This being my second Yashica restore, I’ve trawled back through my files to find a picture of that for comparison. I think my current one looks even better!
Aside from getting the film I’ve put through it back from developing and the scans from that, my second restoration now is complete. A couple of days perfect weather didn’t go unused and hopefully will produce at least a few useable shots you’d hope, even if they were taken with me attached to a dog demanding to be walked.
I’m utterly delighted with the way the camera has come out. It was in good condition to start with, just a minor chip to the paint on the letter D on the front, which may yet be touched up with a spot of paint and a VERY tiny brush point. Everything worked as it should once I’d sorted out the stuck up mirror and the offending foam bumper causing that. No issues removing the rest of the disintegrating light seal foam from inside and the equally distressed leather covering came off easily as well. After a clean, it was just a matter of choosing a new covering, or two in the end, plus the new light seals and waiting for them all to drop on my doormat.
The new light seals are pre-cut, which is vastly easier than trying to do it yourself, believe me I’ve tried! For a modest $8 or about £6, you get three sets of seals, so I’ve a couple spare should I find another FX-D to restore.
Aki-Asahi always send a “practise” set of camera coverings in addition to the one you order, though this is the first time I’ve had a set that look like one of my mother’s table cloths! It’s hard to tell in the photo above and just as hard in most light with the naked eye for that matter, but the set on the right that appear to be black, are in fact blue, sadly not the blue they appear to be on the webpage. They’ll save, along with the spare seals for next time….
After I’d ordered from Aki-Asahi, I found another supplier of just the leather coverings, but in the UK, on eBay and they had a wider colour choice as well; to the point where it became a case of Eeny, Meeny, Mini, Moe as to which to order, but the one I plumped for to me looks stunning.
Looks just as good on the back too.
I’ve already one chap commend my work when I was out running the roll of film through the Yashica, he couldn’t believe it was an old 35mm camera.
In addition to the Yashica FX-D, plus its matching power winder (which after having one last time I can manage without, they’re really noisy!) , as well as the all manual Yashica FX-3, Milly’s Cameras supplies coverings for the Contax models which are also susceptible to the moth eaten look, as well as three Olympus 35mm compacts which are popular as renovation subjects, including the classic Trip 35. Not quite as comprehensive as range as Aki-Asahi, but a nice choice of colours and the material quality is good too.
The standard 50mm Yashica ML lens is absolutely pristine, just the odd bit of dust inside, which is normal for this age and not likely to impact the pictures taken. The Hanimex 135mm lens that I also bought with the camera is just as good cosmetically and dust wise, so I’m not expecting problems there either, and took a few shots with that to test it.
I also have a couple of Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses which have a removable mount, allowing you to use the same lens with any camera, providing you have the relevant mount to fit that pattern. It’s a pretty comprehensive range and if you like messing with different 35mm SLR camera brands, they’re handy to have and Tamron lenses are still one of the best third party brands. Hence I’ve a couple of Olympus mounts for the OM40, a Nikon mount to fit the FG and I now have a Contax/Yashica mount. So the Tamron 28mm came along for a walk as well. An article on the Adaptall system may appear at some point.
Now it’s just a case of getting the roll of film to the developers and waiting for a link to download the scans off it to appear in my inbox. I’ll add them to this page once they’re back, hopefully about a week or so.
Want to know why digital photography took over from film? For the generations that want everything NOW, digital means instant gratification. 🙂
End Results
Scans from the roll of Kodak Pro Image 100 that I put through the Yashica came back, and I’m glad to say it’s working fine.
