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on Jan 8, 2021 2:18:09 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 8, 2021 2:21:55 GMT by ridgeblue99
I think that was the popular style of advertising at the time.
PF
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on Feb 3, 2021 3:46:26 GMT
Posted: Feb 3, 2021 3:46:26 GMT
Among a stack of old copies of the UK's top weekly photography magazine Amateur Photographer (and still going strong) I found this ad for the J-5. Dating from November 1964, it heralds the introduction of a new camera from Yashica to the UK market.  Yash J-5 ad AP 1964It also alludes to the announcement of a range of fully automatic lenses from 35mm f2.8 to 200mm f4. At over £95 in 1964 prices, this was quite an expensive model - it would equate to around £1,600 today. More ads to follow from 1964... |
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on Feb 3, 2021 9:36:52 GMT
Last Edit: Feb 3, 2021 10:03:27 GMT by biggles3
A joint ad this time for the Lynx 5000, Minister D, Minimatic C and Mimy.  Yashica 4 cams 1964 adFurther 1960s ads to follow... |
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on Feb 3, 2021 10:03:05 GMT
Posted: Feb 3, 2021 10:03:05 GMT
This time, the ad's from August 1965. It is for the Minister II and it's interesting to note that it's being promoted 9 months after the Minister D shown in the previous ad.  Minister II ad 1965 APFurther ads to follow.. |
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on Feb 3, 2021 10:15:45 GMT
Last Edit: Feb 3, 2021 10:23:51 GMT by biggles3
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on Feb 4, 2021 1:55:25 GMT
Posted: Feb 4, 2021 1:55:25 GMT
One of these days I need to get a new set of covers for my 635. It looks downright ugly without them.
PF
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on May 10, 2021 10:13:56 GMT
Posted: May 10, 2021 10:13:56 GMT
Here's something a little different that's just arrived - a dealer display card from 1997 for the Zoomate 70 (Date).  Zoomate 70 dealer card 1997What makes this A4 card display item of interest - other than the dealer's clumsy attempt to refer to the date-back version of the camera - is the quote from Which Camera magazine: 'The UK's Best Selling Zoom Compact'. Now that is something I didn't know. |
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on Feb 24, 2022 14:50:23 GMT
Posted: Feb 24, 2022 14:50:23 GMT
Here's part of an ad from a major UK retailer which featured in Amateur Photographer back in October 1980.  AP Oct. 1980 Yashica pricesWorthy of note is the roughly 50% premium commanded by ML versions of DSB lenses, such as the 28mm and 135mm. Also, the eye-watering price difference between the Contax Real Time Winder and the Yashica FR Winder. These are interchangeable; the only enhancement enjoyed by the Contax unit is a socket for an external power pack. Is that socket worth an additional 200% cost when compared with the otherwise identical Yashica winder? Unless you are shooting a lot in cold weather, I very much doubt it. |
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on Mar 28, 2022 18:23:11 GMT
Posted: Mar 28, 2022 18:23:11 GMT
Here's a good ad for the Yashica FX-3 from the inside front cover of the May 23 1981 edition of ( What) Camera Weekly - a UK photo magazine of the period.  FX-3 Ad Camera Weekly May 23 1981The issue also carried a 2pp review of the Contax TLA flash system, but only featuring the TLA20 and TLA30 plus the various cables and connectors. I'm not sure why it ignored the RTF540 which had been available in the UK from at least 1978; indeed I bought a set in April 1978 - and it's still working! It may be that they'd not been able to review it prior to this article; it was missing from their list of flash guns, as was every Yashica one. |
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on Apr 2, 2022 10:37:12 GMT
Posted: Apr 2, 2022 10:37:12 GMT
Nice ad. I really like the FX-3, it is small, light, with a big and bright viewfinder, fully mechanical, simple without complications, and the shutter sounds like it can chop your fingers off. The only one big mistake was putting that synthetic leatherette.
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on Apr 20, 2022 13:38:02 GMT
Posted: Apr 20, 2022 13:38:02 GMT
Here's a full page ad from the UK's What Camera Weekly magazine on 16 August 1980 for the new Contax 139Q.  139Q Ad WCW 16-08-1980It's interesting to note that the photo includes the new 139 Winder as it slightly detracts from one of the key marketing messages of the day which was to emphasise the diminutive size of the camera. This was so that Contax could take on the popular and small Olympus' OM-1n among consumers, while leaving the Contax RTS to satisfy the more exacting needs of professionals. |
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on Apr 20, 2022 13:49:26 GMT
Posted: Apr 20, 2022 13:49:26 GMT
Here's a nice UK dealer promotion for the Yashica FX-3 and the Auto Focus compact camera from the summer of 1980.  FX-3 Promo WCW 16-08-1980As you might guess, Photax who distributed the Yashica and Contax marques in Great Britain also imported Super Paragon lenses along with Starblitz flashes. They made a fair accompaniment to the C/Y bodies for those that could not quite afford Zeiss and Yashica glass, or indeed the Yashica and Contax flash equipment. This advertisement was in the same edition of What Camera Weekly which featured the previous ad for the Contax 139Q. |
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on Apr 20, 2022 13:59:58 GMT
Posted: Apr 20, 2022 13:59:58 GMT
Just over a year later from the two previous advertisements comes this UK press announcement of additions to the Yashica range.
 Yashica WCW 7-11-1981So, we can deduce that the 'silver' version of the FX-3, which was called the FX-7, was introduced more than 12 months after the FX-3 hit the shelves. Also, the successor to the Auto Focus is announced in the form of the Auto Focus Motor. It is also interesting to see that the FX Winder is due to appear in Japan for use with the FX-D or Contax 139; it has the same performance specifications as the Contax model but lacks its extra shutter button. This appeared in the 7th November 1981 edition of What Camera Weekly. |
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on Apr 21, 2022 10:02:29 GMT
Posted: Apr 21, 2022 10:02:29 GMT
There seem to be several sources on the internet that say the FX-3 was released in June 1979 and the FX-7 followed in August 1979, but others say FX-7 was 1980. Of course, UK sales, as usual, often started later than in Japan.
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on May 24, 2022 16:03:04 GMT
Posted: May 24, 2022 16:03:04 GMT
Here's a 1980 UK advertisement for the Contax 137MD.  Contax 137MD Magazine Advert-1The camera created quite a stir when it was released thanks to its in-built micro-motor. Although it was an auto-exposure camera, judicious use of the AE lock would allow you a degree of manual control. The later introduction of the Contax 137MA provided the photographer with the option of full manual control in a near identical body; it also featured a slight increase in the speed of the motor drive. |
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