farlymac
PF McFarland
Introduced in 1960, it brought the ire of Leica down upon Yashica for using the M name. Later in the production run, it was changed to Minister, and became known as the Minister I after the Minister II came out in 1962.
It came with one of two maximum aperture Yashinon lenses, a 1:1.9, or 1:2.8, both of f=4.5cm focal length and minimum aperture of 1:16. Filter size is 46mm, and the OEM hood is a 48mm clamp-on.
The lens was set in a Copal-SVL shutter, with speeds from 1sec to 1/500 + B. Exposure was controlled by use of the LVS system. Whereas the selenium meter readout might say 9, you would then turn the LVS ring to 9, and get a setting of f:5.6 @ 1/15. If you wanted a different speed or aperture, you just turned the coupling ring to the desired setting, and the other setting would then be correct. Say, you wanted 1/60 shutter speed, then the aperture would automatically be set at f:2.8 (two stops wider to match the two stop faster change in shutter speed). This works differently than the system on the Minister-D, where you set the shutter speed, and use the LVS ring to change the aperture. It will also change the shutter speed, but only when you've come to one end or the other of the aperture range.
Anyhow, my copy of the M has been dropped, jamming the ASA setting, and someone over-torqued the aperture ring, messing up the LVS system. I did a tear down and clean-up of the shutter and LVS rings, but since they were not in proper order to begin with, I had no idea how it was all supposed to go back together so that everything would be in alignment. But it acts the same way it did before I took it apart, so I'm just going to write it off as a shelf queen. It at least has good parts if I ever get another one. I have the Minister-D to use, so I'm happy. I think the Minister-D looks better anyway.
Yashica M by br1078phot, on Flickr
PF
It came with one of two maximum aperture Yashinon lenses, a 1:1.9, or 1:2.8, both of f=4.5cm focal length and minimum aperture of 1:16. Filter size is 46mm, and the OEM hood is a 48mm clamp-on.
The lens was set in a Copal-SVL shutter, with speeds from 1sec to 1/500 + B. Exposure was controlled by use of the LVS system. Whereas the selenium meter readout might say 9, you would then turn the LVS ring to 9, and get a setting of f:5.6 @ 1/15. If you wanted a different speed or aperture, you just turned the coupling ring to the desired setting, and the other setting would then be correct. Say, you wanted 1/60 shutter speed, then the aperture would automatically be set at f:2.8 (two stops wider to match the two stop faster change in shutter speed). This works differently than the system on the Minister-D, where you set the shutter speed, and use the LVS ring to change the aperture. It will also change the shutter speed, but only when you've come to one end or the other of the aperture range.
Anyhow, my copy of the M has been dropped, jamming the ASA setting, and someone over-torqued the aperture ring, messing up the LVS system. I did a tear down and clean-up of the shutter and LVS rings, but since they were not in proper order to begin with, I had no idea how it was all supposed to go back together so that everything would be in alignment. But it acts the same way it did before I took it apart, so I'm just going to write it off as a shelf queen. It at least has good parts if I ever get another one. I have the Minister-D to use, so I'm happy. I think the Minister-D looks better anyway.
Yashica M by br1078phot, on Flickr
PF