Yashica Mat 124 in-depth review
Yashica Mat 124 – Review by Karen Nakamura
Overview and Personal Comments
The Yashicamat 124 is a twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera that is basically a copy of the Rolleiflex. It uses 120 size film (medium format) to shoot 6 x 6 square format photos (same as a Hasselblad). Using the text or images on this website without permission on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.
I purchased this camera a couple of years ago to see if medium format was my thing. It was, the Yashica had excellent resolution and the tonality of medium format positives just blew me away.
Unfortunately, I was so entranced by the Yashicamat, I later on bought a Mamiya RB67 system and never used the Yashicamat after that. The RB67 is for the studio, while I have a Koni-Omega Rapid M for outdoor medium format photography. It’s just a bit difficult to frame when things are reversed in the TLR finder. I like the look of the 124 and the little Yashica 44LM, but I doubt I’ll ever use them.
Interesting quirks
The Yashicamat 124G is the successor to the 124. Everyone seems to want the 124G. The only change the 124G has was to add Gold meter contacts. That’s it. Which is odd since I’ve seen 124Gs that went for $400, but 124s are relatively cheap. They use the EXACT SAME OPTICS! Hmm.. People are pretty stupid. You don’t buy Yashicamats for the lightmeter, heck most of them are non-linear anymore. They use the EXACT SAME OPTICS!*
* OK, so the 124G had a nicer finish on the outside, BUT it also used wimpier (i.e., cheaper) gears. The 124 has sturdier internal mechanisms.
Sample Pictures
The Yashicamat 124 takes simply astoundingly sharp pictures. Here are some samples shot on Fuji Velvia (an E-6 slide film) and scanned with the Epson Perfection 2400, a standard flatbed scanner with a transparency adaptor that costs around $300. The resulting files are 5400 x 5400 pixels large, or 90 megabytes in size at 24 bit depth (at the scanner’s full 48 bit depth, the files are 180 megabytes large). That’s the equivalent of a 30 megapixel digital camera! You can print the scans at 240 dpi at a whopping 22″ x 22″ without interpolating. Try that on your $2000 digital camera!
A reduced version of each photo is shown along with a 8x zoom up. To put the zoomed in version in perspective, to view the zoomed version at 100%, the original file would have to be printed at almost 100″ x 100″ or an 8′ x 8′ mural. The actual slide shot is even sharper than the scan as the Epson 2450 is really a 1200 dpi scanner, not a 2400 dpi one.The slides themselves are extremely crisp. You can count the number of leaves on the trees in the autumnal photo (sample #2).
If you want the original sample files (about 3 megabytes compressed at JPEG 8; about 20 megabytes compressed at JPEG 12), please let me know and I will arrange to make them available.
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The slight unsharpness here is caused by the scanner. With a loupe, you can make out the features of this person and easily identify him. Remember that this is the detail from an image blown up to about 8′ x 8′!
Technical Details
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Camera Name
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Yashicamat 124 |
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Manufacturer
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Yashica |
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Place of Manufacture
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Body: Japan |
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Date of Manufacture
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1968 ~ 1971 |
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Focusing System
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Twin lens reflex |
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Fixed Lens
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Taking lens: 80mm f/3.5 Yashinon (multicoated) Viewing lens: 80mm f/3.5 Yashinon (multicoated) -Yashinons are 4 element Tessar types |
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Shutter
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Copal S-V 1 sec – 1/500 sec. |
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Metering System
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CdS cell mounted on camera body (above the lens ATL) – uncoupled match needle type GN 1-10 |
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Flash Mount
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M-X switch Cold-shoe mount on left side PC-cable attachment on front side |
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Film type / speeds
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Type 120/220 film (medium format) ASA |
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Battery type
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PX625 |
| Use of this chart, text, or any photographs in an eBay auction without permission will result in an immediate IP violation claim with eBay VeRO. Violators may have their eBay account cancelled. | |
About Yashica/Kyocera/Contax
The Yashica Corporation began making cameras in 1957, releasing its first model in 1958 (the Yashica 35). They produced a very well regarded series of twin-lens-reflex (TLR) medium format cameras under the Yashica-Mat brand and 35mm rangefinders under the Yashica Electro name. Yashica became a subsidiary of the Kyocera Corporation in October of 1983. For the next two decades, Kyocera continued to produce film cameras under the Contax marquee, including a very nice 35mm Contax SLR series (which used Zeiss lenses), a medium format system, and the Contax G1/G2 rangefinders (also with Zeiss glass).The Yashica name was only used for a small series of dental cameras and point and shoots. In March of 2005, Kyocera announced that it would cease production and sales of film and digital cameras under the Contax marquee. Thus ends 30 years of a wonderful camera line. The Contax name will most probably revert back to the Zeiss foundation, thus who knows what will happen in the future. Right now, the name “Yashica” appears to have been bought by a Chinese company for their inexpensive digital cameras.
On the Net
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Are all TLRs made in Japan or Germany or China or Rassia or other european countries?
Are all TLRs made in Japan or Germany or China or Rassia or other european countries?
the answer is NO.
Here goes Graflex 22, which is made in the USA.
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The Graflex 22 was a continuation of the Ohio-made Ciro-Flex series. Graflex bought the tooling and parts from Ciro, and continued making the cameras. The Graflex 22 is a knob-wind twin-lens TLR, using 120 film. A red window in the rear shows the film position; some models have a metal cover.
The lenses are Tessar-type and made by Wollensak. There were three or more models made with 83mm and 85mm f/3.5 taking lenses, the top-of-the-line model having a M-X-V fully synchronized shutter with a 1/400 sec top speed. It is not an interchangeable lens camera.
![[Graflex Ciro-Flex Ad from 1953]](https://i0.wp.com/graflex.org/images/Ads1953/ciroflex.jpg)
Best Practices in ebay bidding – Sniping
Wondering why the price of the item you are watching on ebay increases sharply in the last 3-10 seconds? are people watching behind to follow it through?
the answer is NO.
Read this post from techradar.com, you will find the reason and best practice!
Try this for your next TLR.
A number of software packages and websites offer eBay sniping tools.
The advantage with using a website is that your PC doesn’t even need to be on when the auction ends. If you don’t want to snipe straight away, you can place an item on your Watch List, enabling you to track its progress in My eBay – you’re emailed a reminder 24 hours before the auction ends.
Buyertools is a desktop application that can watch the auction you’re displaying in your browser, or by eBay item number. You can also download all the items you’ve got waiting in My eBay. You can use the Internet Explorer 8 eBay Web Slice, too.
HOT DESK:eBay Desktop keeps everything in one place for you
Goofbay is a free sniping service, but you need to register. You also need to enter the eBay item number, your eBay username and password, the number of seconds before the end of the auction that you want your bid placed and the maximum amount you are willing to pay.
Choosing the right number of seconds before the auction ends is crucial and takes time to get right, because if someone sneaks in after you, they take the auction. With software, the speed of your internet connection can be crucial, while with all sniping services, there is the risk that your method may not place the bid in time.
You need to use a trusted service, too – especially as you need to enter your username and password to make sniping work.
It’s a steal
Auction Stealer and Auction Sniper are website services. Auction Sniper has a free trial with three free snipes. After that, you need to sign up, which costs one per cent of the final auction price, with a minimum of 25 cents and a maximum of $9.95 per won auction.
Auction Stealer is free, but there is a priority option that costs. It snipes within 10 seconds of the auction close, and acts on up to 22,000 auctions every day with a success rate of 97 per cent.
If you’re serious about bagging the bargains, upgrading to the priority account could be a good tip – costing $8.99 (£5.58) a month. This means Auction Stealer bids with only three seconds to go from the end of the auction and success rates are also boosted to a barely believable 99.9 per cent.
What’s more, you can also place your bids in groups, so you can make bids on multiple auctions of the same type of item. When you win one, the others are cancelled. Clever stuff.
Desktop apps can also be effective, though your PC needs to be on when the auction closes and you need to have a decent internet connection – there’s a possibility you might be beaten to your item by someone with a better connection.
JBidwatcher is one such app. Configuring it to snipe an auction is a piece of cake. After launching it, choose the eBay tab and enter your eBay username and password. Click Test Login to ensure that these are correct.
Then click the Sniping tab and enter the time in seconds before the end of each auction that you want the program to enter your bid. Click Save. Give the application the eBay auction number of the item you want to bid for – choose File ➜ Add and paste in the auction number, then click OK.
Now right-click the auction and choose Sniping. Enter your maximum snipe price before clicking OK. It’s done. Your software also needs to synchronise time with eBay’s servers so that it gets in at exactly the right moment, while any delay with the logging-in process can spell disaster for your bid.
Caveat emptor
Whatever sniping method you use, it’s worth getting the views of others on forums and websites. If you’re using a downloaded application you haven’t heard of before, treat it with caution. Make sure that sites such as www.download.com and www.softpedia.com recommend it and that there’s no spyware or adware attached to the download.
It’s especially important that the software is trusted because you need to give the app your eBay username and password. If using such third-party services, we recommend that you always have a different password for your eBay account from other services, especially online banking.
There are also tools to give you an idea of whether something you want to bid for gives you the best price or not. Gumshoo can filter out items, such as accessories, that you don’t want, as well as spot misspelled items that others won’t have seen in their searches. Price Pirates can help you see similar items on eBay.
Launch the program and enter your search terms. You can enter the maximum and minimum prices that you want to pay. This helps to narrow down multiple results. Click Search to see the results for your selected eBay country. Select the item description to go directly to the auction. Click the preview picture to see an image of the item for sale.
GOING, GOING, GONE:Seen something you like? Sniping might be your best bet to bag it
To ensure that this is a fair price for your item, click the Price Comparison tab. This takes you across to a price comparison site to check out whether their prices are cheaper.
With sniping, bidding in increments becomes extremely important. While most people bid in round numbers such as 50p or £1, bidding with a number such as .51, .66 or .88 ensures that you can pip people who bid in the more usual increments, and you won’t annoyingly lose out by just a few pennies.
Remember that your bid enters you into a contract with the seller, so if you win, you must pay up, or risk being banned from eBay. You’ll certainly receive negative feedback and be reported if you go back on the deal.
TLRgraphy 