Traduction de Manuel M

At first look, this heavy and improbable camera can let to believe in a telemetric camera…that's not the case, but all is strange about it. Even its immense moired glass, of viewfinder, goes in this way.
One has really the feeling that this camera was designed by a very new firm. Nothing in this camera, that it is by the technique or aesthetics, can let think that it is manufactured by a brand as experienced as Yashica.   

While launching this model, Yashica have, it seems, the willpower to offer to its amateur customers, a very simple camera of use, in particular for the photography with the flash, which, at that time (only?) took well care not to reveal all their mysteries with the laymen.

The blazon of nobility “Yashica” is also stranger. It happened that European brands, like Alpa, make be reproduced a blazon on their cameras intended for North American market… That shows its difference opposite to the Japanese productions… but such a blazon on this Japanese camera is very funny.

I think that it is only model Yashica which bear it.

It is well about a 135, for photographs 24 x 36 mm on film 35 mm.
The automatic exposure is controlled by a large selenium cell Astonishing for the time, the adjustment of the sensitivity goes from 10 to 160 Asa. On the back of the camera, just on the left of the viewfinder, a control of exposure by needle is placed. A recall is visible on the right and in bottom of the viewfinder.
Its central shutter with two blades is located behind the diaphragm, which has 4 of them. The shutter speed is fixed on the 1/60 of second, in order to ensure the bestsynchro flash “M” - magnesic - possible. With this maximum speed very limited, he was proposed like accessory, a kind of “close-up” grey neutral, indispensable at the beach or the sea.

A synchro “X” is available in fronting. The magnesic bulbs flash usables were of type AG-1. An abacus of control of distance flash-subject is present on the back of the camera. Besides the adjustment of the sensitivity of film used, it also takes into account the type of bulb flash > Blue for daylight or white for tungsten light. The designers of this camera wanted to offer a maximum rapidity of use of the magnesic flash. With this intention and in order to ensure an electric charge constant and always available, it equipped this camera with an enormous battery 15V, hidden in its housing under the sole. Moreover, they imagined an ejector of bulb… What could be taken for the shutter release, on the right on the hood, is a control “EJECTOR” of this system. The shutter release is on the front face, below and on the right.
The lens seems of the same vein of the beautiful and rapid Yashinon. That's not the case. This optics, fix-focus, is one F 4.0 of 40 mm, with 3 separated elements. It allows, with full aperture, a focusing of 4 feet (1.22 meters) ad infinitum.

Even the appearance of this machine is unique. It has a superb chrome chain as well as a rigid leather case-box, hanged at the nut of foot by a strip ended by an immense serrated roller.

It is one of the strangest camera and out of norms, which I could meet in this format.
This real “strangeness”, is much rarely met than the II, which will replace it in 1962. Its manufacture will not last a year.

The serial number is preceded by one T. the specimen which I present here is the n°: T 1101481
 

The first name of this firm, founded in 1949 in the province of Nagano, was Yashima, name derived from Yoshihama which all 8 island of the Japanese nation. It will be then transformed into Yashinon, name which will be preserved for optics, its speciality. It will be itself derived and will become Yashica, in 1958.
The first produced cameras will be of 6 X 6 and 4 X 4 more or less copied from Rolleiflex.
In 1958, Yashica manufactured its first 24x36, rangefinder camera with fixed lens on an aesthetic basis of Contax inspiration: the 35. This camera will be the first of very a long lineage, made up of several series of 135 rage finder cameras with fixed lenses which will make its reputation.
In 1958, Yashica buys Nicca (ex- Nippon Cameras), which manufactures very beautiful copies of Leica, in screwmount M 39. Nicca has then, a very good reputation of quality. Between 1948 and 1957, more than 60,000 rangefinder cameras were produced, particularly for export.
Since 1949, these cameras are distributed in the USA by Sears & Roebuck of Chicago (Tower) and Peerless of NY (Peerlees). During this period, Nicca are primarily proposed with Nikon optics. Certain dealers, leave however the choice of optics, to their customers (Nikon, Canon, Steinheil…)
For Yashica, specialist in optics, buying Nicca would have to allow him to compete with Canon and Nikon on this market, by ensuring the industrial manufacturing of the bodies in the Nicca factory and optics in his own factory. The name of Nicca Camera Company Ltd will be kept.
On the basis of excellent Nicca 3F Type II - with cocking lever - will be manufactured in 1959, the very first Yashica rangefinder camera with interchangeable lens of the brand: the YE. It will be too expensive to produce and will be sold badly. Seeking to dissociate itself while saving money in manufacturing costs to fight against Canon, Yashica will introduce the superb YF, stamped Yashica and Nicca. Unfortunately, this splendid camera will fail by a rangefinder ridiculously small and unworthy of its other performances.
One saves money where one can… In any case the knell of uprange rangefinder camera sounded. The YF will be the last rangefinder camera with interchangeable objective of the brand.
Its comfortable financial situation and its strategic good choices (mounting 42 with screw…) will allow Yashica to pass without encumbers, the critical cape of the advent of the Single Lens Reflex camera.

In 1983, Yashica will merge with the Kyocera group. This group started in 1959, in Kyoto, as ceramics manufacturer. From the merge the Yashica cameras will bear also the Kyocera logo. In the middle of the Eighties, the distribution of the brand will be chaotic in France. It is finally Hasselblad France which will ensure the distribution.

Camera manufacturing stopped in 2005.