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on Feb 19, 2015 2:35:54 GMT
Posted: Feb 19, 2015 2:35:54 GMT
Those looked good, Michael.
PF
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on Feb 21, 2015 12:04:21 GMT
Posted: Feb 21, 2015 12:04:21 GMT
Here's some more info on the system: Yashica AF lensesAF 2.8/60 macro (w/h photos / German)Review & sample photos AF 230Review AF 230 by Ibraar HussainMeanwhile, I own both the AF-230 and the 28-85mm zoom, and I agree with Mr Hussain that this is the camera and the zoom lens to go for. The AF-230's square 1980s design may not be to everybody's liking, but it does offer better value for your money than the later models in that it displays not only all relevant exposure data in the viewfinder, but also tells you when you're too close or, when in macro mode, too far away from your object for the auto-focus to connect. Besides, it offers 16secs as the slowest speed in auto mode as opposed to the 8secs of the AF-270. Both cameras have a solid feel to them and are fun to handle. I'll report back with a couple of my own sample shots soon. Michael
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on Feb 22, 2015 0:52:17 GMT
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 0:52:17 GMT
Okay, here you may find some sample photos of the AF 3.5-4.5/28-85 macro. By my own layman's standards, those pics do not look out of place beside those taken with expensive Zeiss gear. This is a good lens! Michael
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on Feb 22, 2015 3:03:59 GMT
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 3:03:59 GMT
Great results, Michael. Told you they would be good.
PF
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on Mar 1, 2015 3:11:59 GMT
Posted: Mar 1, 2015 3:11:59 GMT
Well, I broke down today, and bought an AF-230. It has the AF 35-70mm/f3.5-4.5 Macro, bottom half of the Never Ready case, and a neck strap. Couldn't believe that after all this time sitting on the shelf (I first laid eyes on this model over a year ago) the batteries were still good. I gave it a cursory check while in the store before deciding to get it before some bozo ruins it (it is a "junktique" place, so some of the customers aren't on the up-and-up). It has the original front cap too, so for the most part, the lens has been protected. Interior looks clean, with just some minor seal disintegration. Except for the flash unit, and the AF, it looks a lot like my Canon T70. Will have to give it a test after cleaning the dust off it.
PF
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on Mar 1, 2015 22:11:55 GMT
Posted: Mar 1, 2015 22:11:55 GMT
Congratulations on your 'breakdown' then! Hope that both body and lens work the way they should so that we can see a couple of pics here soon. Michael
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on Mar 5, 2015 21:02:19 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 5, 2015 21:03:00 GMT by ridgeblue99
I'll probably get around to it when it quits snowing, Michael. Had another storm blow through today. It rained all night and into this morning, only to change over to snow around 12:30pm. Just got done shoveling up the wet stuff, and glad it was only 3in/7.5cm. Then it will drop to 16F/-9C tonight. Saturday it's supposed to get up to 50F/10C.
PF
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on Apr 3, 2015 21:07:47 GMT
Posted: Apr 3, 2015 21:07:47 GMT
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. I'm late to this thread, being new to the forum (at least I think I'm new, if this isn't a re-establishment of the Yashica board that used to exist a few years ago!), so my comments may not add much that is new. In my view, owning all the Yashica AF bodies, the best was the 230. Its cosmetic design may have been a little four-square and perhaps clunky, but functionally, it was better than the models that followed, which became progressively less well featured, and by the 300, Yashica had more or less given up. The 230 has a separate flash attachment that fits over the pentaprism, if needed, and not the built-in pop-up of the succeeding models like the 270 and 300. The built-in flash of the 270 was notorious for conking out, and that on my 270 no longer works. That's no great loss, of course, since there's still an external flash capability, and built-in flashes are generally only slightly above useless. The 230AF also has trap focus mode (focus on a fixed point, and when something, say a wild animal, moves into the focussed point, the camera automatically take the picture), which some people still think was only invented with digital SLRs. It also has full exposure and mode information in the viewfinder. The 230 is so much the best of the bunch that I bought a second 230 as a spare. The AF primes are cracking good lenses, the 24, 28 and 50 all being excellent. So too is the 60 Macro. I thought the 50 outstanding when I got my first Velvia slides back from an outing with it. It's a pity there wasn't a straight adapter for mounting CY manual lenses, but I guess that's an optical design thing due to differences in the lens mount register distances. There is, it's true, the x1.6 multiplier, which works surprisingly well, but if your photo preferences lie in the wide angle areas, where Yashica lenses excelled, it doesn't offer anything worth having ; though of course it does ingeniously preserve autofocus, and I've successfully used my Yashica and Contax medium teles on it. I like the AF 35-70 lens, though I like that range in general and like the same lens in the Yashica ML range. I've found the focus accuracy good, and the speed of AF has always been enough for my needs, which tend not to include sporty things or agitated children. The YAF may have been a dead end, but photographically it's still a good and under-rated contender. I've a feeling that the 230 body is identical to, or derived from, a Konica body, and Yashica went for the YAF mount when agreement couldn't be reached on licensing, or some such thing. That's just something I seem to recall from decades ago. If you have a working 230 (or even any of the less-featured siblings), it's still a darned good camera system for those who still want to shoot film. And as has been said, Yashica has been routinely under-estimated, not having the cachet of the bigger marques. But in terms of glass, Yashica has always held its own, especially with the stuff that came from the renowned Tomioka factory.
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on Apr 4, 2015 3:23:01 GMT
Posted: Apr 4, 2015 3:23:01 GMT
The descending aspect of the AF line was pointed out to me after I said that, Alex, which kind of surprised me. But it was good to know. What about the 230 AF Super? Any improvement over the regular 230, or just the svelte body style?
PF
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on Apr 4, 2015 7:11:12 GMT
Posted: Apr 4, 2015 7:11:12 GMT
What about the 230 AF Super? Any improvement over the regular 230, or just the svelte body style? PF [ The 230AF Super, despite what the name misleadingly suggests, is just the 270AF, I guess just for a different market, perhaps the way the compact T5 was also known as the T4 Super. Though in this case 'Super' meant 'Less Super'! Even though it's slightly less richly featured than the 230, my 270 still gets plenty of use. It's quite battered now, as I routinely chuck it in the car as a take-me-anywhere camera with a 28-70 stuck on the front. It's been handy for keeping the 230s out of harm's way, what with repairs for them being an uneconomic prospect.
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on Apr 4, 2015 21:06:18 GMT
Posted: Apr 4, 2015 21:06:18 GMT
Alright, I can take that one off the list, Alex. Finally got the results back from my 230. Some issues of glare with the lens, and not sure why the exposures were all over the place. Nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little PS magic. I'll post the results in a new thread.
PF
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