My first MF camera.

[Blooze]

Picked this up today at one of the local antique stores. Seems to be in very clean condition with a few marks here and there, but nothing really bad. Shutter speed seems to change, aperture works, timer works, lens is dusty but appears to be unscratched (we'll see after a good cleaning), focus rails are smooth, viewfinder is clear, and to top it off there was a roll of film in there! All for $60 OTD. I think I did OK.

 

[Blooze]

 

[AllenG]

You did fine. Nice Camera.

 

[Blooze]

Thanks! I was hoping when I opened up the case it was gonna be a 124G, but I'll take the consolation prize in this case.

 

[fast14riot]

Nice score! Looks like an "A" maybe? I've been educating myself on the yashica models in my search, but I'm not sure.

Does that one have the focus magnifyer in the lid? Nice camera, anyways! The LM I'm considering has the same case with it. Great price.


-Xander

 

[xillion]

Great looking Yashica Blooze. I learned to shoot on the exact same camera. My father purchased it new sometime in the 60's and it is still going strong. Enjoy it.

There is some good Yashica info below.

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Yashica_6×6_TLR_(crank_advance)

 

[Blooze]

Any advice on cleaning the mirror and ground glass? It's a wee bit dirty.

Edit: On second thought I think I'll just use it as is and send it off to get a CLA down the road. Now any suggestion on who to send it too? We have no one local or even close to local.

 

[xillion]

Best not to clean the mirror. They are usually silvered on the front of the glass and not the back like a standard mirror. If they are cleaned too much the silver could rub off.

As for the ground glass, there are four silver screws that hold the flip up viewfinder to the body. They can be unscrewed and the whole flip up assembly can be removed for cleaning the ground glass.

If you plan on sending it in here are a few shops in Texas I found doing a quick search.

http://abilenecamera.com/

http://www.professionalcamerarepair.com/

http://www.yellowpages.com/katy-tx/camera-repair

 

[Blooze]

Well, I can't leave well enough alone. Took the viewfinder off and cleaned the ground glass with lens cleaner as well as the inner element on the viewing lens. The mirror had a haze on it (probably from years of fumes from the grease on the focus adjustment) so i slid it out and washed it with a wet cotton ball, a little dawn, all done under running RO water. Then rinsed the whole thing off with distilled water. Looks about 100% better. I'm letting it dry for a bit then I'll reinstall it.

 

[ouch]

A poor man's Rollei for sixty bucks? Nice score.

 

[Blooze]

All put back together and what a difference. Way easier to see things and focus now, even in the dim lighting inside. Hopefully I don't have any problems with the crank jamming once I load some film or anything weird like that.

Now to get a handheld light meter. I must have seen 50 of those things in the last several years at estate sales. any suggestions on a light meter? I'm assuming a selenium cell one would be the most convenient?

 

[xillion]

I own and use a Minolta Auto Meter IV F. I purchased it in the 90's and I can't remember the last time I had to change the battery.


For a while I owned a Sekonic L508 meter, I really liked the spot feature.


My first meter was a Gossen Luna Pro.

 

[fast14riot]

Download a light meter app to your smart phone for free. Go to a camera shop and they can compare it with a known good meter to calibrate it. I downloaded beeCam LightMeter for android for free.


-Xander

 

[Blooze]

I downloaded that for my Galaxy Nexus phone, but didn't know how well it would actually work. Problem is, we don't have any camera shops anymore except for Best Buy. Our local Ritz and the mom n' pop store closed down several years ago. It blows!

I know phones can do a lot of things nowadays, but I'm still of the mind that a phone is for calling (and texting), and other tools are made to do the right job (like a camera).

 

[fast14riot]

Yes, but from everything I have read, these lightmeter apps actually are accurate once calibrated. Use a short lense in your digital on a bright sunny day to compare and adjust.


-Xander

 

[celestino]

Wow, that is a beautiful camera! Enjoy.

 

[Lesmore]

Nice camera. I have one...a Yashica Mat 124G. You have a twin lens medium format camera.

 

[Blooze]

Yes, but from everything I have read, these lightmeter apps actually are accurate once calibrated. Use a short lense in your digital on a bright sunny day to compare and adjust.
-Xander

I went out today with both my digitals and my MESuper and couldn't get the phone app to be anywhere consistent even when calibrating it to one camera. That and the fact I can't see the screen in the sun is cause enough for me to go with a handheld dedicated meter.

Wow, that is a beautiful camera! Enjoy.

Thanks. Can't wait to try it out!

 

[cb91710]

Sweet find.

Mom had an old Twin lense reflex. The only 2-1/4 square I ever used were the "point and click" box cameras.

Can you even still get 2-1/4 and do labs still process it?

 

[xillion]

All pro labs still process medium format.

The big one in LA is The Icon.