Yashica 124g?

[ToddB]

Hey guys,

i'm curious about these Yashica 124g cameras. Is the image quality very good? They look to be very affordable. Any input?

ToddB

[LiamG]

I believe they use a Tessar variant taking lens. Pretty predictable performance there; I certainly can't fault it.

[Marc B.]

Simple search of Yashica 124g = the links below.
Pay particular attention to threads about the battery that powers the meter.
Mercury cells (1.3 volts)...they're no longer available.
Newer 1.5 volt replacements = wrong voltage in = wrong meter result out.
Lens uses Bay-1 filter and hoods, not conventional screw-on...unless an adapter is used.

http://www.apug.org/forums/google.ph...13j25884653j14

[Jeff L]

Nice camera, nice lens, makes great photos. I think most successful TLR aside from the Rollei's.

[Konical]

Good Morning, Todd,

I use mine occasionally and get excellent results from it. The meter/battery situation cited above by Marc doesn't particularly concern me because I normally use a handheld meter with all my MF cameras, most of which lack built-in meters entirely.

Konical

[nyoung]

"Pay particular attention to threads about the battery that powers the meter.
Mercury cells (1.3 volts)...they're no longer available.
Newer 1.5 volt replacements = wrong voltage in = wrong meter result out."



Meter isn't much good anyway. Best to use a handheld incident or spot meter.

Made my first professional pictures with one of them.
Used a bunch of them over the years.
Lens is best at f8 or 11.
You can get amazingly good results with the sports finder - zone focused @f8 with a flash.
The old guys I learned from always fired a flash on every frame - for fill on outdoor shots - and it definitely boosts the contrast.
The lens is sharp enough but its slow and prone to flare as compared to contemporary 35mm optics.
A lens hood, should you be lucky enough to find one, is mandatory.
The bayonet mount auxiliary wide angle and telephoto lenses (also rarely found) are passable as well if you use them within their limits.

That said, the old Yashicamat will teach you a lot about medium format photography for a very modest investment.

[Someonenameddavid]

Nice camera, nice lens, makes great photos. I think most successful TLR aside from the Rollei's.

Well then there is the Mamiya C330 family which just shows what can be done with a little Japanese ingenuity

David

[waynecrider]

I'm not using mine since I'm not a TLR type of guy. Pic's available.

[Dan Daniel]

Hey guys,

i'm curious about these Yashica 124g cameras. Is the image quality very good? They look to be very affordable. Any input?

ToddB

I've overhauled a few Yashica-Mats, including the 124-G. The Yashinon lens is a very good Tessar-type lens. The internals mechanisms are solidly done; not Rolleiflex solid, not Rolleiflex precision machining, but competently done. I'd consider the Yashica-Mats the bottom level of a 'real' TLR that will give you solid results that could be used professionally.

They made hundreds of thousands of them, it seems. Working on them, I got the sense that the factory slapped them together; there would be a little fiddling if things didn't work or meet specs, and any out-of-range cameras would then simply be dropped in a parts box. In other words, not really designed to be maintained over the years. When people talk about good or bad lenses on the Yashicas, I bet that this is primarily due to good or bad alignment and such. The focus rails and lens board are not built as solid as Rolleis ('flex or 'cord).

In other words, condition is important. Get one in good alignment for a good price, you'll have a nice camera.

Then again, for what 124-Gs go for these days, a Minolta Autocord has a better lens and almost no chance of being out of alignment. The Yashica-Mat 124 (no G) is a better-built camera all in all. A Rolleicord will most likely be in better alignment and such. The meter is of no concern to me since I wouldn't use it anyway.

[Ian Grant]

I enjoy using my Yashica124 and haven't had any issues with the meter/battery, in fact I'm surprised how accurate it is. It's possible it was adjusted to take modern 1.5v batteries befire I bought it.

At some stage I'll buy a second to use here in the UK. I bought the first on a whim on this forum I hadn't used a TLR since the early 1980's when my Mamiyas were stolen and found it became a mainstay of my photography in Turkey/Greece etc.

Ian