Yashica-Mat 6x6 medium format film camera.
You might wonder why anyone would bother to use this type of medium format film camera in this day and age of digital photography. There are several good reasons. Firstly, the Yashica-Mat shoots onto a6cm x 6cm (more accurately about 56mm x 56mm) section of the film, whereas a standard 35mm camera shoots a negative measuring 35mm x 24mm. Therefore you are getting a much larger negative to scan giving far more picture detail. This also means smoother gradation and a sharper image.
Secondly, you can scan the negative yourself. The larger size of the 6×6 negative means you have a lot more detail to play with. It is more forgiving. Even without an expensive high-quality scanner, you can still get excellent results. A flatbed scanner with a negative adaptor works especially well with the larger negative. Nowadays with modern inkjet printers, you can easily make quality prints yourself onto photo paper at a quite reasonable cost.
Thirdly, in this digital age, there is something kind of cool about using one of these old cameras. The four-element Yashinon lens is very sharp and provided you pick the correct subject matter like portraits, street scenes, and landscapes, rather than trying to shoot macro or telephoto, you are certain to see results that justify the extra effort required.
Though there are many different types of medium format cameras available including old rangefinders, the Yashica Mat offers good value for money. It has a solid metal box construction which is totally rigid so you don’t get any problems with lens-to-film-plane distance, or light leaks, as you can with the old pull-out coated paper concertina type medium format cameras. The Yashica-Mat also has an accurate focusing screen which is much better than point-and-shoot type zone focusing. The Yashica-Mat offers great value for money so you can have a try at medium format photography without having to spend a fortune. Many wedding photographers used Yashica Mat 6x6s back in the 60s and 70s. It is capable of producing excellent results.
It uses 120 films which gives you 12 shots per roll. The film is simply wrapped around a plastic spool. There is no cassette. You have to thread one end of the film through a second spool inside the camera then stretch it over the lightbox before inserting the spool. It is a bit fiddly the first couple of times, but soon becomes second nature, and can be done quite quickly with practice.
The later Yashica 6x6s also use 220 film which gives you 24 frames per roll. With film, you tend to be more deliberate in your shooting so as not to waste money. This is actually a good thing. You get better pictures with forethought instead of simply shooting mindlessly at everything and anything. I always use my Yashica-Mat on a tripod together with a cable release for the sharpest possible results. The ground glass screen means that the image is reversed from left to right. This is odd at first but you soon get used to it. If you prefer you can focus with the magnifying glass on the matt screen then use the sports finder to frame the shot. This works well in situations where it is difficult to use a tripod.
The Yashica-Mat is an early model in the line-up without an exposure meter. The absence of an exposure meter isn’t a problem. You can buy a purpose-made exposure light-meter. It is simple enough to just use an old SLR film camera to take light readings and then transfer the reading to your meterless cameras. I use a Nikon 801S for this which has a very accurate meter. You can also use your digital camera for this. I often use my Nikon D200. Don’t forget to set the ASA on your metering camera to the same speed as the film you are using.
I purchased my Yashica-Mat around twenty years ago from Photo and Video in the Merivale Mall, Christchurch. It has a Yashinon 80mm f3.5 taking lens together with a Copal MXV shutter and has a range of shutter speeds from 1 to 1/500 of a second, plus B. The Yashica-Mat was first introduced around 1957. The Mat series has the wind on lever and auto-cocking shutter similar to the expensive German Rolleiflex.
Some of the later models of the Yashica-Mat including the LM (light-meter), Em, and 24 came out with a coupled or uncoupled, light meter. This basic camera, albeit with various improvements was still being made in the mid-1970s. It was still available new during the early 1980s, though by then its popularity had waned, largely replaced by the 35mm SLR, and later by digital.
The Yashica-Mat is a twin-lens reflex camera. The bottom lens is used for taking the picture, while the top lens is only used for focusing. When buying this type of camera, a bit of mould in the upper focusing lens is no big deal, but you want the bottom lens to be clear. Also, avoid any prospective purchase if there are scratch marks on the lens coating as this can result in loss of contrast.
The cable release uses the Leica nipple. It screws on over the button used to fire the shutter with your finger. The button isn’t threaded so you won’t be able to use a cable release without the separate nipple. I purchased one from eBay for about eight dollars including the postage to New Zealand.
Click on Photographs to enlarge.
Negative film scanned with an Epson Perfection 2480 flatbed scanner. To see the images in a larger size: after clicking on the image, right-click on “open in a new tab,” then click again on the image to enlarge.
Marked shutter speeds are 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, and 500th of a second, plus B for longer exposures with a shutter release cable. The Yashinon lens on the Yashica Mat has an 80mm focal length and I believe it is a four-element Tessar design. Both lenses accept Bay 1 filters (30mm). A square-shaped lens hood is worth having to keep stray light from entering the lens on a bright sunny day. They are quite hard to get locally but you will find Bay 1 lens hoods and filters available on eBay. These can be bought from eBay and delivered to New Zealand for less than $NZ10.00. Exposure markings are f3.5, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 and 22. You can also easily turn the exposure wheel for half stop settings if you wish.
A separate electronic flash will sync at all shutter speeds – which is good. You need a flash with a wire that you plugin as the camera has no flash shoe hot or cold.
The Australian Photography Directory 1978/79 edition lists the Yashica Mat 124G complete with a deluxe leather case at A$333.00 The same directory lists the Pentax 6×7 medium format camera at A$1,248.00 (excluding the straps and case which were an additional A$68.10).
It pays to inspect these old film cameras before purchase. It is a problem if buying from an auction site like eBay or TradeMe. Look for a good clean taking lens, snappy aperture, and accurate shutter. Sometimes a camera can look very good cosmetically but have problems that cost more to have repaired than the camera is worth.
All in all, you won’t be disappointed with the Yashica-Mat or any of its later variants. The lenses are good and the build quality is excellent. The lenses may not be quite as good as a genuine Rolleiflex, but from what I have read by those who have used both, there is little between them, particularly when stopped down below f8. From my own experience, the end result is way better than anything you can achieve with 35mm film no matter how expensive the camera and lenses.
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Hi ,
My very first camera was a Zorki 4K which is also a rugged old camera worth buying .
Four years ago , I decided at the age of 54 that I should get a hobby , and the one I chose was Photography .
I bought a Nikon F80 and a Yashica Mat .
The F80 was quite straightforward to use , I could stick it in ' P ' Mode and away I went , but the Yashica Mat was a completely different kettle of fish .
Actually , the writer who said it was ' cool ' to have one on your person is spot on , it's a conversation piece as well as a camera .
I paid £47.00 for mine and at first I thought ' What have I done ? ' , but I finally took it out for a spin....the results weren't good at all , but I knew absolutely nothing about Photography , it was more hope than skill .
Then I had an operation on my spine which took more than 8 months out of my life , then in Dec 2012 I contracted sepsis , suffered multiple organ failure , lungs , kidney [ I've only got one ] , then the heart .
The Doctors told my Wife that I was going to die , but somehow I pulled through , the Doctors called me ' The Mystery Man ' meaning I should have died , but didn't [ someone was definitely on my side ] .
That took nearly 12 months out of my life .
This weekend I put another 120 roll of film in the Yashica and took it to Aviemore , I took my Nikon D7000 to act as the meter , along with my D80 and Nikon F90 .
After my spinal op , I took Voluntary Redundancy from my job and started collecting cameras and books , I have over 30 film cameras and 2 digital ones .
The Yashica is one of my favourite cameras , not only does it look good but it's also a medium format camera which will give results which are on par with any digital camera .
Buy one , you won't regret it .
Cool another survivor! How are you going now?
I'm just about to get into medium format but not sure what to buy. Would love a Hassy of course but I think I will opt for a rolleiflex or yashica to start with.
Hi Geoff. Its great to hear from you. Doing well I think. From what I was able to study up on the internet the Yashica-Mat lens is on a par with the Rolleicord. While the Rolleiflex lenses are superior to both. Never having had a Rolleiflex I can't confirm that. You can get a good Yashica-Mat off TradeMe for only about NZ$150 nowadays. I got my Yashica-Mat from Photo & Video in Christchurch over 20 years ago. The Yashinon 80mm f3.5 taking lens is very clean and super sharp. It takes tremendously crisp photographs with excellent colour saturation and contrast. These cameras were used by many wedding photographers in the late 50s and 1960s. There are certainly capable of results that are much better than 35mm film cameras. For best results a tripod and shutter release cable should always be used even in bright sun light. This slows the process down of course. You only get 12 shots on a roll which causes me to think a lot harder about each shot. Which is a good thing. In my opinion an old medium format camera it is well worth the effort to use - especially when on holiday. It is quite exciting when you get your developed film back from the shop. Good luck with it Jeoff. When you do get your medium format camera please send us some pictures for the site and let me know how you get on.
Hi,
Where can I purchase the film for the Yashica Mat camera, here in NZ. Also, where can I get in developed. I live in Nelson, so assume I might need to send it away?
Looking forward to hearing from you, Ana
Hi Ana, the speed at which film is disappearing from stores in New Zealand has accelerated in the last couple of years. Many shops that once did their own developing no longer do so. I recommend you try Photo and Video in the Merivale Mall, Christchurch. Here's the link. https://www.photo.co.nz/the-lab/film-processing/ They still do some film processing in store as far as I am aware.
Hey i have a 20 year old 35mm f3.5 yashika camera i want to know more about..
My better half has just purchased a Yashica 124g and is half way through her first roll of film, cant wait to see how the photos turn out!
The TLR's all though outdated and superseded still hold a charm and uniqueness that attracted us to these cameras.
Film photography is not a cheap game these days. Our 124g set us back $300AUD although it looks brand new with perfect lens the $300 price tag still stings.
Throw in $10 a roll for film plus developing...
But we wouldn't have it any other way - it's just simple good fun and a great addition to our collection.
The better half plans to use this along side her digital options for her wedding shoots and portrait sittings.
We also have a pentax 6x7 and it will be interesting to compare the quality of images between these two cameras!
Hi Allan,
I was recently gifted a Yashica Mat under the understanding that it was broken and would make an interesting ornament if anything. It turns out, amazingly that it works perfectly fine! I've had about 95% success rate with my photos...under exposure causing me the other difficulties as I'm only learning how the camera functions as I go.
I recently got a roll back and found that one of my photos had double exposed. The effect was pretty cool and I'd love to play around with it some more but I've no clue how I did it! I know that at the time I had cocked the auto-timer so I think that had a part to play.
My model is as far as I can tell, the same as yours. No light meter... I'm assuming it's from 1957 based on the font used etc...
Please let me know if you have info on how to create double exposures without re-rolling the film on the spool etc.
Thanks so much,
Steph
Hi Stephanie, as far as I can tell it isn't possible to take double exposures with the Yashica Mat. I guess you could rewind your film back onto the spool, transfer the film onto another spool and run it through the camera again. The Yashica Mat has been designed to prevent accidental double exposures. I see in a discussion on Flickr that this model sometimes produces double exposure on the first frame, but this would be the result of a camera fault.