Camera Porn – Yashica Mat-124G
There are times when I’m out shooting that I get stopped and asked about what kind of camera(s) am I using. I attribute this to the fact that I still shoot almost exclusively medium and large format film cameras for my personal and fine art work. So, I decided to give you all a peek into what type of gear it is that I use and a little insight as to why I still shoot film.
First up is my Yashica Mat-124G Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) medium format camera.
The Mat-124G was the last TLR camera made by the Japanese manufacturer, Yashica and was the follow up to the Mat-124 model. The ‘G’ designation for the fact that the latest model came with gold plated contacts. It uses medium format roll film and can take both 120 and 220 lengths, utilizing a sliding pressure plate to keep the film in proper placement along the film path. You get 12 exposures with 120 film and 24 exposures with 220 film and the camera counter automatically adjusts depending on the position of the pressure plate. A window directly above the winding crank will show either 12IM or 24IM to let you know what you have loaded in case you forget. This is accomplished by a spring loaded pin that is pressed down by the pressure plate when it is in the proper position for 120 film. This means that it will show 24IM when the back of the camera is open, no matter what is the position of the pressure plate. This is also the same mechanism that allows the counter to go to 24 when 220 is loaded. Image size on the film is 2 1/4″ by 2 1/4″, or 6x6cm, which is more than four times larger than the negative taken with a 35mm camera.
The top photo shows the Yashica Mat-124G set up to take a photo of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. The bottom photos shows the reversed image on the focusing screen.
The lens is a Yashinon 80mm f/3.5, four element Tessar type, and the viewing lens is a f/2.8 version of the same type. The taking lens is mounted in a Copal SV leaf shutter with speeds from 1/500 second to Bulb, ‘X’ and ‘M’ flash syncs available at all speeds. The lenses use the Bayonet I mount for both filters and accessories. While the lens is fixed focal length and cannot be interchanged for other length lenses, there are both wide angle and telephoto adapters that use the Bay I mount and allow you the choice of three different focal lengths.
Metering is done with a needle matching system with the needles viewed through a window on the top front of the camera. Film speeds from 25ASA to 400ASA can be dialed in, and if you are using a faster film, some slight mathematics will be required to determine the proper f/stop and shutter speed. The meter was designed to take mercury batteries, which are toxic and no longer available. However, Wein zinc-air replacement batteries are available and I find the meter in my Yashica to be extremely accurate. I get batteries for my Yashica and my Gossen light meter from Vintage Batteries. There is a switch that activates the meter when the waist level viewfinder is opened, and which shuts off the meter to save on battery power when the finder is closed. Just know that the zinc-air batteries will continue to drain as long as the air ports are open. If you plan on not needing them for a while, it is best to replace the tape over the tiny vent holes to keep the battery from further depletion. Just remember to take the tape off an hour before you need the batteries to work properly.
The 3x focusing loupe is shown flipped into place for fine focusing.
Film loading is pretty straight forward, as it is with most TLR cameras. Film advance is with a crank on the right side of the camera, with the film counter window located just above and forward of the crank. Focusing is done with a large knob on the left side of the camera, which also has a reminder window that you can set to what type of film that you have loaded. There is also a selection that reads ‘Empty’ for you to choose as well. A depth of field indicator is located on the focusing knob, which is extremely useful when shooting wide open, or at close distances from the subject. The focusing screen is of a Fresnel type, and has a 3x loupe that you can pop out for critical focusing. If you have never shot with a medium format camera with a waist level finder, it may take a roll or two of film to get used to as the image is reversed (left and right). While a TLR was not exactly designed for fast action sports shooting, the waist level finder does have a sports finder feature. There is no parallax indicator in the viewfinder for close in shooting, so you need to keep in mind that you are viewing the scene through a lens approximately 1 3/4″ above the taking lens. Advancing the film also cocks the shutter, which is tripped by depressing a small button on the lower right front of the camera. This is also where you would attach the cable release and the shutter lock lever is located around the shutter release button. While there is no multiple exposure feature available with the Mat-124G, there is a delay timer that will allow you to get into the shot. The delay is obviously mechanical in nature and can vary slightly from camera to camera. On my camera it comes in at nine seconds.
The sports finder feature of the Yashica Mat-124G is seen in the above photo.
Overall, the Yashica Mat-124G is a well built medium format camera and capable of taking some amazing images as you can see below. It is an excellent camera for those of you interested in getting into the world of medium format photography. You can see some of my more favorite shots that I’ve taken with my Mat-124G below.
Yosemite Winter Storm – Tunnel View No.2 – Medium Format
For those of you familiar with Flickr, the shot above has been at the top of my stream for ‘Interestingness’ almost since the day that I posted it. It was taken at the famous Tunnel View on California Highway 41 in Yosemite National Park during a break in a winter storm this past February. This is the same location that Ansel Adams made his famous ‘Clearing Winter Storm’ photograph at.
The Moon and Fog Above The City
Taken from the Marin Headlands during blue hour with a full moon, this shot is one of the most favored shot of the Golden Gate Bridge that I have taken. It was taken about an hour after sundown and is long exposure on Kodak Ektachrome 100 Vivid Saturation. I was bracketing like crazy and did not take down exposure times for the individual shots. I was using f/16 and this is probably in the 30 to 40 second range. I did crop it from the original square image for composition.
San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts
One of the most recognizable landmarks in San Francisco is the Palace of Fine Arts. It was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and has just recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. This is a 30 second exposure at f/22 on Kodak E100VS film.
Douglas Bawden Photography 
Interesting presentation of this gear. I have bought this Yashica a few weeks ago and I’m really enjoying it.
Have you ever tried rolleinars on it ? Or the wide and tel auxiliary lenses ?
By the way, the Yosemite pic looks great !
Glad to know that you are enjoying your new acquisition, I look forward to seeing some of your work with it. I have not tried either the Rolleinars or any of the auxiliary lenses for it. I’ve been tempted to purchase a set of the auxiliary wide-angle adapters (esp for landscape), but I have a 55mm lens for my Mamiya C-220f and use that set-up instead. One of the reasons that I’ve stayed away from the Yashica auxiliary lenses is I’ve heard that the image quality is somewhat degraded. However, I have not seen any results of any testing that was done showing actual resolution results…it’s always been someone bad mouthing the image quality. I’d be interested to know if anywhere there are published results of testing that was done.
Thanks and I’m glad you like my Yosemite pic!
Interesting article! I shoot with a Hasselblad 501c but I have been thinking about picking up one of these Mats to knock around with when I just want a walk around camera and don’t feel like carrying the Blad. What are you thoughts about this as a portable alternative to the Hasselblad?
I think that it would be a great alternative to carrying your Blad. Just know that the Yashinon lens does not match the Zeiss glass for resolution…a fact reflected in the price. You’ll want to shoot a test roll to see which aperture will give you the best results (usually f/11 or f/16). You should actually look at any of the Yashica TLR’s with the Yashinon 80mm lens, but steer clear of the Yashica 24, as it only takes 220 film. Conversely, the Yashica 12 only takes 120 film. There are plenty of filters available for the Bay 1 mount, as it is the same mount used on many of the Rollei’s out there. Wide angle and telephoto auxiliary lenses are available that were made by Yashica, as well as other makers.
As with any other lens of this age, be sure to look through it on ‘Bulb’ to see if there is any haze or fungus. There was a touch of fungus just starting on an interior lens element when I purchased my 124G. However, the camera was in like new condition, came with the hard case, and was only $160. A trip to the shop for a complete CLA took care of the fungus and was only $100. So, for less than the cost of a lens for a medium format SLR, I got a great camera in immaculate condition that takes some pretty sweet shots.
If you get one with a working light meter, zinc-air batteries are readily available and work great. If you are not going to be using the camera for a while, just be certain to tape over the air ports on the battery as they continue to drain, even if the light meter is not being used. You’ll want to remove the tape about an hour before using the meter to give the battery time to get up to speed.
So, I think that it will be a great camera to knock around with and still provide you with all of the benefits of shooting medium format film.
I’ve been hesitating between Hasselblad and TLR, and finally the weight (and the price) made the difference for me. Especially the weight, because I’ve tried a Blad, and it’s quit heavy even with only one lens.
Douglas > You’ve got your Yashica a checkup for 100$ only ? That’s cheap ! In France, seems to be much more expensive. Still looking for some place to get it done, because the infinity isn’t set at the infinity on my Yashica but a little before it. And I’ve bought a Rick Oleson focusing screen with a rangefinder circle, but not sure if I should mount it by myself or get it done by a shop.
I did get the CLA for $100 at a local shop. While it was not expensive, it took several months before I got the camera back. If you have to take yours in to get the focus set properly, I would let them install the new focusing screen. That way, you know everything is set up to work as it should. If you want to do it yourself, then put the new screen on before you take it to the shop. That way, when the shop does the focus calibration, it is set and there is no chance of somehow throwing it off by then installing the new screen.
If the cost in France to prohibitively expensive, I would say to ship your camera over and I will take it to a shop here. Although, by the time you pay for shipping it both directions, the cost would probably equal what it would be for the CLA in France.
Thanks for your offer, but I finally decided to change the ground glass by myself. Unfortunately, I had some problem to get the retaining clips of the glass off, and made a little scratch on my Fresnel screen. This is because I couldn’t find a clear explanation on how to take them off. It’s very simple indeed and this page explains it very clearly :
http://davidrichert.com/Yashica%20124%20rebuild/yashica_124.htm
Now I’ll have to find a new fresnel screen. But it seems very hard to find. I may have to buy a Yashica for parts to replace it. But it’s a small scratch on the side of the image, so it’s not a big deal.
Anyway, I managed to install Rick Oleson’s ground glass, but was disappointed. The split image circle is very clear and you can focus very precisely, but the rest of the image is all blurred. So it’s nearly impossible to compose your picture correctly. Took it off and got the original ground glass in their. At least, I cleaned my glass and mirror.
By the way, I discovered the light seal on the top (protecting the cell meter from parasite light) is falling appart. Will have to get it replaced too.
Hi theren
Excellent article on the still very useful Mat-124G. Fantastic shots too! I noticed the heavy duty cable release in the frontal photo of the camera (with the sports’ finder open). Can you please share some details on it, such as make and model? Thanks in advance!
Best,
R. Aballe
The cable release is just one of several that I have in my camera bag. Not sure about make/model as it is just a standard cable release that should be available at most camera stores or online sources.
Doug