More new additions to the draft lens list — 135mm telephotos
May 19, 2021 20:08:02 GMT
on May 19, 2021 20:08:02 GMT
Last Edit: May 19, 2021 20:26:51 GMT by dalegreer
When I was a university student, I worked for IBM in a factory that made typewriters, dot-matrix printers and laser printers.
IBM was struggling at the time to maintain costs, so they hired an entire second shift of college students to whom they paid $6.25 an hour and offered no benefits (as opposed to the first-shift “regular” employees who made $40 an hour with full health care and pension).
Another way they controlled cost was to introduce a constant succession of “cost reduction” models. These looked the same to the consumer, but inside, the company found a way to use cheaper parts, less parts or more efficient circuitry. It was a continuous process: One cost-reduction implementation after another.
This carried on for a few years, until IBM called it quits and spun off the entire division as a new company called Lexmark, which carried on for several more years before eventually offshoring all production to China.
I’m sure Yashica was facing very similar economic pressures starting in the late 1980s. You saw it in small ways at first: aperture rings that used to be machined aluminum were now plastic, etc.
Another way they dealt with cost is evident in this 135mm f/2.8 ML lens — previously undocumented here.
flic.kr/s/aHsmVH4Wd7
This lens (shown at right in the photos) is identical to the late DSB version (shown beside it), except for the fact that it presumably has better coatings, ML markings and came with a case. (Incidentally, the lettering on both lenses is printed, not engraved.)
This appears to be Yashica’s final attempt to keep making and selling a 135mm ML lens, before they threw in the towel and started sourcing all lenses from third parties like Cosina.
The draft lens list on this forum shows these 135s in C/Y mount:
-Yashica DSB 135mm f2.8
-YUS 135mm f2.8
-Yashica ML 135mm f2.8
-Yashica ML 135mm f2.8 C
By my count, I've found seven different 135s in the C/Y mount:
- Yashica YUS 135mm f/2.8, first generation (58mm filter ring, silver trim; may possibly be a DSB version too)
-Yashica YUS 135mm f/2.8, second generation (55mm filter ring, engraved barrel markings; may possibly be a DSB version too)
-Yashica YUS 135mm f/2.8, final generation (55mm filter ring but a new design, printed barrel markings; identical to the final DSB and ML versions)
-Yashica DSB 135mm f/2.8, final generation (55mm filter ring, printed barrel markings; identical to the final YUS and ML versions)
-Yashica ML 135mm f/2.8, first generation
-Yashica ML 135mm f/2.8c, second generation
-Yashica ML 135mm f/2.8, final generation (55mm filter ring, printed barrel markings; same design as the final DSB and YUS versions)
As stated above, there may be two more DSB versions that are the same designs as the YUS versions, for a total of nine different 135mm lenses in C/Y mount.
Cost reductions all, perhaps, except for the 135mm f/2.8c, which was a clear improvement.
IBM was struggling at the time to maintain costs, so they hired an entire second shift of college students to whom they paid $6.25 an hour and offered no benefits (as opposed to the first-shift “regular” employees who made $40 an hour with full health care and pension).
Another way they controlled cost was to introduce a constant succession of “cost reduction” models. These looked the same to the consumer, but inside, the company found a way to use cheaper parts, less parts or more efficient circuitry. It was a continuous process: One cost-reduction implementation after another.
This carried on for a few years, until IBM called it quits and spun off the entire division as a new company called Lexmark, which carried on for several more years before eventually offshoring all production to China.
I’m sure Yashica was facing very similar economic pressures starting in the late 1980s. You saw it in small ways at first: aperture rings that used to be machined aluminum were now plastic, etc.
Another way they dealt with cost is evident in this 135mm f/2.8 ML lens — previously undocumented here.
flic.kr/s/aHsmVH4Wd7
This lens (shown at right in the photos) is identical to the late DSB version (shown beside it), except for the fact that it presumably has better coatings, ML markings and came with a case. (Incidentally, the lettering on both lenses is printed, not engraved.)
This appears to be Yashica’s final attempt to keep making and selling a 135mm ML lens, before they threw in the towel and started sourcing all lenses from third parties like Cosina.
The draft lens list on this forum shows these 135s in C/Y mount:
-Yashica DSB 135mm f2.8
-YUS 135mm f2.8
-Yashica ML 135mm f2.8
-Yashica ML 135mm f2.8 C
By my count, I've found seven different 135s in the C/Y mount:
- Yashica YUS 135mm f/2.8, first generation (58mm filter ring, silver trim; may possibly be a DSB version too)
-Yashica YUS 135mm f/2.8, second generation (55mm filter ring, engraved barrel markings; may possibly be a DSB version too)
-Yashica YUS 135mm f/2.8, final generation (55mm filter ring but a new design, printed barrel markings; identical to the final DSB and ML versions)
-Yashica DSB 135mm f/2.8, final generation (55mm filter ring, printed barrel markings; identical to the final YUS and ML versions)
-Yashica ML 135mm f/2.8, first generation
-Yashica ML 135mm f/2.8c, second generation
-Yashica ML 135mm f/2.8, final generation (55mm filter ring, printed barrel markings; same design as the final DSB and YUS versions)
As stated above, there may be two more DSB versions that are the same designs as the YUS versions, for a total of nine different 135mm lenses in C/Y mount.
Cost reductions all, perhaps, except for the 135mm f/2.8c, which was a clear improvement.
