prototypes" ones like ml 400:
1. ML 70-210 f4, i never find any on sale
2. ML 35-70 f4 i never find any on sale
3. ML 1000 i never find any on sale
4. ML 35-70 f3.5 only once seen one on sale on Ebay
5. ML 28-50 rarely appear on sale
6. ML 55 1.2 seen 4-5 times over Ebay at high prices.
7. ML 100-300 rarely seen
that is my top, but i repeat, taking in consideration only my searches to buy.
P.S Is my rarity top, not my lenses, i own only one from those seven:)
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on Oct 31, 2015 5:54:43 GMT
Posted: Oct 31, 2015 5:54:43 GMT
Hi dragos,
That is a good list of C/Y lenses and probably in correct, descending order of rarity.
I would add:
No.1 - Yashica ML 400 f5.6 (there remains doubt if it was made but it appeared on several UK dealer lists back in 1979 as 'in stock item') No.2 - MC 28mm f2.8 Macro (a prototype lens (probably a re-badged Cosina) and there is one for sale today at a crazy price) No.3 - Yashica MC ZOOM 28-70mm f3.5-4.8 (Thanks marc for bringing that lens to my attention!)
and then your list as it appears. The ML 100mm f3.5 is pretty hard to find although I see one sold yesterday on Ebay for only £125. |
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on Nov 1, 2015 10:40:09 GMT
Posted: Nov 1, 2015 10:40:09 GMT
Nice list, let me add some: - I know of two copies of the MC 28-70mm 3.5-4.8. I have one and Stefan (yashicanoner) has the other. Both come from a former Yashica employee. According to him, they are not prototypes, although the lens was never officially sold. I don't know too much about the "MC" lenses, information about them is very vague.
- I doubt there was a ML 1000mm - where did you see that? None of the 1000mm f/11 lenses that I saw has "ML" on it.
- The ML 35-70mm f/4 is probably even rarer than the ML 70-210mm f/4. It took me almost 5 years to find one. It's hard to tell how many there are, I suspect they were only sold in some markets - here in Germany, the 4/70-210 shows up from time to time, while all of the 4/35-70 seem to come from Asia. Based on serial numbers, I'd say there are less than 1000 copies of each
- Next on the list is probably the ML 2.8/15mm fish-eye. My guess is less than 2000 copies.
- Then, in no particular order: ML 3.5/21mm, ML Zoom 100-300mm, ML 4/100mm Bellows, ML 1.2/55mm, ML Zoom 28-50mm (guess: 3000-5000 copies each)
I can't tell about the earlier (Yashinon, Yashikor) lenses. There are probably some very rare ones as well, like the Yashinon (DX) 2.8/100mm.
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on Nov 1, 2015 13:08:02 GMT
Posted: Nov 1, 2015 13:08:02 GMT
Nice list, let me add some: - I know of two copies of the MC 28-70mm 3.5-4.8. I have one and Stefan (yashicanoner) has the other. Both come from a former Yashica employee. According to him, they are not prototypes, although the lens was never officially sold. I don't know too much about the "MC" lenses, information about them is very vague.
- I doubt there was a ML 1000mm - where did you see that? None of the 1000mm f/11 lenses that I saw has "ML" on it.
- The ML 35-70mm f/4 is probably even rarer than the ML 70-210mm f/4. It took me almost 5 years to find one. It's hard to tell how many there are, I suspect they were only sold in some markets - here in Germany, the 4/70-210 shows up from time to time, while all of the 4/35-70 seem to come from Asia. Based on serial numbers, I'd say there are less than 1000 copies of each
- Next on the list is probably the ML 2.8/15mm fish-eye. My guess is less than 2000 copies.
- Then, in no particular order: ML 3.5/21mm, ML Zoom 100-300mm, ML 4/100mm Bellows, ML 1.2/55mm, ML Zoom 28-50mm (guess: 3000-5000 copies each)
I can't tell about the earlier (Yashinon, Yashikor) lenses. There are probably some very rare ones as well, like the Yashinon (DX) 2.8/100mm.
Thanks for these thoughts - they seem right on the button.
One question: how do you rate the MC 28-70's performance and build quality? I have not seen images taken with it - I ask only because I am aware of another one and may possibly have the opportunity to buy it but only if it can produce good images.
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on Nov 1, 2015 13:41:12 GMT
Posted: Nov 1, 2015 13:41:12 GMT
I'd say the build quality of the MC 28-70 is very good, similar to the MC 35-70. It's a strange design, because the zoom ring moves _past_ the front element when zooming between 50mm and 70mm (depending on focusing distance), which makes the use of a lens hood impossible.
The image quality is good, but not spectacular. I recall that the rendering is quite modern, sharp and high contrast. I should take new samples to tell you more, all the images I have are only 2.5 MPix on a crop sensor.
Do you know the serial number of the copy that you're interested in?
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on Nov 1, 2015 15:39:08 GMT
Last Edit: Nov 1, 2015 16:15:26 GMT by biggles3
I'd say the build quality of the MC 28-70 is very good, similar to the MC 35-70. It's a strange design, because the zoom ring moves _past_ the front element when zooming between 50mm and 70mm (depending on focusing distance), which makes the use of a lens hood impossible. The image quality is good, but not spectacular. I recall that the rendering is quite modern, sharp and high contrast. I should take new samples to tell you more, all the images I have are only 2.5 MPix on a crop sensor. Do you know the serial number of the copy that you're interested in? It is A00025 which suggest that Kyocera made at least 5 or 25... It is another of our members that has the lens although if he decides to sell it, trying to determine a fair price could be problematic. Very odd engineering to allow the zoom ring to pass the front element - I've never owned a lens that did that! It's even more critical with a wide-angle setting as a hood is a must-have to avoid the risk of flare even from oblique angles. |
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on Nov 1, 2015 16:40:02 GMT
Posted: Nov 1, 2015 16:40:02 GMT
Can we have a photo of this rare lens?
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on Nov 1, 2015 17:06:28 GMT
Posted: Nov 1, 2015 17:06:28 GMT
The MC 28-70 is an interesting topic in itself - I have the feeling we're highjacking this thread, so I'll open a new thread if that's OK with you.
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on Nov 2, 2015 12:07:56 GMT
Posted: Nov 2, 2015 12:07:56 GMT
[...]The ML 100mm f3.5 is pretty hard to find although I see one sold yesterday on Ebay for only £125. I guess I can top that now, Graham--just hauled a good one out of the 'bay for 121 euros...   Cheers Michael |
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on Nov 2, 2015 19:49:37 GMT
Posted: Nov 2, 2015 19:49:37 GMT
Gongrats, Michael,
I had it on my watchlist, too, but I needn't it because I bought my copy 5 years ago.
You will love it !
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on Nov 2, 2015 22:54:13 GMT
Posted: Nov 2, 2015 22:54:13 GMT
Well done Michael - that's very good value for such a superb lens!
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on Nov 3, 2015 0:58:09 GMT
Posted: Nov 3, 2015 0:58:09 GMT
Congrats, Michael, I had it on my watchlist, too, [...] Lucky me... I was almost sure one of you guys would appear on the scene ten seconds before the end of the auction and make the price go skyrocketting...  Cheers Michael |
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on Nov 3, 2015 3:08:43 GMT
Posted: Nov 3, 2015 3:08:43 GMT
In the good old days on Ebay you could see the id of bidders which was very handy as there were always one or two that you knew would bid high on C/Y gear and you could then look for an alternative listing. Nowadays with bidders identities hidden from public view there's no way to know if you are bidding against someone that you would happily give free rein. It's a real shame as I'll bet there are a few members here that have unknowingly pushed up the cost to other members - and I almost certainly include myself as I do tend to bid on a lot of items.
I don't know if this is the first time you've owned the 100mm - if so, I'm looking forward to your comments!
My only issue with it is the need for 2 extension tubes to give it a 1:1 ratio which tends to make it a bit unbalanced. But it's still a fabulous lens and absolutely deserves its high reputation.
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on Nov 3, 2015 7:26:49 GMT
Last Edit: Nov 3, 2015 7:45:23 GMT by yashicanoner
Nice list, let me add some: - I know of two copies of the MC 28-70mm 3.5-4.8. I have one and Stefan (yashicanoner) has the other. Both come from a former Yashica employee. According to him, they are not prototypes, although the lens was never officially sold.....
That's right, I had one of these MC 28-70 lenses. But I sold it a few years ago to a collector in Berlin. I decided to collect only the Yashica ML lenses because of my limited possibilities to store all of them. So all of my MC lenses had to go. By the way: The Yashica ML Zoom 70-210mm / f 1:4,5-5,6 is also a hard to find lens. This lens looks like the Yashica MC Zoom 70-210mm / f 4,5-5,6 and has the same technical specifications. I think they are the same lens, made by Cosina. First labeled as ML, later as MC. |
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on Nov 3, 2015 12:16:40 GMT
Last Edit: Nov 3, 2015 12:17:02 GMT by Deleted
In the good old days on Ebay you could see the id of bidders which was very handy as there were always one or two that you knew would bid high on C/Y gear and you could then look for an alternative listing. Nowadays with bidders identities hidden from public view there's no way to know if you are bidding against someone that you would happily give free rein. It's a real shame as I'll bet there are a few members here that have unknowingly pushed up the cost to other members - and I almost certainly include myself as I do tend to bid on a lot of items. I don't know if this is the first time you've owned the 100mm - if so, I'm looking forward to your comments! I fully agree with your sentiments on ebay's hiding bidders' id's. I value privacy protection as much as the next guy, but this is an issue where consumer protection ought to take precedence, to my mind. Yes, I'm anxious to hold the first slides done with the ML 100/3.5 against the light yet I doubt if I shall find the time so soon, still having half a dozen or so slide films from my summer vacation waiting for the scanner. Maybe this will aid me in learning to be more selective when it comes to publishing my work... Michael |
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