Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Nov 29, 2015 4:12:35 GMT
Posted: Nov 29, 2015 4:12:35 GMT
Wow! It's been an amazing week for me on Ebay; for a total cost of £61 (c$90/87Euros) I've bought a FX-A, FR1 & ML 42-75 for spares; ML 28-85, ML 35-70 f4, a FR Winder, and a ML 35 f2.8.
The FX-A was bought with the broken FR-1 and 42-75 and was said to be non-working; I bought it to add to my other 2 non-working bodies so that Vermont Cameras would have a better chance of creating at least 1 working FX-A. So, imagine my delight when, after checking the camera over and cleaning the electrical contacts in the battery housing, it sparked into life - the meter is accurate, shutter speeds are fine - it's a real joy.
I also can't believe my luck with the prices I paid for the 28-85, 35-70 and 35mm lenses; I bought the 35-70 f4 tonight for £17 as a Buy It Now from a UK seller; there's one on Ebay selling today with a start price of £84...probably a bit much but it might sell.
I can't wait to pop the 35-70 onto the FX-A and fire a roll of film through it; I'm really looking forward to trying out that hybrid focusing system. I just wish I could find a FX-A Manual...but I've never seen one in 15 years of looking.  |
|
Group: Member
Post: 39 (0 liked)
Join date: October 2014
Status:
|
|
on Nov 29, 2015 15:11:20 GMT
Posted: Nov 29, 2015 15:11:20 GMT
FX-A, FR1 & ML 42-75 from Italy?
|
|
Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Nov 29, 2015 15:32:46 GMT
Posted: Nov 29, 2015 15:32:46 GMT
FX-A, FR1 & ML 42-75 from Italy? Were you following that listing too?
I was very pleased to grab the FX-A and that FR1 has a perfect shutter but a faulty main board; the Sugaya shutter will be going into a broken Contax RTS soon. The 42-75 has a damaged filter ring and a tiny bit of fungus so I'll use it to practice taking apart and cleaning ML zooms. Managed to buy a ML 35-70 f3.5 on Ebay today that was wrongly described for a good price too; that's the end of my Yashica buying for 2015 unless I find a Manual for the FX-A. It's time to refocus on Contax gear...
|
|
Group: Member
Post: 39 (0 liked)
Join date: October 2014
Status:
|
|
on Nov 30, 2015 11:04:45 GMT
Posted: Nov 30, 2015 11:04:45 GMT
yes, and i did make a bid  |
|
Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Dec 1, 2015 3:20:30 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 1, 2015 3:21:51 GMT by biggles3
yes, and i did make a bid Ooops...
Sorry about that; in the good old days you could see who was bidding but not these days. I assume it was the FX-A you were hoping to buy. If I am able to get Vermont Cameras to repair at least one of the two non-working FX-A's, I'll sell it through this Forum - you may have better luck that time!
Please don't tell me that you were also bidding for that ML 35-70 f3.5 that was wrongly described by the UK seller as a 3.5-4.5....
|
|
Group: Member
Post: 39 (0 liked)
Join date: October 2014
Status:
|
|
on Dec 1, 2015 11:11:29 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 1, 2015 11:15:07 GMT by docyashi
no problem big I believed not working  nope |
|
Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Jan 11, 2016 4:34:28 GMT
Posted: Jan 11, 2016 4:34:28 GMT
Just wondering if anyone here knows which winder, if any, was intended for the FX-A?
I am beginning to believe it was to have its own version as I've tried the Contax 139 winder and although you can fire the shutter using its button, the electrical signal that activates the winder does not connect and the FX and FX-103 winders simply do not fit. As the FX-A has 4 gold connectors, rather than the 2 found on the 139 and FX-series units, I suspect that Yashica would have built a variation of the Contax W-7 (made for the 159 but works brilliantly with the 139 too and can also be used, though only via the camera's shutter button, on the FX-D) but with a revised front grip as the FX-A has an extended grip to accommodate the AAA batteries. That battery housing is why you can't fit the FX-103 or FX-D winders to it - or the W-7 for that matter.
I'd love to know if they showed a winder to the few journalists that actually handled the camera at Photokina in 1982 - given the sudden abandonment of the FX-A, Yashica's intended flagship camera, I guess they never got round to manufacturing the drives; perhaps they never even produced a prototype.
I really wish I had taken greater notice of Yashica back then instead of solely focusing on Contax and Zeiss.
|
|
Group: Member
Post: 435 (15 liked)
Join date: July 2016
Status:
|
|
on Jul 10, 2016 13:30:54 GMT
Posted: Jul 10, 2016 13:30:54 GMT
Greetings to all, what a great bargain you've made, Biggles. I'd guess it's the best bargain ever during the past 10 years, or even 15 years. |
|
Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Jul 13, 2016 19:13:56 GMT
Posted: Jul 13, 2016 19:13:56 GMT
Hello lenslover,
Welcome to the Forum! We're a friendly lot here so feel free to contribute or ask questions...
Yes, sometimes people can manage to find a bargain if they look hard enough; that was a particularly good week as I recall. Last week I was surprised to pick up a Yashica FX-70 with ML 50 f2 from a UK retailer for £11... Just had to add 2 batteries, new leathers from Aki-Asahi and a film...what a little gem. I don't usually like Auto-only cameras such as the FX-70, Yashica FRII or Contax 137MD but I've mellowed over the decades.
With a name like lenslover, you must tell us about some of your favourite lenses....I hope there are a few Yashica or Zeiss ones among them. |
|
Group: Member
Post: 435 (15 liked)
Join date: July 2016
Status:
|
|
on Jul 21, 2016 21:14:24 GMT
Last Edit: Jul 21, 2016 23:55:31 GMT by lenslover
Hello lenslover,
Welcome to the Forum! We're a friendly lot here so feel free to contribute or ask questions...
Yes, sometimes people can manage to find a bargain if they look hard enough; that was a particularly good week as I recall. Last week I was surprised to pick up a Yashica FX-70 with ML 50 f2 from a UK retailer for £11... Just had to add 2 batteries, new leathers from Aki-Asahi and a film...what a little gem. I don't usually like Auto-only cameras such as the FX-70, Yashica FRII or Contax 137MD but I've mellowed over the decades.
With a name like lenslover, you must tell us about some of your favourite lenses....I hope there are a few Yashica or Zeiss ones among them. Thanks, you're truly right. My Yashica lenses so far: 24/2.8 ML 28/2.8 ML 35/2.8 ML 50/1.4 ML 50/1.7 ML 50/2 ML 28-50/3.5 ML 28-85/3.5-4.5 ML 28-80/3.9-4.9 MC 35-70/3.5 ML 35-70/3.5-4.5 MC 35-105/3.5-4.5 ML 70-210/4.5 ML 80-200/4 ML 100-300/5.6 ML My Contax Zeiss Collection: 28/2.8 MMJ 35/2.8 MMJ 50/1.4 MMJ 50/1.7 MMJ 35-70/3.4 MMJ 28-70/3.5-4.5 MMJ 28-85/3.3-4 MMJ And some Konica AR, Carl Zeiss Jena, Minolta MD lenses... My fave lens is the 28-50/3.5 ML, all time sitting on my 5D via K&F Concept C/Y Adapter - but i use it rarely, to be honest. I don't want to get too many Actuations on it. Also the 35/2.8 ML is very nice...sometimes the 28/2.8 ML. These three are my fave ones...but both primes are included into the ML Zoom from focal range...so... Besides this, i am using one of these primes via LensTurbo II onto my Alpha 3000 or NEX-6 Sony Bodies. But my usual "grab & go" camera ist just the D90 with the 18-70 DX or D7000 with the 17-50/2.8 Tamron (no VC, no AF Motor drive built in - Screwdrive 1st Gen Version) So there you have it...this is my usual Setup. |
|
Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
|
|
on Jul 22, 2016 2:53:22 GMT
Posted: Jul 22, 2016 2:53:22 GMT
Congratulations lenslover on a very fine collection of glass!
I am pleased to see that you have a number of duplicates in your list; when you have some time, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on comparing the Zeiss 35-70 with the ML f3.5 version as well as the 28-85s. Like you I love the 28-50 which I think is one of the finest lenses made by Yashica; in fact I think it's one of the best lenses made by anyone. |
|
Group: Member
Post: 435 (15 liked)
Join date: July 2016
Status:
|
|
on Jul 22, 2016 5:07:27 GMT
Last Edit: Jul 22, 2016 5:12:03 GMT by lenslover
Thank you much, biggles3. Well, about the 35-70/3.4, it is something or a bit better...but it's huge & heavy, and to be honest, it sits most of it's life in it's contax leather pouch. As for the 35-70/3.5 ML, it could be described best as from this nice person here - secure2.pbase.com/gummiebear/yashica_ml_3570mm_f35But i also think the 28-50/3.5 ML is a fine lens for sure...i was very sad to see someone here onto the forum sold this lens (UK) just a few weeks ago, would love to have a spare copy of this. I would have bought this asap if i had known it earlier. Have a great day and always good light. |
|
Group: Member
Post: 272 (39 liked)
Join date: July 2014
Status:
|
|
on Jul 22, 2016 7:30:26 GMT
Posted: Jul 22, 2016 7:30:26 GMT
As the seller of the 28-50 - I have to say it's one of the very best vintage zooms I have used. I don't think it has any serious faults in its zoom range. My comparators were the Zeiss 28-85 and Canon FD 28-85 which I found roughly equal but with the Canon slightly better at the long end and the Zeiss at the short.
Trouble is the Canon 24-70/4 IS is one of the best lenses I've owned. Period. It has great colours and low enough distortion at the 24mm end to allow architectural shooting. Unfortunately some other lenses had to go to pay for it and the 28-50 had to be one of those.
|
|
Group: Member
Post: 435 (15 liked)
Join date: July 2016
Status:
|
|
on Jul 22, 2016 12:40:06 GMT
Last Edit: Jul 22, 2016 13:01:45 GMT by lenslover
I see..yes, it's always a thing like this. I do have had the 28-85 FD also, great lens - but haptics not so good, because of heavy plastic usage, which can easily break this specific lens. Even your 24-70/4L IS USM does have low distortion, i'd always correct this. I use PTLens as a Photoshop CS6 Plugin therefore for lens correction for any of my lenses (well, as long as they're into the PTLens database) |
|
Group: Member
Post: 4 (0 liked)
Join date: December 2017
Status:
|
|
on Dec 31, 2017 16:56:42 GMT
Posted: Dec 31, 2017 16:56:42 GMT
I purchased an FX-A in Germany, everything works!
|
|
