Group: Administrator
Post: 1,370 (301 liked)
Join date: February 2017
Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
|
|
on Jun 23, 2022 22:33:07 GMT
Posted: Jun 23, 2022 22:33:07 GMT
This will be my third dip into the Pentamatic (v1) pool, and there's some good and bad news with today's arrival. I started with a rough looking parts camera with a 50mm in reasonably good condition a few years ago, then later found a working body/lens combo that was in great shape, and thought I'd be done for the time being. The following showed up in an unrelated search this past week, and the rarity bug bit me before my common sense kicked in. It wasn't pricey, but I should have known better after a pic or two of the box showing quite a bit of damage that in hindsight wasn't just from age or from being put in a bad storage location. This was apparently floating in water at some point and it's black paint has started to deteriorate and flake off from prolonged exposure. I haven't seen any holes or weak spots in the bellows yet, but as it is, it may be an easy replacement of just the bellows material if it really has to go. I have more than a few mediocre bellows around that might make good donors if they're long enough. These seem to have a little more travel than most of the ones from the same timeframe from other makers. Everything is still in one piece (more or less), and the flip-out center rod still works, as does the gearing to get to full extension. The box is moldy inside and out, and smells horrendously bad, but I'll do what I can to rescue what there is. This is the extension bellows unit on Pentamatic #2, and yes there's a Spiratone MacroBel - with an Accura Anastigmat f/3.5 75mm enlarging lens - all in mint condition and propping up the Yashica trio... but more on that at a later date.  |
|
Group: Moderator
Post: 2,040 (563 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Jun 24, 2022 6:32:52 GMT
Posted: Jun 24, 2022 6:32:52 GMT
Hi lumiworx That's a very nice find, despite the malodorous box and water damage, as the bellows for the Pentamatic is getting quite hard to find. And it's good news that the unit appears, at least for the moment, to be light-tight. I undertstand that your reference to a 50mm lens is not literal but is merely stating that it came with a standard lens and I can see the 5.5cm on the bellows; were you also able to get hold of the 5.8cm lens in one of your buys? If so, I'd value your thoughts on a comparison between the two types; I can't explain why but I do prefer the IQ of the 5.8cm lens to that of the 5.5cm and yet there's almost no appreciable difference in their picture quality. There's some indefinable 'something' that separates them for me so I'd love to receive an independent opinion... |
|
Group: Administrator
Post: 1,370 (301 liked)
Join date: February 2017
Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
|
|
on Jun 27, 2022 19:34:04 GMT
Posted: Jun 27, 2022 19:34:04 GMT
Well Graham, it seems I packed away Pentamatic #1 (to an unknown hiding place). You're correct about the focal length faux pas with my referring to it as a 50mm, since I only remember that it held the standard lens, and not a wide or tele, and I can't give anything more specific than that without camera in-hand. I think it was the 'other' standard lens, as memory suggests it didn't look the same as the the one on #2, which is in fact the 5.5cm f/1.8. Time will tell if that memory fragment is correct.
This may be the one series of lenses that won't go through my normal testing rounds. There is one adapter maker that has a series available to adapt Pentamatic bayonet lenses to several digital bodies for $75 USD, and having only two 50-ish mm standard lenses - my least used focal length, and I have a mountain of them in multiple brands - it's probably not where I'll spend time/money when they'll not see much action afterwards. The adapters are one-offs and not mass produced, so there's a question about how well (and, IF) it will work too. That leaves film testing only, and the waiting line is already very long. In any event, it will have to wait a bit longer than those already in line.
|
|
Group: Administrator
Post: 1,370 (301 liked)
Join date: February 2017
Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
|
|
on Jun 28, 2022 15:56:38 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 28, 2022 16:03:58 GMT by lumiworx
biggles3 , I should have known better. It occured to me long after the last post that I did take and post a photo of Pentamatic #1 not long after I received it. That posting is here, and dated as Sept. 12th, 2019. That helps to confirm that my recollection was indeed faulty, as it too has the same 55mm f/1.8. I can only blame 70-ish years of grey matter fermentation as the likely and foggy culprit in making that mistake. However I do remember what ills that body is plagued with, namely that it has no winding lever, and the rewind knob won't go down into its locked position - both issues are fairly obvious when examining the posted pic. At least it's good to know the lens serials are different, and that somehow I didn't wrongly convince myself about having 2 lenses. Now I've got to go digging... EDIT to add: It looks like there are some additional documents on Butkus' Pentamatic page, that now has the Yashinon lenses and one more on accessories, which includes the bellows. www.butkus.org/chinon/yashica/yashica_pentamatic/yashica_pentamatic.htm
|
|
Group: Moderator
Post: 2,040 (563 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Jun 28, 2022 16:10:03 GMT
Posted: Jun 28, 2022 16:10:03 GMT
biggles3 , I should have known better. It occured to me long after the last post that I did take and post a photo of Pentamatic #1 not long after I received it. That posting is here, and dated as Sept. 12th, 2019. That helps to confirm that my recollection was indeed faulty, as it too has the same 55mm f/1.8. I can only blame 70-ish years of grey matter fermentation as the likely and foggy culprit in making that mistake. However I do remember what ills that body is plagued with, namely that it has no winding lever, and the rewind knob won't go down into its locked position - both issues are fairly obvious when examining the posted pic. At least it's good to know the lens serials are different, and that somehow I didn't wrongly convince myself about having 2 lenses. Now I've got to go digging... Hi Randy, It seems we're of similar vintage and to be honest, if I could remember something correctly from 3 years ago, I'd be a very happy bunny... I wish I'd realised that you were missing a winding lever as I do recall someone selling parts of a Pentamatic a while back on a European Ebay site though I can't say for sure it included the lever-wind (that damned dodgy memory again!). If your camera still has that problem, I'll keep an eye out for one on this side of the pond... I wonder if the Penta J used the same wind-on mechanism as it might be easier to find as a cheap donor... |
|
