Yashica D--pull the trigger?

Sounds like there are some good competitive choices, but I'd say going TLR-whatever is a great long-term camera choice. Simple, reliable, robust, lightweight, and, as MF goes, really inexpensive.

I have a Yashica D -- I paid something similar to you -- and have never regretted it. I've put more than 100 rolls of film through it in five years and never a glitch, and beautiful Ektachromes from the great lens. My only other MF is a Mamiya TLR, which I use in the studio because I can change lenses. For walking about, however, the Yashica D weighs SO much less. I wouldn't give mine up for anything.

Lots of good alternates listed so far, but if none are available locally from a reputable seller or that you can test drive, dive in and take the Yashica without fear.
 
I think the D has a 2.8 viewing lens -- definitely better than the 3.5 on the Rolleicord. With a good fresnel screen standard, that's a good selling point. The thing to watch for is frame spacing/overlap.

The Autocord is a great camera, no question. I do think a focusing knob (as with the Yashicas or the Rolleis) is a little easier to use than the Autocord's lever, however.
 
I find TLRs with the focus knob on the right side more ergo-friendly than the ones with left hand focus. One reason to prefer the Rolliecord IV and V to the Va and Vb. Rolleiflexes, much as I love them, require three-handed operation. :) But I really like the helical focus levers of the Autocords and Diacords, and the Autocords combine the automat-style lever film-advance and shutter-winding with finger-tip lever focus -- very handy.
 
David William White said:
Sounds like there are some good competitive choices, but I'd say going TLR-whatever is a great long-term camera choice. Simple, reliable, robust, lightweight, and, as MF goes, really inexpensive.

I have a Yashica D -- I paid something similar to you -- and have never regretted it. I've put more than 100 rolls of film through it in five years and never a glitch, and beautiful Ektachromes from the great lens. My only other MF is a Mamiya TLR, which I use in the studio because I can change lenses. For walking about, however, the Yashica D weighs SO much less. I wouldn't give mine up for anything.

Lots of good alternates listed so far, but if none are available locally from a reputable seller or that you can test drive, dive in and take the Yashica without fear.
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Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!
 
My Yashica D does have an f2.8 viewing lens, and an f3.5 Yashinon (4-element) taking lens. It's quite bright, and having a faster viewing than taking lens provides an advantage in focusing. My Rollecord V has an f3.2 viewing lens and an f3.5 Xenar taking lens. It's dimmer to focus than the Yashica D. A potential disadvantage of the Yashica D is the lack of internal baffling between the lens and the film plane, while the Rolleicord and the Autocord are well baffled. All these old TLRs should be used with proper square lens hoods to minimize flare.
 
FWIW, I think it's very feasible to score a clean Yashica D for $100 or less. At $150 you are well into the ballpark for a functional Autocord, Rolleicord IV or V, or Yashicamat (in order of my preference). I go for the meterless versions -- cheaper and fewer issues.
 
Karl Bryan told me the lens on my Autocord I tested out at 156 ll/mm at f5.6. Crazy sharp for medium format.
 
Well instead of the Yashica I pulled the trigger on a Mamiya C330 that looks brand new. That's want I really wanted and now I won't have any buyer's remorse. I will update once it arrives and I run some rolls through her. I don't mind the bulk--I'm bulky too!
 
Big Hairy Bee said:
Well instead of the Yashica I pulled the trigger on a Mamiya C330 that looks brand new. That's want I really wanted and now I won't have any buyer's remorse. I will update once it arrives and I run some rolls through her. I don't mind the bulk--I'm bulky too!
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Well done! Darren is right: Get a strap.
 
It will have a strap and some other goodies. It also comes with the case, the L bracket, and a very long air bulb release. Hopefully here by the weekend!
 
dmr said:
I noticed you keep the square format. Any particular reason you do that?

For some reason I prefer the (few) D shots I've taken cropped to the usual dimensions.

Also, here's what happens at least once every time I use the D: :(

http://omababe.blogspot.com/2007/09/o-bang-double-take.html
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Sorry, but to me your "Os" want to be square.

I am pretty flexiblewhen it comes to croping 6x6. In my view they are meant to be worked on and not "finished in camera". If I feel a image needs square it goes square and when it needs oblong it goes oblong. I am afraid your Os need square.

PS, my present avatar started as a square neg from taken with my Rolleicord.
 
I started shooting 6x6 negatives on 120 film mostly because that's what was mostly used by newspapers, P.R. agencies, and wedding studios back in the early 1960's. Prints were 8X10 and whether or not you needed to crop a bit you still filled the 8X10 paper. 35mm was used by the better magazines and amateurs. There were still some guys schlepping 4X5 press cameras on gigs. "Seeing" the world in the 8X10 composition became second nature.

By the late sixties printing full frame 35mm became the style, even to the point of printing black borders by filing out your negative carrier to prove that you'd done it. Labs started offering 8X12 prints. Coming back to 6x6 after a 25+ year hiatus somehow it just seems normal to fill the square frame.

Strangely, as I go through my decades old 120 contact sheets I'm seeing a lot of "square pictures". They just work better that way, even if back then I'd cropped them to 8X10 proportions.

http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com
 
My C330 arrived yesterday. It seems to be in mint condition other than some dust in the finder/focusing screen. The only visible wear is a little on the base, this was most likely a tripod and studio camera. I also got the Mamiya L grip with it which will be a good place for my Vivitar 283 to rest. However, the shutter release on the grip seems to have been disconnected. Perhaps I will open the grip up to see.

Will have some pics soon!
 
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