Yashica Mat

Comments and faves

1. 

   StanD70 (47 months ago | reply)

   mmm. ground glass.

   --
   http://camerapedia.org/wiki/Yashica_6%c3%976_ TLR_(crank_advance) (?)

2. ★

   goldie_ added this photo to her favorites. (30 months ago)

3. 

   a.ellis (24 months ago | reply)

   Would you recommend picking one of these up from eBay? Anything to watch out for? :)

4. 

   Hans Marvell (24 months ago | reply)

   Its a great and simple camera. The key is to not get one that is too worn but has been used recently so all the grease and oil is still good. I would rate the Yashica Mat as the best of that brands TLRs. Its all manual and needs no batteries. Get a good meter and you're off to a good start. The only camera to beat this in my opinion is the Minolta Autocord. See my other galleries for samples.

5. 

   a.ellis (23 months ago | reply)

   The focusing looks difficult because there is no split in the centre.. I always use this on manual focus 35mm SLRs. How do you tell if you've got the focus you're after?

6. 

   Hans Marvell (23 months ago | reply)

   The little round magnifier you see in the shot above flips up for accurate focusing. You can very precisely see what is focused this way. The viewing lens has a nice big aperture so if you are shooting at a smaller aperture than f.3,5 you can be sure that focus is pretty precise. There are also some TLRs that have a split focus screen like on 35mm SLRs. I think both Rollei and Mamiya had these. I rarely focus without the magnifying lens unless I am shooting small apertures with fast film.

7. 

   GREEDO73 (11 months ago | reply)

   How would you compare the Yashica screen to a Rolleiflex T screen ?
   I had troubles focusing with my Rolleiflex T, so I decided to buy a RB67 spare, which has a focusing aid in the middle, and cut it so it fits into the Rolleiflex T. But now close subjects are a little out of focus (slight thickness difference ?)
   Haw much do you have to pay for a nice Yashica Mat on ebay ?

8. 

   Hans Marvell (11 months ago | reply)

   Hey there GREEDO73, thanks for the comments and compliments. I have not shot with a Rolleiflex so I cannot really give you any comparisson. However, I have handled some different Rolleiflex models and I must say that I could not see any difference in the groundglass. TLRs all have a weakness in strong lighting where the groundglass is difficult to see unless it is in shadow. Rollei created their SLR like vertical viewfinder to solve this, and Mamiya also offered a similar device. Wearing a hat with a good wide brim helps a lot with this problem as your head will cast a larger shadow over the camera.

   With regards to buying a Yashica Mat, I would like to advice you to consider Ebay as your last option. Both the Mats that I have had turned up locally, one at a market and the other on a small local auction site. Depending on where you live, I would advice you try jumble sales, flea markets, ask at camera dealers who still have some second hand gear, and you also spread the word. Flickr is a great place to find people who might have something laying about that they don´t use anymore. Finally, you will be amazed what turns up when you start telling friends and family about your passion for old cameras. out of my current 78 cameras, 14 are donations.

   Out of the 6 different TLRs I have shot with, I would strongly recommend the Minolta Autocord and Yashica Mat to anyone looking for a high performance but economical TLR. Price wise, I would say a Yashica Mat in working condition should cost betweem $120 to $150. The Autocord is a bit rarer and a good used example should be priced between $130 to $160 depending on condition and version. IMO the models with built in meters are no longer worth a higher price as they use extinct batteries and are more ugly. Things that should place the camera in the upper price range I have set would be original cases, filters, hoods and manuals. I hope that advice works. Good luck.

Want to format your comment?

Additional info