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on May 12, 2023 18:19:35 GMT
Last Edit: May 12, 2023 18:25:55 GMT by lumiworx
This is a little puzzling, and as I'm not the original purchaser I'm unsure if it was typical practice for regional dealers to override the OEM warranty from Yashica with one of their own making. That's what seems to be the case with this 'Guarantee Certificate' for a Yashica ML 55mm f/1.2.  I was fortunate enough to get the original box, and all serial numbers do match across the board, so there's no doubt about this card being intended for this item or it somehow being out of context with everything else. I don't read or speak Chinese, and have to assume the hand-written details for this Hong Kong dealer match the printed ones. Sadly, the purchase receipt wasn't included so no sale pricing or date info is known. One last bit of info... both halves of the certificate are still attached to each other, so whomever the original purchaser was didn't decide to register the sale. And... The lens itself...  |
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on May 13, 2023 9:46:42 GMT
Posted: May 13, 2023 9:46:42 GMT
Hi lumiworx That lens looks as near immaculate as you can get - wonderful. A very pleasing purchase! Given the huge number of Yashica/Contax sales through HKG, it's perhaps not a big surprise that the local distributor was given extra responsibility by Yashica. When the 55 f1.2 was introduced, the warranties for Contax/Yashica in the Territory were under the bailiwick of Yashica Hong Kong Co. Ltd. in Salisbury Road, Kowloon. I can't remember how many dealers were selling Yashica products over there back in the late '70s and in the '80s but there were quite a few. Yashica did not issue the International Warranty Cards associated with the early days of the Contax Real Time System so it was left for their distributors to agree specific warranty terms with the relevant regional Yashica company. I suppose it made logistical sense for Yashica to be able to collate all local repair/warranty issues through one point of contact. |
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on May 13, 2023 12:40:35 GMT
Posted: May 13, 2023 12:40:35 GMT
Thank you for the additional details and clarifications biggles3. I'd thought any warranty peculiarities might have to do with the servicing and spare parts complexities for a limited production run lens, but if HK provided the same warranty service across the board, no matter what product type it was for, I'd have to assume they probably had a dedicated repair center to cover all of the Yashica, and by extension, all the Contax gear they would have sold. You're right about the lens too. It doesn't appear to have been used much at all, and it's still in as-new mechanical and optical condition. I'm looking forward to seeing its potential now that it's warming up outside. With this one added, I'm probably at the end of finding all of the ML series. |
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on May 13, 2023 13:08:15 GMT
Posted: May 13, 2023 13:08:15 GMT
Thank you for the additional details and clarifications biggles3 . I'd thought any warranty peculiarities might have to do with the servicing and spare parts complexities for a limited production run lens, but if HK provided the same warranty service across the board, no matter what product type it was for, I'd have to assume they probably had a dedicated repair center to cover all of the Yashica, and by extension, all the Contax gear they would have sold. You're right about the lens too. It doesn't appear to have been used much at all, and it's still in as-new mechanical and optical condition. I'm looking forward to seeing its potential now that it's warming up outside. With this one added, I'm probably at the end of finding all of the ML series. Congratulations on completing your collection of the ML series!! I have yet to find the ML 20mm f3.3 (at an affordable price); I suppose for the sake of completion, I should swallow my pride in the marque and acquire the 28mm ML C and ML 28-210 but they have so little of Yashica's DNA in them that I find it difficult to find the motivation... |
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on May 14, 2023 0:39:41 GMT
Posted: May 14, 2023 0:39:41 GMT
Now that you mention the 20mm, that might be the last one that I don't have - I think, I'll need to go through my list again to see what's missing - and it's probably that I've never seen one listed anywhere that has kept it off my radar. Early on I had one of the MC kit zooms, and wasn't really all that impressed. Couldn't find any reason to keep going along that line with the couple of them that showed up in a few lots I won/bought over the years..
It's not difficult for me to tone down my LBA for some of the ones that aren't better performers, so that wins out over the nagging thoughts about not having a complete series. They might all find their way in at some point, but I won't be disappointed in having a hole here and there. It is kind of odd that the more I have, the fewer I grab as favorites.
This ML 1.2 however has been a daily search for 5+ years, and I couldn't be happier that it showed up when it did. I can already say that I'm partial to it over the Revuenon 1.2, and I'd probably attribute that to the coatings and the truly circular rear element.
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on May 14, 2023 11:30:59 GMT
Posted: May 14, 2023 11:30:59 GMT
---- This ML 1.2 however has been a daily search for 5+ years, and I couldn't be happier that it showed up when it did. I can already say that I'm partial to it over the Revuenon 1.2, and I'd probably attribute that to the coatings and the truly circular rear element. That ML 55 1.2 is a lovely lens and I hope you feel that the piccies it helps to make will confirm that it was worth every moment of that long wait. The Revuenon is a pretty decent performer but you've evidently already spotted the superior IQ of the ML. What perhaps is more interesting is a comparison between the DS-M 1.2 and the ML - I can't tell the results apart. They're both multi-coated and take Yashica's 57mm rectangular hood but of course, the DS-M has that necessary cut-out in the rear element. I have come across the same situation with the ML and DS-M 24mm lenses - identical results in nearly all cases. It does beg the question as to how much difference there is between the respective multi-coatings of the two lens systems. Those DS-M lenses continue to impress. As a further side note, I suspect that the DSB 24mm lens has multiple coatings like its 50 1.9 sibling as it too is a very fair performer - it's only under extreme lighting conditions that it fails to meet the IQ of the ML and DS-M versions; Yashica's AF 24mm matches the qualities of the ML. |
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