I'm getting an M!...No, this isn't in the wrong place

[farlymac]

I always wanted to post that on the Leica M forum, but the truth is, it's a Yashica. At the same time I was bidding on the M, I saw a Mamiya 35 that looked incredibly alike to the M, except with a different lens. Anyone know of any cross-pollenation in the early Yashica rangefinders?

PF

 

[farlymac]

Oh well, guess we don't have any aficianados of the older Yashica rangefinders.

Anyway, it arrived today, and I hadn't realized that it has that stinking LVS metering/exposure setting system. Will have to figure out a bypass on that. That's what I get for not researching before placing a bid.

I'll be going into the lens/shutter assembly anyway because the timer is stuck, and the shutter will not fire. It's got a small ding on one of the top corners, but doesn't affect anything that I can tell. I don't hear any small parts rattling around inside. The view/rangefinder is dirty, and probably could use an adjustment. But the focusing is smooth, and the parallax frame follows as it should. The leather is lifting along the edges, so maybe this one is a good candidate for a wood covering? Nah, I'll just tack the loose bits back down with some Weldbond. It looks too nice in basic black. And I love that retractable rewind crank on the bottom.

PF

 

[kshapero]

I had a Yashica Rf. Can't remember what model. I had a friend that had a Yashica SLR Super 2000 that would take Contax/ Zeiss glass. was real nice.

 

[Frontman]

Which Mamiya is it? There were a few different types made over the years, but all were good cameras, and some were excellent. Here in Japan the Mamiyas are desirable than Yashicas, and some are quite valuable.

 

[locheeboy]

Which "M"?

M ll - Minister ? 😎

 

[Greyscale]

Just "M". Yashica had an M before Leitz sued them, from then on the M line became "Minister". There were two lens options on the original M, 2.8 and 1.9. The M was the first Yashica with an onboard light meter, which is what differentiates it from the "YL". The pop-out bottom film rewind knob is nifty, although it does add some mechanical complexity to the design. Mine had an RF patch that had faded to near non-existence, but I thought that it was a good, solid, well built camera that was quite attractive. The EV system and coupled shutter speed/aperture works well if you have an accurate light meter, the same system is used on the Kodak Signet 50, and it does give you at least a little latitude as far as exposure control.

 

[farlymac]

I had a Yashica Rf. Can't remember what model. I had a friend that had a Yashica SLR Super 2000 that would take Contax/ Zeiss glass. was real nice.

Oh yeah, the FX-3 Super 2000 (named for its top speed of 1/2000). I'm not bonding with mine. Maybe if it had some of that Zeiss glass hanging on it.

PF

 

[farlymac]

Which Mamiya is it? There were a few different types made over the years, but all were good cameras, and some were excellent. Here in Japan the Mamiyas are desirable than Yashicas, and some are quite valuable.

The photos aren't very clear, Jeff, but it has a two-part badge on the front that says Mamiya (with a black background) on the top, and maybe something underneath that (can't tell from the glare on the silver background). It has a 48/1.7 Mamiya-Sekor lens, and there are a couple of red letters after that I can't make out. It had the hood and yellow filter with it, and cases for both camera and hood. Went for more money than I was willing to part with (and the high bidder kept adding bids to scare off anyone else). The ends of the body are canted in, instead of being rounded corners, and it has a conventional rewinder. There are some other cosmetic differences between it and the Yashica, but the lens/shutter barrel is almost exactly the same. Only thing different there is the lack of EV numbers on the outer ring. PC socket is in the same location, and the focussing knob is the same.

The Yashica 35 M dates from 1960, and maybe they shared the design with Mamiya. I'll do a search on the Mamiya to see if I can get a match on the model.

PF

ps: Found it, Jeff. Mamiya Auto Metra II of 1959
http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Mamiya/Auto-Metra-II.html

 

[farlymac]

Which "M"?

M ll - Minister ? 😎

Like Mike said, just M. But the instruction manual calls it the "Yashica 35 M", so this would have been a run-on model to the Yashica 35. There is no "35" on the body though. Mine has the 1:1.9/4.5cm lens.

It's very solidly built, and if I can get the LVS system straightened out, may be a good user. Someone at Goodwill tried the timer though, so that's all jammed up.

That's kind of cool about Leica suing Yashica, Mike. I wondered why it was only made for one year before it was renamed. A neat bit of history there.

PF

 

[farlymac]

Here's the two cameras so you can see what I mean by their simularities.

http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Yashica/Yashica-M-(1960).html

http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Mamiya/Auto-Metra-II.html

Main differences are in the rewinder, and the corners of the body. Other than that, there are variations in the frame counter, and meter (but not in their placement).

PF

 

[Greyscale]

The Mamiya has a standard-issue top mounted rewind knob. The bottom winder on the Yashica is a quite complex mechanical system, the similarities may be simply a matter of "form follows function" as they may both use the same meter.

 

[farlymac]

True, but if you look at the follow-on Minister II, the resemblance is even more.

PF