What have you just BOUGHT?

I went to a camera fair on the weekend and stumbled upon a Yashica auto Yashinon 5cmm f2 lens in M42 mount. I had been vaguely aware of this lens before but had not seen or held one. The moment I did I was smitten.

This little beauty looks identical to (and is the same dimensions as) the Auto Takumar 55mm f2 out of the Pentax stable but, although the Takumar is a very nicely made lens, this one leaves it in the shade for build quality. I have not weighed it yet but it in the hand it feels almost twice as heavy as the Takumar - clearly all brass and glass and is smooth as silk. No aluminium in its build. It is not a particularly well known lens but it is very highly regarded by those who do know of it.

I occasionally watch this quirky (OK nutty!) reviewer who raves about it (Mad - but this review is worth watching I suppose, not the least because I think he is correct at least in this respect.)


*!* TWO SECRET MUST-OWN M42 LENSES FOR YOUR FUJIFILM CAMERA *!* - YouTube


Yashica Auto Yashinon semi-auto 50mm F2 Lens Reviews - Yashica Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database (pentaxforums.com)

Yashica lenses are great, especially the early m42 ones. I had a 50f1.7 m42 in the past -not sure which version) and was great.
 
Yashica lenses are great, especially the early m42 ones. I had a 50f1.7 m42 in the past -not sure which version) and was great.

Yes, a long time ago I shot with Contax SLRs. I would seek out the Yashica lenses as alternatives to Zeiss, and found them superb. In particular, the 28mm (I think f2.8) was the best 28mm I've ever shot with; that's my favorite focal length, so that includes a lot of 28mm lenses from many manufacturers.
 
Nikon FTn ( late "Apollo" version with 73 serial number) with older 50/1.4 Nikkor (earliest version with triangular shaped coupling prong). Body, finder and lens were all pretty clean.

I was of course concerned about the FTn finder -- if the meter doesn't work, you have a large, heavy meterless camera (and I already have FTns with dead meters). Two 625As were in the battery compartment -- God knows how long the camera had been sitting on the guy's shelf -- but they worked and so does the meter, once I mounted the lens on the body properly. Looks like it's reasonably accurate also. Paid $125.
 
A Yashica D, new old stock, completely mint. It's a late model with 4-element Yashinon viewing and taking lenses. Woo-hoo!

I don't think the viewing lens is a four element but no matter. Nice find! This is a real sleeper camera, well worth looking for. The one I got was maybe in same condition -- shopworn box but in as-new condition. My only gripe is that you can inadvertently take double exposures, or skip a frame, since it doesn't have the interlocks that the Rolleicords do.
 
Used Billingham F8 which is just about the perfect size for the Pentax with a lens mounted.

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That is the FA45-85 mounted, the 120 F4 Macro, and the 33-55 and 55-110 zooms fit mounted too.

Shawn
 
Ha! I've been very patient for very long and finally finally finally indulged in an SP. It's s/n 6200418 which, I think, makes it pretty early...maybe the 418th made? Works pretty as you please. I popped the 5cm f2 lens on it and am most of the way through my first test roll of Foma 100, although I've also shot my Jupiter-12 and Nikkor-P 10.5cm to flex those sexy frame lines! I nabbed that fine Esterbrook fountain pen recently too. I'm living the life of luxury.

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I have been liking the Leica M240 so much, that I added a Voigtlander 35mm F2 Ultron Type 2 to the 50mm Nokton 1.5 II that I just bought. I think that is a very nice combo for the $$. Unfortunately, I had to buy the Ultron because the 35mm Color Skopar 2.5 PII is showing magenta casting on the right side when using the M240 (despite trying several codes).
 
I have been liking the Leica M240 so much, that I added a Voigtlander 35mm F2 Ultron Type 2 to the 50mm Nokton 1.5 II that I just bought. I think that is a very nice combo for the $$. Unfortunately, I had to buy the Ultron because the 35mm Color Skopar 2.5 PII is showing magenta casting on the right side when using the M240 (despite trying several codes).

I ignore the lens codes. I just put in the lens and let the adapter tell the camera the focal length. That has worked out better for me. YMMV
 
I ignore the lens codes. I just put in the lens and let the adapter tell the camera the focal length. That has worked out better for me. YMMV

Well, the color skopar is an M mount lens and I am using an M mount camera. No adapter necessary. Of course I do not care about codes, but if I have a magenta cast, I damn well am going to try the codes. The cast did not go away. The rear element of the lens is too close to the sensor. To me, that is a deal breaker. Easier to just buy something more modern that was designed with digital in mind. I am not using corner fixing software either. I am a color photographer so I am not interested in just making it B&W either. So yeah, my milage varied.
 
Just received this very nice Leotax T2 as I wanted a body to mount the much rarer Topcon 5CM/F2.8 lens on and keep it time era appropriate. Fits in nicely with the remainder of my Leotax collection which include a DIV, FV, TV2 (Merite), Elite, and my most coveted Model G. I think that will be it, unless I somehow stumble across a 5CM/F1.8 for the G body. I do have plenty of nice lenses to use on it, but there is always the next.....



Leo T2.jpg
 
Just arrived -- Hasselblad 1000f camera with a 135mm f/3.5 Sonnar lens and an early 12 back (1951 - has markings for Kodak films), from the estate of famed Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson. It's in beautiful, perfect-working condition.

If I can make photos that are half as good as the ones that Mr. Nilsson likely made with this camera, I'll be one happy fellow.


Lennart Nilsson 1000f by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
Click image for larger version  Name:	2CCAFCCD-97DB-433A-A76E-0F894207D45A.jpg Views:	0 Size:	402.6 KB ID:	4805167 A nearly mint Ciro 35 by Graflex. This camera is a rebranded Perfex Cee-ay, built by Ciro in Delaware Ohio after they bought the rights to, and tooling for the cee-ay after Perfex, who only built the model for nine months before closing shop. Then....Ciro itself was bought up by Graflex, who revised the focusing system and produced the cameras for several years. ••••. A very nice sized camera, easy to focus with an awesome rangefinder. The lens is a Wollensak f 3.5 50mm. Currently loaded with film! Oh...$16:)
 
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