On 11/18/05, Godfrey DiGiorgi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The YashicaMat 124G was a decent camera ... I seem to recall that the > earlier ones had a 4-element Tessar type lens, where the last series > had been cost-reduced with a relatively poor Triotar type design. > Mine was 1981 vintage and was certainly sharp enough when stopped > down appropriately (f/11-f/16 is pretty normal for this kind of > camera). That said, the 1954 Rolleiflex MX-EVS I replaced it with in > 1982 had a FAR better Zeiss Tessar f/3.5 lens and took photos that > were greatly superior.
If the camera has "Yashica Mat" in the name, as opposed to just "Yashica", it has a 4-element tessar-style (Yashinon) lens. This includes the Yashica Mat, Yashica Mat LM, Yashica Mat EM, Yashica Mat 12, Yashica Mat 24, and Yashica Mat 124/124g. The 124g was the last of the series, and one of the most common. Also probably the most expensive. But you get a meter that actually works and is decently accurate. A 124 is a 124g without "gold-plated meter contacts." Same camera. Both have a slightly faster viewing lens (f2.8 versus f3.2) than the earlier camera. All of the Yashica Mats are excellent cameras for what they are (fixed lens TLR's), and are a great value for the price. I paid $50 for my Yashica Mat EM, and have taken some beautiful pictures, both color and B&W, on it. Next up in expense level is something like a Kiev/Arax 60C, but that's actually a full SLR, and a horse of a different color (language?). -Mat
