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on Jan 18, 2015 1:46:19 GMT
Posted: Jan 18, 2015 1:46:19 GMT
Gentlemen,
I just decided to give it a try and got me a 270-AF body which comes with two zoom lenses (35-70mm & 70-210mm) at such a modest price that it won't hurt me much if this venture should turn out a disappointment. Of course I don't expect the zooms to deliver outstanding results, but there are a couple of AF primes that might be interesting, namely, the 2.8/28, 1.8/50 and the 2.8/60 macro lenses.
Is there anybody out there who can provide first-hand information on these lenses and/or the system as such (reliability, speed & accuracy of the autofocus etc.)?
There's precious little info about this system to be had from the web, except, of course, that the Yashica AF SLRs proved quite a flop in their day and even meant something like the swan song of the Yashica brand altogether. Then again, I am used to the fact that Yashicas are often grossly underrated, so I am really interested in sorting out what's fact and what's fiction.
cheers
Michael
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on Jan 18, 2015 2:41:51 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 18, 2015 2:43:53 GMT by ridgeblue99
From what I've read of and seen, the higher you go in the 200 series the better, Michael. This mostly due to improvements in design along the way. The original AF looked quite a lot like one of those plastic-craptastic "New Optical Lens" models that flooded the market for a while (one company went so far as to almost perfectly copy the 200 design). Yashica did make a top line model when they came out with the 300, but the fat power-zoom lenses were not well liked, even though they perform just fine. The 270 with the primes seems to be the most popular, judging from owner remarks.
I hope to one day get some primes for my 300, even though I have no big issues with the two zooms, but I've been concentrating on other camera lines lately.
PF
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on Jan 19, 2015 11:27:01 GMT
Posted: Jan 19, 2015 11:27:01 GMT
Thanks, PF! Sounds like I should give the AF primes a try--fortunately, they're really cheap as the Yashica AF system is quite dead and of no interest for digital photographers (although you can adapt virtually any lens to a NEX, of course  ). BTW, there is also a x1.6 converter that allows the use of regular C/Y lenses in some sort of auto focus mode with this system. Might be worth giving it a try (especially as Kyocera never produced any AF tele primes). Michael |
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Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Jan 20, 2015 1:11:39 GMT
Posted: Jan 20, 2015 1:11:39 GMT
I have heard a lot of praise for the 60mm macro lens but I think the secret is out as second hand prices are on the rise.
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on Jan 20, 2015 2:26:00 GMT
Posted: Jan 20, 2015 2:26:00 GMT
Thanks, PF! Sounds like I should give the AF primes a try--fortunately, they're really cheap as the Yashica AF system is quite dead and of no interest for digital photographers (although you can adapt virtually any lens to a NEX, of course ). BTW, there is also a x1.6 converter that allows the use of regular C/Y lenses in some sort of auto focus mode with this system. Might be worth giving it a try (especially as Kyocera never produced any AF tele primes). Michael I found one of those converters on an auction site (not eBay), Michael, but forgot to get in on the action. The other ones I've seen on eBay are mostly for sale from established outfits, and they want some decent money for them. PF |
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on Jan 20, 2015 23:29:11 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 21, 2015 0:00:44 GMT by Deleted
I have heard a lot of praise for the 60mm macro lens but I think the secret is out as second hand prices are on the rise. Graham, Judging by the info I could gather, this does seem to be an excellent lens. Currently I find three "Buy Now" offers on German eBay all at around 90 euros--still a real bargain, I should think, considering what a good macro usually costs. So, yes, this would be very tempting indeed if I didn't already own two wonderful macro lenses, namely, an ML 2.8/55 and a Kiron 2.8/105. Plus: In macro photography, I feel I need a large, bright viewfinder, above all, but I'm not sure as to the use of a centred auto-focus, especially when shooting at open apertures ... I'm afraid it would drive me crazy rather than improve my results... So, no, for once I think I can restrain my GAS impulses there... Michael |
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on Jan 20, 2015 23:44:32 GMT
Posted: Jan 20, 2015 23:44:32 GMT
Oh, by the way, a 2.8/28 AF lens arrived in the mail today, a couple of days prior to when the camera is expected to follow, so I can't really say anything yet--except that I feel duly impressed by the solid, well-built look 'n' feel of that lens--quite different from those flimsy modern plastic AF thingies I see my wife mount to her DSLR... Really looking forward now to holding that camera in my hands ... (yes, I know I'm behaving like an adolescent while approaching pension age, but what the heck...!  ). Michael |
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on Jan 28, 2015 0:46:31 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 30, 2015 0:50:05 GMT by Deleted
At long last, she arrived (cameras are female in the German language )...  The whole lot for 50 euros--now that's what I call great value for money. (The converter/adapter cost me about the same, the 50mm and 28mm primes will amount to about 20-25 euros each if I should decide to stick with this system.) First impressions after a dry run: The 270-AF does have that certain aura of plastic cheapness that I expected from this vintage. Otherwise, it seems pleasant enough to handle. Bit on the heavy side perhaps, but this is due to the hefty weight of the AF lenses. The motor drive is loud, but not unusually so. I also appreciate the in-built flash unit. Sitting here in my study only lighted by a desk lamp and the computer screen (it was close to midnight when I came home and found the parcel), I chased the auto-focus a little and I'm amazed at how snappy it actually is--and that's with the 28-70mm zoom lens! I've seen much younger digital cameras perform much more poorly than that in available-light situations. Now--the converter... I'm very pleased to announce that it works like a charm.  I just tested it a little with the ML 2.8/55 macro and a Tokina 2.8/135 lens. Apertures are correctly transmitted to the camera and I really get full auto-focus function, though it's a tad slower and gives up earlier than when using the dedicated AF lenses. For most shooting situations, however, I expect it to work just fine (pity you can't do wide-angle shooting though, due to the 1.6 magnifying factor of the converter, but that's where the 28mm AF lens enters into it, if any good). So much for the time being, I'll be back as soon as I've been able to do some serious testing. Michael |
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on Jan 31, 2015 3:00:10 GMT
Posted: Jan 31, 2015 3:00:10 GMT
It's a fine looking outfit, Michael. And the price is fantastic. I think you'll like the lenses, as they are likely the same formula as the power zoom ones for the 300. Awaiting the photographic results.
PF
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on Jan 31, 2015 14:42:51 GMT
Last Edit: Feb 1, 2015 2:13:01 GMT by Deleted
It's a fine looking outfit, Michael. And the price is fantastic. I think you'll like the lenses, as they are likely the same formula as the power zoom ones for the 300. Awaiting the photographic results. PF Yeah, so am I, PF. I just wish I had the time to do--and document--all this testing as systematically as I feel I need to, reliable information on the Yashi AF system being so extremely scarce. Would be nice to come up with some in-depth review some day--I won't promise anything though... First thing I plan to do is to compare the 28-70mm kit lens against the 28-85mm zoom with macro switch (which is said to be the better one of the two lenses). Did some first tests shots today with a view to critical issues like performance at open aperture and distortion at both ends (right, the usual boring brick wall shots... ). In addition, I decided to invest a couple of cents on a used book from Amazon Marketplace:  It was published in 1989 so it doesn't cover the later models. However, the second half of these books usually deals with lenses and accessories, so I might get some more info there that cannot be found on the web. MIchael |
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on Feb 6, 2015 23:37:50 GMT
Posted: Feb 6, 2015 23:37:50 GMT
Reporting back on the 27o-AF plus f3.5-4.5/28-70mm zoom lens...
Just picked up the first prints from my local drugstore and they look rather promising, given the fact that I used ISO 400 no-name negative film. Hope I shall be able to do a couple of scans on the weekend.
The AF-270 light meter is spot-on, just as I expect it from a Yashica, and the auto-focus co-operates well with this zoom lens.
The lens is quite a decent one--I might even want to call it good if only it was a little faster--displaying good sharpness when stopped down a bit; got a nice bokeh too. As was to be expected, there's visible barrel distortion at the short end though practically no cushion distortion at the long one.
The author of the book shown above nevertheless strongly recommends getting the 28-85mm macro lens, a specimen of which I expect to arrive here tomorrow for a second round of testing.
BTW, those contemplating investing a little money in this system be advised that the cameras succeeding the 230-AF model are actually downgrades in that they lack a couple of features that the 230-AF still had. (I guess the Kyocera top dogs decided to cut production costs with the 270-AF and 300-AF so as to be able to sell these cameras at more favorable prices than the 230 model. If this was their idea, it failed pathetically.) Thus, the 230-AF tops the 270-AF in featuring a longest shutter speed of 16secs (270: 8secs) and displaying aperture and shutter speed in the viewfinder, which the 270 does not. In addition, the 230-AF sports an optional spot meter mode. Therefore, I just got me this earlier model for practically no money as well. As the most obvious disadvantages of the 230-AF I consider its pretty weird and awkward slide-on flash unit (as opposed to the harmoniously integrated one of the 270-AF) and its rather brick-like design...
Back soon with a couple of pics!
Michael
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on Feb 7, 2015 0:14:32 GMT
Posted: Feb 7, 2015 0:14:32 GMT
That's very good information to know, Michael. I had never researched all the AF models to see what the differences were. Figures that Kyocera would go all retrograde. The 300 does have the Power Zoom feature, which none of the others do, but is backward compatible to the earlier lenses. And you're right about the styling on the 230. One of the main reasons I never bothered with it. I may have to rethink that.
PF
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on Feb 10, 2015 13:00:22 GMT
Posted: Feb 10, 2015 13:00:22 GMT
Alright, here we go: Test AF 28-70Not a real test yet, but good enough for some first impressions. I used my wonted (moderate) post-pro routines so as to be able to compare the results with those from my other lenses. Again, I don't think this is a bad lens at all, except that I find distortion at the short end pretty nasty (then again, what can I expect from a late 1980s zoom?). Michael |
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on Feb 17, 2015 10:02:16 GMT
Posted: Feb 17, 2015 10:02:16 GMT
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on Feb 17, 2015 10:02:37 GMT
Posted: Feb 17, 2015 10:02:37 GMT
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).
).
I just tested it a little with the ML 2.8/55 macro and a Tokina 2.8/135 lens. Apertures are correctly transmitted to the camera and I really get full auto-focus function, though it's a tad slower and gives up earlier than when using the dedicated AF lenses. For most shooting situations, however, I expect it to work just fine (pity you can't do wide-angle shooting though, due to the 1.6 magnifying factor of the converter, but that's where the 28mm AF lens enters into it, if any good). 