This short review has taken an age to write. I bought the camera on a whim maybe two years ago. I saw the name Yashica and realised I hadn’t tried this one before or even seen it before for that matter. But it was cheap and worth a risk.
Unfortunately, when it arrived it had a weird rattle and when I looked through the viewfinder I could immediately see why. The rangefinder had detached and was loose inside the compartment. As I had other cameras to try I put it on my shelf figuring I would get to it eventually…and promptly forgot about it. Then I became friends with a man who likes fixing cameras, so I sent him this one. In less than a week it was returned in perfect condition, rangefinder functioning as it should. Thank you very much 🙂
This is a manual camera with apertures between f2.8 – f22 and speeds up to 1/500th. The patch on my example is now quite bright which made focusing a doddle. The shutter and winder were very smooth, but the lens was still a little stiff, but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment of using it. What a talented man my new acquaintance is.
The camera was produced around 1962 and you can find lots of technical information here, along with a description saying it is a cheaper version of the Yashica EE. It was indeed cheap from the bay and other similar priced examples can be found quite often.
The first film I loaded was a very expired one and combined with the exhausted fix, the results were not great. Here are a few.
Though not perfect, I could see the rangefinder was now working brilliantly. So I loaded some fresh HP5 and headed to Harewood Castle near Leeds. This was a place that had been on my radar for a while, a castle with red kites flying over, what is not to like? Unfortunately, the kites were a little far away for this camera so I finished the film off while getting fish and chips on the way home. As it was dull and cloudy, I pushed the film to 800 in process.
The look of this camera reminds me a lot of the minister, but without the light meter of course. I like the look of this camera and using it was a pleasure. It is light enough and not too bulky. If you are looking for a good reliable Yashica with that classic look, I think this would be a great choice and a bargain to boot.
Good one!There are tons of really good cameras in that 60’s Japanese rangefinder category-most of them pretty cheap.
Very true. Yashicas from that era are all good in my opinion.
and Ricohs, Fujicas, Minoltas, Mamiyas, but sadly (because they are such cool designs) not Petris
Hence I have only tried one petri.
It’s great to hear you found a reliable repairperson. Send him this way as I have about 5 Yashica Pentamatics that need service. (why do I keep buying them knowing that they almost all need repairs?) LOL
I usually try to fix things myself, or sell a camera to fund a professionally repair. But he mentioned he liked yashicas so I thought I would ask this time. I mentioned it in the article as he did such a good job and not to would have been an injustice. I think he should start charging though.
My go-to slr is a Yashica FX-D, beautifully engineered and a good feel which is what I find with the Yashica rangefinders; they feel nice and that’s half the fun, if the camera doesn’t feel right I always feel the need to hide it between shots lol
Great photo’s with the HP5 Peggy, I wish I was as creative putting a shot together but I think Im always more focused on the mechanics.
Yeap, that one is in my top ten list at number 3 at the moment. A super camera…that I put a proper skin on for a change.
Looks like an early version of the Yashica Electro series … great pics with the HP5, I am a fan of the electros!!!
Hence I like it, I love the electros and wish I had kept one at least.
All the Yashica 35 RFs you list are descendants of the original Yashica 35. It is a fine camera styled like a poor man’s Contax, very similar to the Neoca from the same late 1950s era. I’ve got one with an iffy shutter, considered worthy of repair because of the quality of its lens, its long-base RF, and the clean timeless styling it has. Mike Eckman reviewed it here: https://mikeeckman.com/2017/05/yashica-35-1958/
It looks very nice, classic…but yeah, that example had issues. A good one would be well worth keeping and using.
My first rangefinder was a Yashica M – very similar camera with some shared components to this Campus. Surprisingly sharp lenses on these cameras and fun to operate.
I don’t think I have tried a yashica that hasn’t been sharp…unless it was damaged. The yashica autofocus was amazing.