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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 Oct 13, 2016 22:37:50 GMT
Posted: Oct 13, 2016 22:37:50 GMT
Hi tts
You can buy replacement light seals for the FX-3 from www.aki-asahi.com Just drill down to the Contax 139 Light Seals - they will fit the FX-3. At only $8 + P&P they are worth every penny and you usually get 2 sets of light seals/mirror dampers on one sheet.
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on Oct 13, 2016 23:39:26 GMT
Posted: Oct 13, 2016 23:39:26 GMT
Hi tts
You can buy replacement light seals for the FX-3 from www.aki-asahi.com Just drill down to the Contax 139 Light Seals - they will fit the FX-3. At only $8 + P&P they are worth every penny and you usually get 2 sets of light seals/mirror dampers on one sheet.
Yep, I already saw it... I believe my FX-3 has been reskinned with a leather set of his... Former owner missed out on the lightseals though... I even discovered skins and seals for my Oly 35SP :-) Whoohaa...
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on Oct 14, 2016 15:24:46 GMT
Last Edit: Oct 14, 2016 15:26:00 GMT by xkaes
I have four Yashica Samurai Z cameras: The one on the left is a Samurai Z with a unique Vivitar converter. It is a 0.45X converter -- with a twist. The 0.45X converter turns the Z's 25-75mm zoom into a 11.25-33.75mm zoom. That is equivalent to a 16-48mm zoom in a full-frame 35mm camera! The closest things I have in my full-frame arsenal are a Samyang/Phoenix 18-28mm, a 21-35mm Sigma and a 24-48mm Vivitar. Not even close. This model of the Vivitar 0.45X converter came with a 55mm rear thread, so I needed to use a 43-55mm step-up ring, but it might come in other thread sizes. In any case, it didn't create a problem for me. My first thought was that there would be a LOT of vignetting. NOPE. None at all -- unlike most front-end converters. The Vivitar has a front thread -- 62mm -- so I can use my 77mm filters (with a step-up ring) without the fear of vignetting! But what is amazing about this Vivitar 0.45X converter is that it is a two-piece converter. This will be hard to believe. The first part is a #10 diopter close-up, macro lens. If you just put that on to the camera, you get GREAT, SUPER close-up shots. I mean really, REALLY close! The Z focuses perfectly. But if you add the second part of the converter, you get a SUPER wide-angle zoom lens. Again the Z focuses perfectly. Moving right along. The second camera is just a plain Z with a 25-75mm zoom. That is equivalent to a 35-105mm zoom in a full-frame 35mm camera! Perfect for most situations. The third camera is a Z with a Yashica 1.4x Z converter. It has a 43mm thread and turns the 25-75mm zoom into a 35-105mm zoom. That is equivalent to a 50-150mm zoom in a full-frame 35mm camera! There is no vignetting if the converter is used by itself, but it lacks a front filter thread -- like most front-end converters. Sure, I can put on 43mm filters on the camera first, but 43mm is not my standard, and if you add filters to the camera first, before the 1.4X converter -- you end up with vignetting. Since the front of the Yashica 1.4X converter is 55mm (one of my standards), I epoxied a 55mm thread to the front of the converter. So now I can add filters, but I get a little bit of vignetting at the widest setting. Not a big deal. The fourth camera is a Z with a Tokina 2X converter. That turns the 25-75mm zoom into a 50-150mm zoom. That is equivalent to a 70-210mm zoom in a full-frame 35mm camera! The converter is wide. It has a 58mm rear thread. That works out because Yashica made a 43mm to 58mm step up ring for the Z cameras. The front of the converter is 62mm so I epoxied a 62mm filter thread to the front. But there is still vignetting from about 50-60mm (70-85mm in a full-frame format). Not a big deal. All of these converters are lightweight so there is no risk of damage to the Z camera or lens. But these converters (and there are many others out there) give me optics from 11.25 to 125mm. That is equivalent to 16-210mm in a full-frame 35mm camera! So here's what I have: Samuarai Z -- 11.25-33.75mm zoom (16-48mm zoom) Samuarai Z -- 25-75mm zoom (35-105mm zoom) Samuarai Z -- 35-105mm zoom (50-150mm zoom) Samuarai Z -- 50-150mm zoom (70-210mm zoom) Samuarai Z -- macro zoom (#10) Not too bad.
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on Oct 16, 2016 2:11:57 GMT
Posted: Oct 16, 2016 2:11:57 GMT
Nice conversions. I don't use my 3.0 often enough to bother with experimenting on the optics.
PF
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on Oct 21, 2016 17:21:37 GMT
Posted: Oct 21, 2016 17:21:37 GMT
I should also mention that I have three or four Yashica Y16 cameras each with a different color. I am really amazed at how sharp the lens is. Like many Yashica cameras, the Y-16 was jam-packed with convenience features but overshadowed by other cameras from other companies. It's hard to believe, but it first appeared in 1959. It has a 25mm (f3.5-16) fixed-focus lens like a lot of 16mm cameras. A few sources cite an f2.8 version, as well. The image size was the typical 10x14mm. But that's all that was typical about the camera. It is a high-quality, attractive, well-designed submini with several innovative features. Rotating dials (on the bottom of the camera) adjust the f-stop and shutter speed with easy readouts on the top of the camera. Shutter speeds of S (that's "S", not "B") plus 1/25 - 1/200. The "S" shutter speed is a unique and flexible feature and operates like a T setting -- sort of. When the shutter is set on "S", press the shutter release halfway and the shutter opens. Continue to press it all the way and the shutter closes. With this feature, you can vary the shutter speed from about 1/8 of a second to as long as you want. For a short speed, such as 1/4, press the shutter release until it opens and immediately press it all the way to close it. For longer speeds, press the shutter release halfway until it opens and then let go!. The shutter says open until you come back and press the shutter all the way. LONG exposures are a breeze. I wish other camera manufacturers had adopted this feature. "B" and "T" are nice, but why not "S"? With "B", you have to hold the shutter open, and with "T" you have to press the release twice. "S" gives you the best of both. In addition, the film for the Y-16 was in special cassettes which popped into the camera like a gun cartridge. Yashica called it "clip-load". These cassettes had 24 exposures on them and made film loading and unloading very fast -- no need to open a door or even a latch. In fact, the cassettes can be switched mid-roll (with the loss of only one frame) dramatically increasing the usefulness of the camera. The film was advanced by twisting the camera between two fingers which were held on the "advance" knob -- the same approach used on the Fuji Mini half-frame. This allowed for rapid-fire shooting. The camera was light grey with several colors available on the front panel that are just as hard to describe as when they first appeared on the market: purple/burgundy, bronze/gold, blue, grey, or aqua/teal. There was even an all-black body available. Yashica made several clip-on filters: UV, Y2 (yellow), O2 (orange), 1A, 82A, 81B and 80A. The filters hold on to the front of the camera with a little "clothes pin" -- very unusual. They also made a full line of accessories, such as a film loader, a flash gun, electronic flash holder, a developing tank, a slide viewer and a slide projector. The Y16 was strictly a manual camera with no meter. The desired aperture and shutter speed were dialed in and the picture was taken. The fixed point of focus on the Y16 focus was at 8 feet, so that at f3.5 the near point is about 6.5 feet and the far point is 10.75 feet. Stopped down to f16, the closest point is 4 feet and the far point is infinity. The camera also had a built-in cable release socket, PC contact for flash, and a tripod socket -- nice touchs. This was Yashica's first venture into the submini world and a real quality shooter. Unfortunately it was overlooked by most subbers -- then and now . It failed to sell for a variety of reasons -- the cassette was relatively expensive, not easy to find, not too easy to re-load, and limited in film selection. Finding a place to process the film was another obstacle. After the failure of the Y16, Yashica opted to try a camera using the popular Minolta cassette (the Yashica 16EE).
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on Oct 24, 2016 23:01:16 GMT
Posted: Oct 24, 2016 23:01:16 GMT
Quite an amazing array of Samurais, xkaes! I guess this post of yours must have been the last nail in the coffin of my self-restraint... At any rate, I found myself a cheapo X3.0 on Ebay (the viewfinder glass is cracked) which arrived here yesterday. My very first Samurai -- my very first half-frame camera, for that matter -- and with a fresh battery it works like a charm! Took a liking to it immediately. Looks like both a great fun camera and, given the fact that you can shoot 72 frames with one roll, a great action cam too. I don't mind the extra amount of grain when shooting black and white, and I expect to get color shots in acceptable quality as well when using slide film.
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on Oct 26, 2016 0:33:40 GMT
Posted: Oct 26, 2016 0:33:40 GMT
Maybe, just maybe, we could talk you into a Yashica 16mm -- or even, Heaven's to Betsy, a Yashica 9.5mm Atoron camera. Who knows??? subclub.org/shop/yashmin.htmAnything is possible!!!
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on Oct 26, 2016 15:45:27 GMT
Posted: Oct 26, 2016 15:45:27 GMT
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on Oct 26, 2016 19:30:33 GMT
Posted: Oct 26, 2016 19:30:33 GMT
Maybe, just maybe, we could talk you into a Yashica 16mm -- or even, Heaven's to Betsy, a Yashica 9.5mm Atoron camera. No way, my friend... Apart from the fact that my wife would certainly file for divorce if I got into yet another camera system, I really don't go for anything smaller than half-frame. Honest Injun! cheers Michael
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on Oct 26, 2016 19:56:34 GMT
Posted: Oct 26, 2016 19:56:34 GMT
The GREAT thing about submini cameras -- besides being cheap -- is that:
#1: Your subjects can't see them
#2: Your spouse can't see them
Win-Win
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on Oct 27, 2016 9:12:42 GMT
Posted: Oct 27, 2016 9:12:42 GMT
Nice try!
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on Nov 8, 2016 0:28:50 GMT
Last Edit: Nov 8, 2016 0:29:42 GMT by tts
My Yashica stockpile is growing fast. I've managed to grab a second FX-3 with most of the original leatherette intact :-) And a Yashica bag to go with it.. And a 135 ML and a 135 DSB for free.... Wanted list: ML 85mm :-)
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on Nov 19, 2016 2:05:21 GMT
Posted: Nov 19, 2016 2:05:21 GMT
I have this bag also and it's super cool. I'm still looking for a yoga mat that will match the red inside to make baffles.
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on Nov 19, 2016 14:55:06 GMT
Posted: Nov 19, 2016 14:55:06 GMT
I have this bag also and it's super cool. I'm still looking for a yoga mat that will match the red inside to make baffles. Hahaa, we are all crazy :-) ( I didn't know these bags existed.. I recently found out that the two pieces of red material attached on the inner of the main flap are actually baffles :-) I thought they were there to put the manual behind hahaa ) In my bag the white styropor insert is still present...
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on Nov 19, 2016 18:03:01 GMT
Last Edit: Nov 21, 2016 19:43:35 GMT by rhalf
Yeah they seem to be in better nick than other bags I get with camera bundles. Mine has an interesting story by the way. I got it with a bunch of filters, and other non valuable stuff. There were also slides - a nice family vacation and some architectural shots. It was sold on ebay by a lady somewhere in England and belonged to her deceased father. There was also a 62mm Yashica lens cap. Later that week I bought my ML 24mm from a camera shop on ebay.uk as well. It arrived without a cap and guess what? It had 62mm filter thread. I checked the addresses. They were both in the same town so I deducted that she went to the pawnshop to learn that this 24mm had some value on it. Didn't have the lens cap with her though They didn't reply to my question, but that's how I see the story. Now that I looked at this bag again the strap is to thin. I need to add a shoulder pad. Now guess who won this cutie: www.ebay.de/itm/Spiegelreflexkamera-Yashica-FX-3-50mm-inkl-Revue-tron-b200-Blitz-/162280675606?nma=true&si=y6WPw2yDbjqQWw77N0VlJUehSmM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557Not home yet, but soon.
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