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on Jan 16, 2014 21:06:29 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 17, 2014 3:20:32 GMT by greyscale
Well, I have just added a Yashica-Mat to my stable. It is the un-metered version with the Yashinon 80/3.5 lens, with an f3.2 viewing lens, and the Copal MXV shutter. What research that I have found shows that it was likely made in 1970, so it is quite late in the series. I was a little worried about this one, as the eBay pics showed that the self-timer lever was in the charged position, which could have been indicative of the dreaded M-synch jammed shutter syndrome that my Yashica 12 currently suffers from. But on unboxing I was able to charge and release the shutter, and the timer went on its merry way. The shutter seems to work at all speeds but I cannot yet vouch for its accuracy. The lenses are clean and clear of fungus, and aside from a tiny 2mm scuff in the coating near the edge on the taking lens, they are free of defects. The aperture is clean of any oil or corrosion. There are two possible issues, though. The film door release knob turns a little stiffly, and the shutter button will not return (pop out) after firing the shutter when focus is at infinity. Back off the focus a wee bit and it returns, and the crank will turn and the shutter will charge, so I don't know if this will have any effect on picture taking, or if it is a common issue with the Yashica-Mat TLR cameras. Cosmetically, aside from some peeling edges on the front leatherette (easily re-glued) the camera looks very good. The focus screen is clean, and the view is very bright, so no issues there. My only quandary now is that I only have two rolls of 120 film on hand, and three cameras that need test drives.  Yashica-Mat by Greyscale3, on Flickr |
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on Jan 17, 2014 6:48:21 GMT
Posted: Jan 17, 2014 6:48:21 GMT
On closer inspection, I am wondering if this camera has taken a tumble at one point, and suffered a bit of impact damage. The bottom of the film door is slightly distorted on one edge, and there is some looseness evident in the focus. And when focusing inward from infinity, the gear side of the lens assembly goes visibly out of parallel, perhaps by as much as one millimeter. Turning the focus knob slightly back toward infinity seems to straighten it back out, so as long as I remember to do that when focusing I think that I will be able to take photos, but I think that the focus goes past infinity. Perhaps it was disassembled at one point and not shimmed properly when put back together. A test roll will show whether there are issues that will require professional service. But a quick look at my Yashica 12 shows that the lens parallel issue when focusing is the same, so maybe this is common with Yashica TLR cameras, and perhaps I worry too much?
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on Jan 17, 2014 14:08:56 GMT
Posted: Jan 17, 2014 14:08:56 GMT
I don't quite get what you mean by the gear side moving, Greyscale, so please forgive me if this should be a silly idea--but could it be anything to do with parallax compensation?
Michael
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on Jan 17, 2014 16:49:21 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 17, 2014 16:51:40 GMT by greyscale
The gear side of a machine is the side with the gears, in this case, I probably should have said crank side. Parallax correction would affect the viewfinder, not the lens group. I think that it is simply a case of the gearing having a little play in it, or maybe a loose pin somewhere, but as it seems to equally afflict both of my Yashica TLRs, I refuse to worry about it anymore until I see some pictures from the camera. Basically, when moving the focus away from infinity, one side of the lens group starts moving outward before the other, and the "slow" side only really catches when the lens group is moved inward a touch. It is not a huge difference, but probably enough to affect edge sharpness at wide apertures.
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on Jan 17, 2014 22:24:44 GMT
Posted: Jan 17, 2014 22:24:44 GMT
The gear side of a machine is the side with the gears, in this case, I probably should have said crank side. Parallax correction would affect the viewfinder, not the lens group. I see, thank you. I have no experience whatsoever with TLRs and, due to my rotten English, I wasn't sure whether it was the viewfinder lens or the taking lens you said was moving out of parallel. Sorry to have bothered you. |
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on Jan 17, 2014 23:03:22 GMT
Posted: Jan 17, 2014 23:03:22 GMT
We are here to share and learn, Michael.  |
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on Jan 18, 2014 17:18:49 GMT
Posted: Jan 18, 2014 17:18:49 GMT
Sure, Mike. But that doesn't make my blunders any less embarrassing...  First test shots with my Lynx 14 coming up soon.
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on Jan 28, 2014 19:13:50 GMT
Posted: Jan 28, 2014 19:13:50 GMT
If you want some real blunders, Michael, try taking one of those puppies apart for the first time.  Mike, when you said the door latch was stiff, and the shutter button only came back out after turning the focus wheel off Infinity, my first thought was it had been dropped. I'd heard about this before on another forum, but don't remember which one (maybe the late Classic Camera Repair). Might be worth taking it apart, and looking for any bent mounting surfaces. PF |
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on Jan 29, 2014 4:05:24 GMT
Posted: Jan 29, 2014 4:05:24 GMT
Phil, there does seem to be some sign of impact damage on the bottom front corner on the crank-side of the camera, so I think that it must have taken a whack at some point. But after viewing your photo-set of repairs to your 635, I think that I will leave any repairs on this camera to someone with more experience, as I am not very good at the re-assembly part. I can take pretty much anything apart, though, if I want to create a box of parts. |
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on Jan 29, 2014 4:31:38 GMT
Posted: Jan 29, 2014 4:31:38 GMT
Phil, there does seem to be some sign of impact damage on the bottom front corner on the crank-side of the camera, so I think that it must have taken a whack at some point. But after viewing your photo-set of repairs to your 635, I think that I will leave any repairs on this camera to someone with more experience, as I am not very good at the re-assembly part. I can take pretty much anything apart, though, if I want to create a box of parts. Parts are good. You could make many time over what the thing is worth selling it piece by piece. PF |
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