The Yashica Mat 124G, an embodiment of mid-20th-century camera engineering, greeted me with its robust, yet elegant, presence. The utilitarian design, devoid of modern frills, conveyed a sense of purpose. This camera deserves to be out there, not on the shelf for some decorative purpose.
A few months ago I won this camera on eBay bidding for really good price. I never had a chance to hold or shoot a TLR camera but always wanted to try one. Why Yashica Mat 124G? It’s a beautiful camera and functional. Big, plus you can buy one for fraction of price of some other brands.
When the camera arrived I just took quick look and set it aside until few days ago. My surprise was when I discovered name tag in leather case — this tells me that this camera was owned by someone who really cared for it. I had A spare roll of Kosmo Foto Mono 100 film and day off.
Film Loading was simple with that clunky sound. The frame counter hit 1 — which I wasted. I forgot to lock the shutter and the first photo was taken by my photo bag.
Location which I visit is actually near my home in Cape Planka. It’s natural barrier between the North and South Dalmatian coast. We call it Zlatni Rat, the Croatian Gold Horn or Cape Horn beacuse of the strong winds and distinct look. St. John’s church is located there, there are also some local legends about particular place. Check it out on Google Maps.
The viewfinder was tricky to master beacuse everything was inverted, but I really enjoyed to compose square format this way, especially without “state of the art autofocus and other electronics”. Don’t get me wrong, as profesional photographer, shooting with state of the art cameras for commercial work is a must. But this was really liberating process — instead I just composed, shoot, rewind & repeat.
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Film exposing — I just used smartphone app, read light from open shadow and that was it. The day was slightly overcast and there was no room for big mistakes. Most of the photos are taken at 1/125 sec between F/8 – 11. The film was rated at EI 100.
I developed film in Atomal 49 developer for 8min at 20 C and let it dry for few hours. It turned out pretty well! Not bad form my first TLR expirience.
Conclusion: A simple and straightforward camera, nothing here is unnecessary, every button or dial has purpose. Focusing works beautifully. Creating process with this camera is relaxing beacuse this camera it doesn’t get in your way — sure yes, inverted image in viewfinder is bit tricky to master but hey — this was my first film roll and I know it’s not the last one! Paired with my Nikon F3 I have some really good tools for creating photos.
Thank you for reading.
~ Antonio
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5 responses to “My First Roll… With a Yashica Mat 124G”
My Dad had a Yashica for 70 years. I lost track of it when my brother took over his care. Just curious if the name inside was Bradley L. Jacobs. I don’t want the camera, I’m just hoping it found a good home and you sound like an excellent choice! My Dad lived to be 92 and took thousands of images.
What are you using for a battery?
Upon buying Yashica I found old mercury battery in battery compartmant, Contacts were coroded. I tried replacement battery but without luck. Corrosion probably destroyed electronics. For lightmetering I used smartphone app
My first experience with photography in high school was with a Yashica D. Without the metering and fast film crank of the 124G but same glass (Yashinon). I enjoyed that so much that later, when I was in college (or university), I managed to find one that I could afford. I still have that camera, and I find that it holds up well against a much more expensive and capable Rollei 6008 Professional. You have a great tool there. Hope you enjoy it for many years to come.
Nice photos! Good luck with your new photographic tool.