As you can tell I've been on a rangefinder kick lately. It's fun to begin a new method for taking photos and then sharing the results. I recently found several rangefinders at an estate sale and purchased 15 of the nicer looking and better functioning cameras. I originally intended to just re-sale them, but they are all so beautiful I don't know that I'll be able to. The Yashica is the first for test shots in this rangefinder series. I'll be testing out each one and posting sample photos for all to enjoy. I shoot black and white film, then develop and print it all at home. For these test shots, I'll be posting unadjusted scanned negatives.
On a chilly January day I set out with a short roll of Tri-X 400 to see what happens. I used the Yashica Y2 yellow filter to tone down the winter contrast. I wasn't sure how well the auto exposure would handle the bright snow so I started with a few street shots around the Plaza in Kansas City.
After freezing my fingers off I headed back to the car to warm up and decided to drive over to loose park to finish out the roll. We recently had a snow storm and I wanted to get more shots of the conditions. I love the contrast created by snowfall but I dislike the cold weather. The Yashica did great in the below freezing weather. Each frame had great separation and generally consistent exposure. Almost every picture was in focus but it did take a little more attention to check the focus while composing the shot.
This Yashica was fun and easy to shoot. The 45mm lens provided a slightly wider than normal view but not a substantial difference. I see why they are a beloved vintage rangefinder. I'll be using it again in the future so keep checking back for updates on this and the other vintage rangefinders!
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