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Join date: March 2021
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on Mar 6, 2021 13:03:46 GMT
Posted: Mar 6, 2021 13:03:46 GMT
Hi all, first may I say that after plenty of googling for Yashica related stuff the roads always lead to this forum and it looks like there are people here who know their stuff. So I've joined.
My route to yashica stuff came via investigating vintage lenses for use on my Olympus MFT camera (OMD EM10 III). I've always had a thing for the underdog and the obscure and underrated so I was immediately attracted to Yashica. After watching a few youtube videos I started searching for a good 'nifty fifty' and found one pretty quickly (Yashica ML 50mm 1.7) which came with an FX-D Quartz. At first I wasn't too bothered with the camera as I was just after the lens but it started to look at me like a lost puppy. It seemed to want to be used again. I tried to ignore it but I kept picking it up and turning it over in my hands. I had to keep dragging myself away and concentrating on the task at hand...which was...disassembly of the lens. It was sold to me as having 'very little dust' but there was big brown lumps inside (about half the size of your average breadcrumbs) but it was definitely not dust (although there were a few specks of course) and would probably degrade image quality . There seemed to be nothing for it but to disassemble the lens and get the crud out. Never done it before, so off to youtube. I saw a guy take the four screws from the back of the lens to get to the rear lens assembly (is that the right terminology? I'm new to all this) so armed with my precision set of screwdrivers I tried to unscrew them but they just WOULD NOT BUDGE and I damaged - slightly - one of the screw heads(!). So....I discovered that japanese screws use a different standard (JIS) so off to amazon to get some JIS compliant screwdrivers 'TD-56S' (20 quid) and lo! They didn't work either but at least they seemed a better fit with more 'bite'. Hmmmm....after more reading I discovered that Yashica used GLUE on some of their lens models and I'm wondering if the screws were also glued in.
Anyhoo...I guessed that the brown bits were lumps of glue...if so..I figured that maybe I could get access via the front (assuming the glue was deteriorating) so, after gently applying plenty of ooomph I managed to get the front off and all the crumbly glue revealed itself. I cleaned it all off and got all the glue and the dust from the inside - I used Baader Optical Wonder cleaning fluid and it's nice cloth that comes with it - it all went back together and the lens is now SPOTLESS. I'm worried now that the glue acted as a sealant to prevent dust and moisture getting in so maybe I'll get issues down the road...anyone know?
Anyway the lens is excellent on my olly and its my new best friend.
Some images:
But back to the camera....I thought it was a dud coz I got nothing with new batteries. After I while realized the batteries were the wrong way up...still dead....I cleaned the battery compartment and contacts and yay! Back in the game! Today i've replaced the light seals and have got some new red leather to replace the leatherette (to be fair the leatherette is in good condition (seen much worse on internet). Now I'm just awaiting some black and white film (Ilford) and will take some arty shots - if works OK I'll put the new cover on.
But now I have a problem...I'm sort of addicted...do I need help? ;-)
Thanks in advance to any help/advice/support
Barnsey
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Group: Administrator
Post: 770 (71 liked)
Join date: August 2016
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on Mar 6, 2021 14:11:45 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 6, 2021 22:29:49 GMT by xkaes
No need for methadone!!!
Just read the posts on this forum once a day PRN!!!
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Group: Moderator
Post: 2,033 (561 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 Mar 6, 2021 15:38:04 GMT
Posted: Mar 6, 2021 15:38:04 GMT
Hello barnsey123 and welcome to the Forum! You have started on a fun Yashica journey but beware where it may lead you... There are some lovely bits of Yashica glass that will work perfectly with your E-M10 III - especially if you use Focus Peaking to help with your manual focusing. But guard your bank balance as acquiring lovely lenses can become habit-forming! The ML 50 1.7 is an excellent choice for a first lens as on your camera it becomes the equivalent of a 100mm lens which makes a nice short telephoto or portrait lens. Yashica's wide-angle lenses are less useful on a m4/3 body due to the 2x crop factor but the macro, standard and telephoto lenses will work well with your camera. And it's great to know that you've been able to fix both the lens and FX-D and so you can start shooting with film. I always find that working with film makes you slow down and think more carefully about the shot - it's a good discipline that will also help you with your digital captures; you become more sensitive to light, contrast, composition, etc. as making a mistake with film is wasteful and costly unlike digital recording. You'll find quite a few members here shoot with both film and digital cameras so if you have questions, someone here can usually help you with the answers. Enjoy your time with the Forum!
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Group: Member
Post: 285 (39 liked)
Join date: April 2014
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on Mar 6, 2021 21:06:07 GMT
Posted: Mar 6, 2021 21:06:07 GMT
Hi all, first may I say that after plenty of googling for Yashica related stuff the roads always lead to this forum and it looks like there are people here who know their stuff. So I've joined.
.........................
But now I have a problem...I'm sort of addicted...do I need help? ;-)
Thanks in advance to any help/advice/support
Barnsey
Hi Barnsey .... welcome to the forum ... I see you found us ... nice to talk to you earlier this week This is the wrong place to ask for help about addiction to collecting Yashica! All you'll get is encouragement! But on the upside, there'll be many a helpful answer to almost any question you're likely to ask about Yashica, the knowledge base here is incredible! Happy shooting!
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Group: Administrator
Post: 770 (71 liked)
Join date: August 2016
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on Mar 6, 2021 22:34:10 GMT
Posted: Mar 6, 2021 22:34:10 GMT
HEY!!
No offensive, but I'm not a collector.
I admire those that are, but I'm a "down in the gutter" USER.
I collect other stuff -- mostly that I find in the gutter (but you don't want to hear about that!!!!)
But I find some gems, for sure!!!
Diamonds in the Yashica rough.
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Group: Administrator
Post: 1,369 (301 liked)
Join date: February 2017
Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
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on Mar 6, 2021 23:57:02 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 6, 2021 23:59:07 GMT by lumiworx
Anything that might look like glue in a Yashica lens (or the C/Y Zeiss lenses) is usually the thinned enamel used as a dot of 'screw/part lock' to keep things in place and tightened to factory specs (often it's a dark red). Very old style lenses used tree balsam to cement optical blocks together, but the newer bayonet models used synthetic non-yellowing substitutes. I don't recall seeing anything beyond those 2, except for mini insect husks -or- someone elses 'fix' gone wrong. Non-sealed lenses can get unintentional 'critters' in some environments, but finding them isn't a concern or hard to clean.
If you find yourself considering any other C/Y glass in the future and ever have to do surgery again... many unscrew at the front (in one way or another), and won't require a massive teardown just to clean the internal glass. And... my JIS screwdrivers have more than paid for themselves when I needed to go that route.
The ML f/1.7 is a very good choice, and I think the A2033xxxx and up serials might have slightly better coatings, but that's only my own observation. Using them on M4/3 gives you a FOV that makes the most of the sweet spot, but don't forget that they do really well on full frame too, and they tend to be very sharp overall. They were the prime kit lens at one point, before polycarbonate barrels were the norm. Any FX-D that's still working should give you a fair amount more of service time, and the batteries are certainly cheap and readily available. I spend a few pennies more and get the silver-based SR44's. The LR44's will work too, but will drop off in voltage over a shorter period of time. The FX-D is a quartz-timed shutter, so you can take advantage of the fractional shutter speeds if you need to, plus all the program modes if you want more than just manual settings.
As others have noted... one legacy Yashica or Contax lens can suddenly lead to a need for another (and, another), and you won't regret following that trend once you're introduced to them and see what they can do.
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