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on Sept 22, 2020 2:28:36 GMT
Posted: Sept 22, 2020 2:28:36 GMT
This is one of the more interesting uses of Yashica glass from the 1960s - opera glasses.
Yashica YOG-1P
I bought the first pair (on the left of the photo) and was pleased at the quality of both the glass (bright and sharp) and the finish with an all metal casing and that beautiful mother-of-pearl decoration. Build quality on both pairs of glasses is excellent.
On spotting the new pair, there were obvious differences so I felt obliged to investigate further. I would estimate that they are a later addition to Yashica's range of binoculars.
The biggest differences are the coating and, what came as a big surprise, internal focusing. Most opera glasses were of the conventional type wherein the front optics moved forward as the barrels extended for distant focusing; being so used to this, when the barrels failed to extend as I turned that knurled focusing wheel, I thought they were broken. However, once placed in front of the eyes, the distant objects moved smoothly into focus - internal focusing....
Yashica's YOG-1P are superb. I have no idea how many were made - they are something of a niche product - or whether they made more than these two models but they are a delight to use. |
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on Sept 22, 2020 3:23:02 GMT
Last Edit: Sept 22, 2020 3:27:40 GMT by lumiworx
You can find out the original maker by searching for the "JB" number that's printed on the spreader from this list: home.europa.com/~telscope/jbcode.txtThese are from Subaru Kogaku Kikai Co. Ltd. (J-B 142), and there's another pair similar to yours in royal blue with Pearloid trim that are still dismanteled and soaking now, so no pics just yet - but it has the same JB number.  Unfortunately I've yet to find anything to suggest Yashica was making any binoculars, opera glasses, or mono/spotting scopes, but I've always suspected there might have been at least some tie-in with Tomioka as a glass element supplier for one or a few of the many makers. Neither company is named in that list, so it seems unlikely they ever did any complete product manufacturing of their own. They are still very well made though, and IMHO, they're far, far better in optics and comfort, than the rectangular clam-shell models that popped open with a button push. The huge knurled focus knobs sat right on the edge of the nose and dug in like animal claws. More pics on this one in the testbed. |
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on Sept 22, 2020 8:58:10 GMT
Posted: Sept 22, 2020 8:58:10 GMT
You are quite right about the manufacturing of these binoculars by SKK.
And you are also correct about the likely Tomioka involvement; SKK used glass from Yashica and Tamron in their various products marketed under the brands of Yashica, Swift and probably a few others. Yashica's engineers produced the specifications and the glass for their binocular lenses; SKK refined the specifications, provided prisms as appropriate, and handled the production.
In this case, the fully assembled opera glasses were probably shipped to Yashica for packing and distribution; somewhere I have a piccie of a rack of Yashica-branded binoculars being united with their packaging at a Yashica facility. It's that which leads me to suspect that the opera glasses may well have been produced under a similar process.
It's a sensible commercial formula: Yashica's specifications to meet the needs of their perceived market plus their glass; SKK to refine the specs for production, followed by assembly and collimating. Yashica had a good history when it came to collaborations - until Kyocera entered the fray. |
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on Feb 6, 2023 19:46:45 GMT
Posted: Feb 6, 2023 19:46:45 GMT
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on Feb 7, 2023 11:01:06 GMT
Posted: Feb 7, 2023 11:01:06 GMT
Very tempting at that price! It's a colour I'd not come across before.
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on May 6, 2023 18:06:41 GMT
Posted: May 6, 2023 18:06:41 GMT
Here is another set, blue colored:   |
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on May 7, 2023 10:08:20 GMT
Posted: May 7, 2023 10:08:20 GMT
Here is another set, blue colored: They look great in blue too! Nice set. |
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