Yashica YF

[julianphotoart]

Does anyone in RFF use a Yashica YF? Is it worth it to hunt one down? Got photos of one? How do they handle? They seem pretty hard to find.

 

[furcafe]

I have 1. Don't know if it's worth hunting down unless you want to pay around $400-500 for a body in good, working condition. I think the closest LTM competitor would be a Canon P. IMHO, the P is more advanced (single shutter speed dial, rewind crank) & more solidly constructed, but the YF has better framelines (from what I can tell, mechanically similar to the Nikon SP). Bottom line: the YFs handle great (better than your standard "Barnack"-type LTM camera) but may not be the most economical choice for a LTM shooter (they are rare & cool, though).

Stephen Gandy has an article on the YF @ http://www.cameraquest.com/yashiyf.htm (a good overview, but he mistakenly writes that the VF magnification is 1.0--it's really more like 0.72).

 

[kabkos]

I have had several YF cameras and they are enjoyable to use. But you can clearly see that Yashica wasn't interested in making the cameras to a high quality standard. The camera was made to meet a price point and the quality of chrome finish is very low. Internally the camera is well built and it is a very close copy of a Leica IIIF in construction. I agree with the previous post that a Canon P would be a better camera.
karl

 

[julianphotoart]

Thanks. The camera does look kind of awkardly retro-cool but you have convinced me not to pursue it. I have a P and it's so elegant that I'm sure I'd be disappointed with the comparisons I'd end up making with the YF.