Group: Moderator
Post: 2,039 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Jan 13, 2021 15:57:35 GMT
Posted: Jan 13, 2021 15:57:35 GMT
The camera on the right arrived today from Europe, having been bought just before the post-Brexit 20% VAT was levied. Phew...  Yash 109s 24mm MLIt arrived attached to the 24mm and also had its kit zoom and case. It looks like quite a late serial number which may go some way to explaining its mint condition and perfect working order. I thought it might be nice to be able to look at both versions of the camera side-by-side so that you can decide which version you find more appealing. I do like the champagne/black version BUT I am mindful that they are more easily marked than the all-black ones and any scratch on the champagne finish really stands out. The camera will definitely be kept in its case when being used! |
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Group: Member
Post: 435 (15 liked)
Join date: July 2016
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on Jan 18, 2021 1:11:41 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 18, 2021 1:19:11 GMT by lenslover
Greetings everyone, i would like to mention, that these Guys have been the plastic-phantastic bread & butter Yashicas, when Minolta had long their AF Range already, starting with the Minolta 7000 into 1985...they came later, 3 of the Series, Yashica 107, 108 and 109, into 1987, 1988 & 1989, with very subtle differences, but the Yashica 109 features motorized Film Transport. It was a somewhat last resort from Yashica (Kyocera, to be exactly since then) to produce a very cheap SLR, made out of Plastic, for the Masses, after their own, AF-based Yashica 200 & 230 AF System was being a pipe crap, and Minolta earned the Success with their (very little different AF Bajonet System), to keep the Contax Yashica Mount System alive, for the Masses. i've never seen a champagne 10x Series, Graham. Interesting.
[Edit] I've forget to mention, the standard Kitlens was the Yashica MC 35-70/3.5-4.5 (singlecoated) Zoom Lens, despite the "MC" Moniker, it doesn't mean "MultiCoating" here, like the ML Series with "Multilayer". I bought the Yashica 108, with basically for free and the MC 35-70, next to nothing, some years ago. The 2nd cheap Kitlens for the Yashica 107/108&109 Iterations was the less being sold, 28-80/3.9-4.9 MC Yashica Zoom Lens, instead of the mentioned MC 35-70/3.5-4.5 Zoom.
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Deleted
Group: Member
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Join date: January 1970
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on Feb 8, 2021 18:29:24 GMT
Posted: Feb 8, 2021 18:29:24 GMT
Tastes may vary, and the champagne finish is definitely not my cup of tea. That said, I think the MP 109 is arguably the most underrated of all Yashica SLRs, and it still can be bought for peanuts from the usual auction sites.
True, it's got that cheapo plastic-fantastic look, but it is a sturdy, reliable workhorse with good ergonomics. Unless you attach a really heavy lens to it, you can easily carry it by the battery grip in your right hand over an extended period of time. Afaik, the MP 108 shares the identical specs except for the lack of a motorized film rewind, which seems to have necessitated four AA batteries in the 109, whereas the 108 takes AAA batteries and, therefore, has a smaller grip.
The only drawbacks I have been able to detect in many years of owning this camera: 1. the asthmatic, yet somehow shrill sound it makes when rewinding, 2. the MC kit lens, which I think is clearly no match for the ML zooms. Unfortunately, I bought my first 108 labeled as Revue AC8 as a student and never knew it had a Yashica mount. Neither did the folks at the camera shop where I inquired about alternative lenses, so I eventually gave up on it --- and got into Contax gear, heeheehee. It took some more time still until I found out what camera my "Revue" actually was...  |
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Join date: March 2017
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on Feb 11, 2021 14:15:39 GMT
Posted: Feb 11, 2021 14:15:39 GMT
...that cheapo plastic-fantastic look... I could not express it better  ...the champagne finish is definitely not my cup of tea... Same here, except for some very specific plastic bodies with silver colored plates, like the FX-D, or some full dark gray bodies, like some Pentax, I usually try to go for the all-black option. In my opinion, one of the bigger disadvantages of non-black plastic bodies is that it gets old-fashioned very fast, and that is making them to look old even for cameras with timeless/classic designs. As an example, from the both specimen here, it would be easier to guess and date the champagne one than the black one. |
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