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on Mar 14, 2022 19:46:18 GMT
Posted: Mar 14, 2022 19:46:18 GMT
OK Folks, I'm completely lost with this one...it's marked Super Yashinon 13.5cm. On the face of it, it's a viewfinder but that's where my confusion starts. I can find no reference to this in any Yashica literature. I even toyed with the idea this was an add-on for the Atoron camera though how it would be used beats me as there's no provision for attachment. I found it last week in Japan.  13.5cm Super Yashinon Viewfinder compFirstly, I don't recall seeing any Yashica viewfinder for a 13.5cm lens and this is marked specifically for a Super Yashinon version. Next, I'm surprised to see that it features a focusing dial that rotates from 3ft (0.9m) to infinity. Finally, and to me most bewildering, is that it has a beautifully machined, spring-loaded mechanism (see right hand picture) to raise or lower the attitude of the viewfinder. The fact that the bright-line is at an angle is very odd - I wonder if that glass element has shifted but if it has, I can't get it to rotate at all. It appears to have multiple glass elements within it. Under what photographic or cinematographic condition would you want to tilt a viewfinder from the plane of the lens? Can any of you help identify this oddity? |
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on Mar 15, 2022 1:31:51 GMT
Posted: Mar 15, 2022 1:31:51 GMT
It's definitely not for an Atoron. That would have to be closer to 13.6MM, not 13.5CM.
All I can think of is a Yashica YE or YF, but did they have a "13.5CM SUPER YASHINON" back then?
That would not explain the 45 degree viewfinder marking.
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on Mar 15, 2022 10:37:49 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 15, 2022 10:43:17 GMT by biggles3
It's definitely not for an Atoron. That would have to be closer to 13.6MM, not 13.5CM. All I can think of is a Yashica YE or YF, but did they have a "13.5CM SUPER YASHINON" back then? That would not explain the 45 degree viewfinder marking. Hi xkaes As far as I'm aware, Yashica never issued a 13.5cm lens in a Leica 39mm mount, but the company continues to surprise us so who knows... The only likely candidates are both designed for SLRs (one Pentamatic and one M42) being their Super Yashinon-R 13.5cm f2.8 lenses so a viewfinder should be superfluous. Also, thinking about the Super Yashinon-R lens, does anyone know what the red letters ' K.C.' on the bezel of the early lenses mean? |
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on Mar 15, 2022 16:21:57 GMT
Posted: Mar 15, 2022 16:21:57 GMT
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on Mar 15, 2022 18:30:25 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 15, 2022 18:37:10 GMT by biggles3
Thank you so much! So, it's to accompany a 13.5cm f3.5 lens with a Leica 39mm mount. That lens was missing from our list so it's now been added. However, that still doesn't explain why on earth you'd need to be able to raise the front of the viewfinder from the horizontal position... |
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on Mar 16, 2022 7:13:18 GMT
Posted: Mar 16, 2022 7:13:18 GMT
However, that still doesn't explain why on earth you'd need to be able to raise the front of the viewfinder from the horizontal position... The extra mechanicals make it a parallax correction viewfinder when it's used on a camera body that doesn't provide that functionality on its own. Usually that occurs with an internal link from the rangefinder adjustment through some method of connection through the cold shoe mount to a pad that tilts the whole shoe - or tilts whatever finder is attached within it - to align the view of the finder to the framed view of the lens when you increase or decrease the focus distance. Most finders that offer it in a manual adjustment may have a foot or meter scale with marks to match the approximation of the distance. |
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on Mar 16, 2022 10:46:19 GMT
Posted: Mar 16, 2022 10:46:19 GMT
However, that still doesn't explain why on earth you'd need to be able to raise the front of the viewfinder from the horizontal position... The extra mechanicals make it a parallax correction viewfinder when it's used on a camera body that doesn't provide that functionality on its own. Usually that occurs with an internal link from the rangefinder adjustment through some method of connection through the cold shoe mount to a pad that tilts the whole shoe - or tilts whatever finder is attached within it - to align the view of the finder to the framed view of the lens when you increase or decrease the focus distance. Most finders that offer it in a manual adjustment may have a foot or meter scale with marks to match the approximation of the distance. Hi Randy, Thanks for the response. I heard from Paul Sokk last night who said something similar. I think he's right in guessing that this rather rare finder has been disassembled and then poorly re-assembled at some stage. The reason I was befuddled as to the purpose of the raising of the angle of the finder was just that: it can't be lowered to below horizontal which would render it less than useful for correcting the focusing distance. It would also potentially explain the 45 degree angle of the viewing frame. Unfortunately Paul has never seen one of these in the flesh and so is unable to help on how to take it apart to correct these faults; he thinks that in addition to the problem of the bright-line position, the variable mount had been wrongly set when the finder was re-assembled which is why it can't be lowered. There is a bit of work to do, after which a 39mm mount copy of the 13.5cm f3.5 Super Yashinon lens will be on a future shopping list but I'll bet people will ask silly money for it so I may well end up with a viewfinder and no corresponding lens.... |
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on Mar 16, 2022 21:06:42 GMT
Posted: Mar 16, 2022 21:06:42 GMT
I suppose it's also possible that someone imbued it with a mechanism that worked differently than expected. Does the entire chrome barrel end spin as the finder is focused? It appears there's a scribed line that matches the position of the screw's end point, so if there's any offset on that end piece it might act like a cam and raise or lower the black barrel section over the pivot point whenever the finder focus is turned. That's assuming that the focus marks and the indexing dot on the end piece work like a normal lens focus would.
If that manages to take care of correcting the parallax, the bright lines might be able to be reset to their proper angle of rotation by a bit of unscrewing and reassembly.
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on Mar 17, 2022 8:25:14 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 17, 2022 8:25:51 GMT by lumiworx
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on Mar 17, 2022 11:49:06 GMT
Posted: Mar 17, 2022 11:49:06 GMT
Hi lumiworx Thank you for your further contributions to the thread. That Acall finder is very similar to the Super Yashinon version; the principal difference is that the Yashica version has a distance scale in both feet and metres. I have been able to reposition the adjuster screw so that the finder now has an orientation that works properly when the cam is rotated. Although I've been able to remove the front bezel, I can't remove the rear one behind which is that troublesome, off-kilter frame; a little perseverance may be required... |
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on Mar 26, 2022 23:27:37 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 26, 2022 23:28:54 GMT by ridgeblue99
Hi lumiworx Thank you for your further contributions to the thread. That Acall finder is very similar to the Super Yashinon version; the principal difference is that the Yashica version has a distance scale in both feet and metres. I have been able to reposition the adjuster screw so that the finder now has an orientation that works properly when the cam is rotated. Although I've been able to remove the front bezel, I can't remove the rear one behind which is that troublesome, off-kilter frame; a little perseverance may be required... You need to apply pressure to the raised inner rim of the black plastic retainer with something like an eraser, then turn it counter-clockwise. You might not have to back it all the way out as the disk holding the frame lines likely will rotate some with the retainer, and depending on where it stops it could rotate back into the proper position when you tighten up the retainer. It might take a few tries to get it right, or you can fully remove the retainer and preposition the frame lines so it takes fewer attempts, guessing how far it might move as the retainer tightens.
PF
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on Mar 27, 2022 17:43:20 GMT
Posted: Mar 27, 2022 17:43:20 GMT
Hi lumiworx Thank you for your further contributions to the thread. That Acall finder is very similar to the Super Yashinon version; the principal difference is that the Yashica version has a distance scale in both feet and metres. I have been able to reposition the adjuster screw so that the finder now has an orientation that works properly when the cam is rotated. Although I've been able to remove the front bezel, I can't remove the rear one behind which is that troublesome, off-kilter frame; a little perseverance may be required... You need to apply pressure to the raised inner rim of the black plastic retainer with something like an eraser, then turn it counter-clockwise. You might not have to back it all the way out as the disk holding the frame lines likely will rotate some with the retainer, and depending on where it stops it could rotate back into the proper position when you tighten up the retainer. It might take a few tries to get it right, or you can fully remove the retainer and preposition the frame lines so it takes fewer attempts, guessing how far it might move as the retainer tightens.
PF
Many thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go and hope for the best... |
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