Yashica mat intake lenses

[john lee]

I want to break into medium format. I have pretty well decided on a

Yashica Mat 124, on the basis of a cost/performance equation. Most

of the cameras I have seen for sale have Yashinon (?) taking lenses.

I have seen one or two, however, with Carl Zeiss optics. Naturally,

my newbie question is are the Zeiss optics worth a the few more $$

(assuming all other things are equal like body, no fungus etc.?

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

John.

[art_haykin]

While the Yashinons are surprisingly good lenses, the Zeisswill add prestige and resale value to your camera, and evena tad better optical performance.

[richard_oleson]

i have never heard of a yashica mat with a carl zeiss lens. are these tessars or planars? the tessar is the same design as the yashinon, though the quality may be a tad better, but the tessar in the rolleiflex, i think, was 5mm shorter than the yashinon. the planar as i recall was the same focal length as the yashinon and was a better lens, at least when wide open, than the tessar. there were also zeiss triotars used in some rolleicords, which would probably not be a match for the yashinon.

 

rick :)=

 

rick_oleson.tripod.com

[pete_andrews]

I'm pretty sure that Yashica themselves never fitted their TLR cameras with Zeiss lenses.<br>These could be someone's idea of a DIY 'upgrade', or simply a 'Bitza', made from the remains of two or more different cameras. In which case, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

[ron_shaw]

I've seen lots of Yashicamats, in all flavors, and I have also never heard of one with a Carl Zeiss lens. The Yashinons can give excellent performance, especially the ones on the 124. Even the 3 element lenses like they used on the 'D' models were good performers.

[roger_michel]

i can say definitively that no yashicamat was ever fitted with a zeiss lens. some y'mats, however, did have lumaxar lenses. these were made in germany and sometimes rumored (incorrectly) to have been sourced from zeiss under the mighty "lumaxar" tradename. if someone did manage to squeeze a zeiss/rollei lens into a y'mat, the back focus distance almost certainly would be wrong. even if someone went to the rouble of shimming, you would still be better off in my opinion with a proper rollei/zeiss if zeiss you must have.

[wim_van_velzen]

Just to be sure, John

 

Do you know that there are different brands of TwinLensReflexes? Most common is Yashica, but there are also - among many others - lots of Rolleiflexes. Maybe you saw some Yashica TLRs and you assumed that every TLR is a Yashica?

[victor_randin]

Richard, you are right in common, just some additions:

 

A Triotar (3elements in 3 groups, F3.5/75mm) is a simple triplet-anastigmatic lens as a Yashicor (3elements in 3 groups, F3.5/80mm).

 

A Tessar & Xenon (4elements in 3 groups, F3.5/75mm) are more complex triplet-anastigmatic lenses as a Yashinon (4elements in 3 groups, F3.5/80mm).

 

A Planar and a Xenotar (5 elements in 4 groups, F3.5/75mm or F2.8/80mm) are Hauss-type symmetrical anastigmatic lenses, the best of all above mentioned lenses. The last version of a Planar F3.5/75mm has 6 elements in 5 groups.

 

I never saw a Yashicamat equipped with a Tessar or a Planar and I don�t believe that it can exist, though Yashica cooperates with Carl Zeiss.

[roger_michel]

the yashica/zeiss axis arose only once yashica acquired the contax nameplate -- long after the y'mats had finished production. i don't think there was a prior connection.

[j._patric_dahl_n]

Victor wrote: "A Tessar & Xenon (4elements in 3 groups, F3.5/75mm) are more complex triplet-anastigmatic lenses as a Yashinon (4elements in 3 groups, F3.5/80mm)."

 

You must mean Xenar instead of Xenon. Xenon is a six element, four groups lens, mostly found on 35 mm cameras. Most Xenars were four element, three groups lenses, but there was a five element, four groups 2,8 version too.

[victor_randin]

J.Patric, thanks for correction. Yes, of course, the Xenar but not the Xenon. The Xenon is like the Xenotar, Hauss type design 6ele/4gr, for 35mm film.

[victor_randin]

J Patric, you write *Most Xenars were four element, three groups lenses, but there was a five element, four groups 2,8 version too.*

You mean Xenotars when writting about * a five element four group 2.8 version*, don't you? There was only a four element, three group f2.8/80mm Tessar on a Rolleflex 2.8A. However a five element, four group 2.8 Schneider lens has more complicate Hauss-type design, so it is a Xenotar.VR.