I'm excited about my "new" Yashicamat TLR

[jan normandale]

Hi all... I could swear there used to be a TLR section here at RFF.. but I can't find one. Not a big deal but if anyone knows where it might be hiding... please put the link in this thread.

Also could any TLR users put some of their favourite/useful links into this thread. This would be helpful as I get up to speed on this chunky little spud of a camera sitting here glowing darkly in my desk lamp light... mmmmm tasty!!

thanks!
Jan

[Ash]

Not sure what help to give, but good luck! TLR's are great fun. I usually frame with a little to spare to compensate for parallax at close distances. Umm... test the camera fully before using it on anything special. The usual really.

[rxmd]

Hi Jan,

some reading:

http://www.williamsphotographic.com/yashica.html - Yashica TLR FAQ
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~coreya/yashica/ymchttc.html - the most valuable resource of them all, detailed service diagrams and assembly charts for the Yashica 124G
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~coreya/yashica/moreyash.html - General information on Yashica TLRs
http://www.csi.uottawa.ca/~u871015/badpage.html - A page on the Mat 124, unfortunately it appears the images are gone
http://web.archive.org/web/20051215061453/medfmt.8k.com/mf/yashica124.html - Robert Monaghan's page from the Medium Format Megasite which is partially down, unfortunately
http://www.lumieresenboite.com/collection2.php?l=2&c=Yashica_Mat_124_G - a collector's page
http://www.frugalphotographer.com/YashicaTLR.htm - Yashica vs. Rollei

Enjoy! ;)

[KoNickon]

If this has the Yashinon lens (I think it does), you'll be most impressed with the quality of the pictures you get. The Yashicamats have excellent optics; they sometimes suffer from frame overlap, so check and see what happens there. (Uneven frame spacing happens with a lot of TLRs, but the Yashicas seem especially prone to it.)

Here's a pretty good link with info about a number of TLRs: http://www.tlr-cameras.com/

[dreilly]

Jan,
Congrats on the TLR. I have an old Flexaret that I bought in Slovakia, and it was the workhorse TLR in that region....Yashicamats were luxury items then, I had a friend who had one...sweet!

No links to share that I can think of, the above covered it. If you've never shot TLRs before, they're great cameras for people-pictures, because there's nothing to disguise your face.

Share some pics when you get them.

Do you have any film for it yet? What will you shoot?

cheers
doug

[NL2377]

left is right and right is left...

[kaiyen]

No links from me, either, but get a hood! The square kind, specifically. You don't have to buy a Rollei one - there are a lot of cheap versions out there. TLRs tend to flare a lot for various reasons.

Have fun with it. Put a neck strap on, just let it dangle, focus and fire. This is assuming your mirror is clean enough that you can actually focus from waist level.

allan

[jan normandale]

Ash.. thanks

RxMD/Phillip, obviously you have and interest in TLR’s looking at all the links you provided. Thanks. Interesting line up of photographic interests too. I enjoy postcards, and early North American First Nations portraiture, Link is one of my night photography inspirations.

Konikon.. I’ll keep your advice regarding “frame spacing in mind as I wind” and thanks for the link

Doug.. I’ll have to get familiar with this new ‘brick’. I’m initially leaning towards BW for no other reason than I can develop it myself and mistakes won’t cost a lot compared to colour processing .. eventually I’ll shoot colour too. I don’t have film yet but I’ll buy a couple of rolls this weekend to begin my learning curve this week end if it isn’t -15C outside. I’ll put some shots up when I have done a few rolls.

NL2377 .. I think you operate under the Keep It Simple rule; thanks

[jan normandale]

Kayien/Allan..
• Get neck strap.. ok will do
• Clean mirror .. ok
• Square hood… I’m on it!
thanks

[ndnbrunei]

Jan, welcome to the TLR club! They are lot of fun and take you to a whole other kind of photography. I enjoy the slower more thoughtful pace that these cameras often require ... and the pleasure of composing a picture on the "big" viewing screen is something else. The detail in the negs will knock your socks off!

[jan normandale]

Andrew.. nice shots in your blog. I see you use an Electro GSN one of my faves. Any suggestions on BW film and do you develop your own

[NL2377]

Haha, sorry... it was more a joke than anything else. When I first started out w/ medium format SLR, I had a bronica SQA, and it took me forever and a day to get the whole turning thing right...

If you want some inexpensive film for it, try arista.edu... I've found the 400 to be quite pleasing... true grain, none of the T or E grain emultion stuff. Not sure if youre developing your own, but it suits well in rodinal at 1+50.

Ive got a yashica 635 on its way so if it gets here by Fri, then Ill be shooting it along w/ my M2 all spring break. (South Beach should prove to have some very interesting shooting scenerios...

[Kin Lau]

I've only had mine for a couple of months, but the one thing I've noticed so far, is that it doesn't have parallax correction.

[ndnbrunei]

Jan, I'm using Kodak CN400 - it is nice and contrasty and when used with a yellow filter seems to give a good tonal range. Because it is C41 it cam be processed by a minilab.

I'm not developing and printing - no adequate darkroom facilites at present.

[Michiel]

I've been thinking about getting a Yashica Mat for months now. I don't shoot enough to really justify buying one, but I'd love to try shooting sqares and getting to know a new kind of camera.

I'll keep an eye on this thread, maybe the discussion will get me enthusiastic enough to finally take the jump haha :)

(I'm so lucky to have an understanding girlfriend)

[jan normandale]

Nicholas .. thanks for the thoughts about Arista edu.. I’ll get some to test it

Kin.. heh.. I shoot mostly at infinity w this thing so parallax isn’t too big an issue

Ndnbrunei.. I am used to using the Kodak C41 BW, and I agree. I like it a lot however don’t use any filters. I may check that out.

Michiel… I see you bought one! Good luck with yours. I’ll be uploading some shots in a week or so. I have to develop the film I’ve used in the 124