One of Yashica's rarest half-frame cameras...at long last!
Aug 23, 2024 14:43:33 GMT
on Aug 23, 2024 14:43:33 GMT
Last Edit: Aug 24, 2024 9:55:59 GMT by biggles3
It has been my pleasure to try to hunt down rare or unusual Yashica and Contax items for the interest of our Members (and my enjoyment of course).
There is a small number of Yashica cameras that are extremely hard to find - the amazing FX-A, the J-4, Oral-Eye and some rare variations of more common models - and over the years we've been able to share some images of them as they found their way to the Principality of Wales. But there was one factory-made camera that had eluded me for decades; indeed it's thought that fewer than 50 were manufactured: it was the Police version of the Yashica Sequelle. Now, there are some FX-3 half-frames around that were issued to the police here in the UK and elsewhere for the purpose of taking mug-shots but they were modified ex-factory from regular models. The Police Sequelle had its own production line at the Tomioka factory making it a Yashica original. And here it is:
Police Sequelle (left)
It is standing on the left next to the earliest version of the Sequelle (note the absence in the initial version of a shutter lock, seen just below the lens on the Police model). The major difference is the lens: it sports a Yashinon 4.5cm f4 whereas the regular Sequelle had a wider and faster 2.8cm f2.8 Yashinon. To compensate for the longer focal length, you can spot the other difference - the narrower field of view available through the viewfinder. Obviously, if you are taking a mug-shot, you don't need a wide-angle lens... That longer Yashinon adds quite a bit of weight to the Sequelle. Unlike the zone focusing of the regular model, the 4.5cm Yashinon is a fixed focus lens. I'm very curious to see just how good it is.
This is a fully working example but sadly I don't have the cover for the meter window so this will need to be stored in the dark to help preserve it. At long last, all three versions of this excellent and original half-frame camera are together.
There is a small number of Yashica cameras that are extremely hard to find - the amazing FX-A, the J-4, Oral-Eye and some rare variations of more common models - and over the years we've been able to share some images of them as they found their way to the Principality of Wales. But there was one factory-made camera that had eluded me for decades; indeed it's thought that fewer than 50 were manufactured: it was the Police version of the Yashica Sequelle. Now, there are some FX-3 half-frames around that were issued to the police here in the UK and elsewhere for the purpose of taking mug-shots but they were modified ex-factory from regular models. The Police Sequelle had its own production line at the Tomioka factory making it a Yashica original. And here it is:
Police Sequelle (left)
It is standing on the left next to the earliest version of the Sequelle (note the absence in the initial version of a shutter lock, seen just below the lens on the Police model). The major difference is the lens: it sports a Yashinon 4.5cm f4 whereas the regular Sequelle had a wider and faster 2.8cm f2.8 Yashinon. To compensate for the longer focal length, you can spot the other difference - the narrower field of view available through the viewfinder. Obviously, if you are taking a mug-shot, you don't need a wide-angle lens... That longer Yashinon adds quite a bit of weight to the Sequelle. Unlike the zone focusing of the regular model, the 4.5cm Yashinon is a fixed focus lens. I'm very curious to see just how good it is.
This is a fully working example but sadly I don't have the cover for the meter window so this will need to be stored in the dark to help preserve it. At long last, all three versions of this excellent and original half-frame camera are together.
