Yashica Mat 124 (Page 2): Great Idea !!! thanks very much...

Bridge Loc: Southern New Hampshire

Great Idea !!! thanks very much

Bridge Loc: Southern New Hampshire

Great Idea THANKS

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Bridge wrote:

Great Idea THANKS

Use the “Quote Reply” option so we know which post you’re addressing.

Great little camera.
I’m thinking about getting back into shooting film, processing myself and scanning. Still have my stainless reels and tanks.
Good luck!

benjayman1937 Loc: VaCaTXArizona

Hello, bridge
My first post! Back in the late 1960-70s, I too had a Yashica Mat (couldn't afford the RolliFlex) and it took great photos. Liked the 120 format so graduated to a Mamiya SLR with revolving back; film choices included 6x4.5, 2-1/4 square and 6x7. Great results but for me, it weighted too much to use in the field; it was a good studio camera. Kept it 'til 2007; sold it along with a trunk load of 35mm misc. to dealer.

Bridge Loc: Southern New Hampshire

Thanks very much for sharing your experience with a Mat 124. I to think it is a great camera sorry to see them stop making it.
Bridge

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Bridge wrote:

Hello
I have a Yashica Mat 124 and over the years I have had great success taking photos with it.
As with other Yashica 124’s the meter does not operate any longer.
Please help me find someone who can repair the meter in this great camera
Thanks very much
Bridge

My first MF camera was a Yashica Mat that didn’t have a meter. I was surprised at the quality of the images compared to much more expensive 35mm cameras.

Bridge Loc: Southern New Hampshire

I Agree !!!!!!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Bridge wrote:

Wow I never thought of that approach. I really appreciate your suggestion. I will look on line for a used spot meter.
Thanks again.
Bridge

Get an incident meter, too. It is more often useful than spot meters, and can mimic the reflected light meter in the 124G.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

selmslie wrote:

My first MF camera was a Yashica Mat that didn’t have a meter. I was surprised at the quality of the images compared to much more expensive 35mm cameras.

The fact that that medium format camera has over 3x the film area doesn’t hurt. I remember my first roll of medium format film. 6x7 from a Graflex XL. The clarity blew me away!
https://thedarkroom.com/35mm-vs-medium-format-film-comparison/

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

35mm full frame film is just 37.5% of the area of 645 film format, which is very significant. The larger the 120 medium format, the more significant the difference.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/120_film

gessman Loc: Colorado

benjayman1937 wrote:

Hello, bridge
My first post! Back in the late 1960-70s, I too had a Yashica Mat (couldn't afford the RolliFlex) and it took great photos. Liked the 120 format so graduated to a Mamiya SLR with revolving back; film choices included 6x4.5, 2-1/4 square and 6x7. Great results but for me, it weighted too much to use in the field; it was a good studio camera. Kept it 'til 2007; sold it along with a trunk load of 35mm misc. to dealer.

You didn't miss much - I had a Yashicamat and a Rolliflex and comparing them all I saw was th Rollei barely had better edge and corner sharpness but otherwise it was a horse race, Sold the Yashica and still have the Rollei but it doesn't get much use. Made some bucks on it though. When Rollei decided to make an updated version they jacked the price up to around $1,000 which pulled the old ones way up sever hundred dollars, especially the 2.8 version.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Used Yashica Mat 124G cameras are getting hard to find. They are very good cameras! I remember buying one for about $130, back in the 1970s. It was known as the poor student's Rollei. I wish I still had it — not to use, but to display. I sold it to someone I worked with in the 1990s.

My 1980s manager in the school portrait business where I worked for decades had one. He was a designer and artist. When he cast that 124G into a very cool 3D plaster sculpture that would hang in the lobby stairwell of our new lab building, I cringed. I had to walk up the steps, past that thing, for 26 years... What a waste of a perfectly good camera!

Bridge Loc: Southern New Hampshire

GoofyNewfie wrote:

Use the “Quote Reply” option so we know which post you’re addressing.

Great little camera.
I’m thinking about getting back into shooting film, processing myself and scanning. Still have my stainless reels and tanks.
Good luck!

GreT IDEA THE Yash Mat 124 is a great camera and fun to use.
Bridge

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Bridge wrote:

GreT IDEA THE Yash Mat 124 is a great camera and fun to use.
Bridge

Just remembered I have a Yashicamat already.
Gotta look for it
Also owned 2 Mamiya C-330’s and a couple of RB 67’s.
Loved the RB!

gessman Loc: Colorado

gessman wrote:

You didn't miss much - I had a Yashicamat and a Rolliflex and comparing them all I saw was th Rollei barely had better edge and corner sharpness but otherwise it was a horse race, Sold the Yashica and still have the Rollei but it doesn't get much use. Made some bucks on it though. When Rollei decided to make an updated version they jacked the price up to around $1,000 which pulled the old ones way up sever hundred dollars, especially the 2.8 version.

...obviously, in my next to last line I meant to say "'several' hundred dollars." New keyboard is on the way.