RetroCamera » yashica

Good read about M42-lenses

Mattias — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:28:43 +0000

Rob has written a good post to read, about M42-lenses, on Brian Auers Epic Edit-blog. He uses the same DSLR as me, the Canon EOS 350D (mine is on it’s last breath). Like Rob I have used the Pentacon 29mm/2.8 and think it’s an underrated lens. I sold it some time ago though.

My current M42 lenses, which I like:

Asahi Super-Takumar 85mm/1.9
Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55mm/1.8
Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5
MC Helios 44-3 58mm/2
Auto Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7
Tele-Tokina 105mm/2.8
Pentacon Auto 50mm/1.8

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A day with Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7

Mattias — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 14:55:48 +0000

Inspired by A lens a week, I use only one lens each day. Last week I took a small hike with the Auto Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7. I choose to photograph only fallen leafs in different forms. Here are some of my favorites from the day.

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Back after an accident

Mattias — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:25:41 +0000

I’m back after an accident with my bike, a trip with ambulance and some stitches in my thigh. Last weekend I took a walk and went back to fetch my bicycle and shoot some images during the walk. The first one is shot with Yashica MC Zoom 35-70mm/3.5-4.5 (like the bokeh of this lens, however you must have good light to focus it right), the other one with S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8. Edited with GIMP, since I’m using Linux at the moment. Swedish summer is here, and vacations soon. My leg is starting to work again so I can’t wait to get out in nature and make more images!

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Poor photographers weather protection

Mattias — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:57:05 +0000

This weekend we had a snowstorm in Sweden, so I needed some poor photographers weather protection. So with a plastic bag and a rubber band wrapped around the lens I challenged the weather gods and took a photowalk with blowing winds and snow up to my waiste. The lens used was Yashica ML 50mm/2.

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Orange sundown and blue snow

Mattias — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:13:26 +0000

Another picture on the theme “warm and cold”. Shot last sunday (7 feb 2010) in Suttarboda on the hills above my home in Sweden. Not sure about the lens, but it must have been Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8 or Yashica ML 35mm/2.8. I love them both and the picture came out the way I wanted it.

Watching a swedish sundown:

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Point your lens at the sun

Mattias — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:23:02 +0000

I think it’s an interesting experiment to point your lens to the sun. Shows if these old things have this possibility. Ad did some experimenting at my last photowalk since I forgot some filters I had planned to use. It’s is winter and very cold here in Sweden. Lots, lots of snow. Sometime up to my waistline. But it was worth it. If not for the pictures for the experience. Here is a picture shot with Yashica MC Zoom 35-70 (if I remember correct) into the sun.

Show me your “into the sun”-picture!

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Ice at factory

Mattias — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:42:10 +0000

I shot some pictures of ice at factory here in our village. The contrast from the ice to the factory brickwall is interesting I think. The winter is fun to photograph sometimes, but I long for the summer and longer daylight.

It was a Yashica lens, either the ML 35mm/2.8 or MC Zoom 35-70mm/3.5-4.5. I’m impressed that they made it in the -20 °C cold.

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Winter photography

Mattias — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:19:07 +0000

The art of winter photography is really hard. Big contrasts for the camera, snow and ice and shadows. Most of the days I work for the few hours we have daylight. If I’m lucky, I’ll get time to shoot some pictures at lunchbreak or in the weekend.

Shot with Yashica MC Zoom 35-70/3.5-4.5, review here.

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Review of Yashica MC Zoom 35-70mm/3.5-4.5

Mattias — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:37:58 +0000

This is a lens I bought on ebay after hearing good things about it, well at least the small amount of information I could find. The price was $22. I have discovered that Yashica zooms is very hard to find information about, specially now since earlier source of information cdegroot.com is gone. Well, here are my thoughts on this…

The lens
This is a slim little zoom. Filter threads are 52mm. The zoom is wide when you slide it out, tele when you slide it back – quite the opposit(?) to the normal, modern zooms which is tele when extended. The aperture range is from f 3.5 – f 22. My copy of the lens was in very, very good shape. In fact it feels new.

Rumours and guesses
According to (now removed) website cdegroot.com Fotomagazin had said “almost as good as Zeiss“. I also remember reading that it was made in the same place the similar Zeiss-lens, but I now I can’t find the source for that statement. Keep in mind that there are several simliar Yashica-lenses with just slightly different names, there are several versions in the same focal length.

My thoughts
I believe this to be a good lens. Sharp. But I rarely use it, since I’ve become used to fast primes with short minimum focus distance. This zoom is also a bit hard to focus, and my camera is not the easiest on this (the Canon EOS 350D has a very small viewfinder and I don’t use any focusing aids).

Still, I managed to get some very nice images with the Yashica zoom, the winter landscape (see below) is one of my favorites. As you might suspect, I’m not sure on my feelings towards this lens. But it is most certainly worth a try!

Pros

Good sharp images
Nice quality feeling
Slim and lightweight

Cons

Hard to focus on the Canon EOS 350D.
Minimum focus quite long.
Uncertain about the bokeh.

Images I’ve produced with this lens:
(clicking opens a new page with the image on Flickr)

Reading
Sadly most things I can find is my own posts on other forums ;) Here they are anyway:

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Black and White vs Colour – part 1

Mattias — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:59:35 +0000

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

An image shot with Yashica ML 35mm/2.8, one with Black and white and one with Colour. Which is best?

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