The Yashica Yk Camera: A Historical Timeline

The Yashica YK was a 35mm rangefinder camera made by Yashica Co. Ltd. in 1959. It was a simplified version of the Yashica 35, which was the company's first fixed-lens rangefinder released in 1958. The YK featured a Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens coupled to a rangefinder, with a Copal B, 1/25s-1/300s shutter. The Yashica YK was produced for a short period of time, with sources stating that production ended in 1960.

The Yashica YK was made in 1959

The Yashica YK was manufactured in Japan and featured a non-interchangeable Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens coupled to a rangefinder, with a Copal B, 1/25s-1/300s shutter. The camera was a budget model, with a shortened rangefinder base and mirrors instead of prisms. The film speed reminder was a simple dial on the back, and the automatic frame counter was replaced by a manual reset type counter on top of the film wind lever. The YK also lacked a self-timer.

The Yashica YK was released alongside the Yashica YL, which was also introduced in 1959. The YL was a completely new design, featuring a stepped top plate with a rewind crank relocated to the bottom of the camera. The YL was offered with an f/2.8 or f/1.9 lens, and included parallax correction and an improved rangefinder.

The Yashica YK was one of several new camera models released by Yashica in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the company sought to expand its product line and compete in the growing 35mm camera market.

It was the company's first fixed-lens rangefinder

The Yashica YK was made by Yashica in 1959. It was the company's first fixed-lens rangefinder, and the first new model released after Yashima's merger with Nicca, which formed the new Yashica company in May 1958. The Yashica YK featured a non-interchangeable Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens coupled to a rangefinder, with a Copal B, 1/25s-1/300s shutter.

The Yashica YK was a budget model, with a shortened rangefinder base and mirrors instead of prisms. The camera also lacked an automatic frame counter, a feature present on the previous Yashica 35. The Yashica YK's top plate was engraved with "Yashica" and "YK" on the front window. The camera retailed for a price that positioned it below the f/2.8 versions of the Yashica YL and earlier Yashica 35, which were still available for most of the YK's production run.

The Yashica YK was likely only produced for a short time, as it is relatively hard to come by today. However, if one ever crosses your path for a reasonable price, it is a camera worth adding to your collection. The Yashica YK represents a significant step in the evolution of Yashica's rangefinder camera line, and its release marked the beginning of a decade-long blitzkrieg of new TLR, SLR, and rangefinder models from the company.

It featured a Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens

The Yashica YK was made in 1959 and featured a non-interchangeable Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens coupled to a rangefinder. The lens was coupled with a Copal B, 1/25s-1/300s shutter. The Yashica YK was a simplified version of the original Yashica 35, which was Yashica's first fixed-lens rangefinder. The Yashica 35 was in production for only two years, from 1958 to 1959, and featured a bright, non-parallax-corrected viewfinder. The Yashica YK, on the other hand, had a lower-spec shutter with a top speed of 1/300 seconds.

The Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens on the Yashica YK was a non-interchangeable lens, meaning it could not be removed or replaced with a different lens. It was coupled to a rangefinder, which is a focusing mechanism that uses two images to help the photographer determine the correct focus distance. This was a standard feature on many cameras of the time, and the Yashica YK's rangefinder had a long base and used prisms instead of mirrors, which was considered a superior design.

The Yashinon lens had a focal length of 45mm, which is a versatile choice for a variety of photography styles, including street, landscape, and portrait photography. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 allowed for good low-light performance and shallow depth of field effects, while the minimum aperture of f/16 provided greater depth of field when needed. The lens was likely a Tessar design, which typically has four elements in three groups, or a Xenotar design, which has five elements in four groups.

The Yashica YK's lens was also coupled with a Copal B shutter, which offered a range of shutter speeds from 1/25s to 1/300s. This provided a good balance of speed and control for most photography situations. The Copal B shutter was a reliable and commonly used shutter in cameras of that era.

Overall, the Yashica YK's Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens offered a versatile focal length, a good range of apertures, and a reliable shutter system. It was a key component of the Yashica YK camera, providing photographers with the tools they needed to capture a wide range of images.

The YK was a simplified version of the Yashica 35

The Yashica YK was made by Yashica in 1959. It was a simplified version of the original Yashica 35, which was the first fixed-lens 35mm rangefinder released by Yashica. The YK featured a non-interchangeable Yashinon 45mm/f2.8-16 lens coupled to a rangefinder and a Copal B, 1/25s-1/300s shutter. This was a lower specification compared to the Yashica 35, which had a top shutter speed of 1/500. The YK also did not offer the Yashinon f/1.9 lens that was available on the Yashica 35.

The Yashica 35 was the first new model released by Yashica after the merger of Yashima and Nicca in May 1958. It was a well-built mechanical camera made almost entirely of metal and glass. The Yashica 35 was in production for only two years and is quite hard to come by today. It was the first in a long line of 35mm rangefinder cameras produced by Yashica that would last well into the 1970s.

The Yashica YK, on the other hand, was produced for a much shorter period of time. While it is not clear exactly when production of the YK began and ended, it was likely only on the market for a few months in 1959. The YK was introduced as a budget model that offered a simplified feature set compared to the Yashica 35. The YK had a shorter rangefinder base and used mirrors instead of prisms, a simpler manual reset film counter, and a dial for setting the film speed on the back. The YK also featured a stepped top plate that gave it a distinctive look compared to the Yashica 35.

In terms of specifications, the YK had a reduced shutter speed range of B and 1/25 to 1/300 and did not have a self-timer. The lens was also a simpler design, with a Tessar-type design with four elements in three groups instead of the more complex Planar and Xenotar designs offered on the Yashica 35. Despite these simplifications, the YK was still a solidly built camera that offered good value for money.

The YK was not produced for very long

The YK was a solidly constructed, substantial, mostly glass and metal full manual camera without an exposure meter. It had a shortened rangefinder base and used mirrors instead of prisms. The film speed reminder was a simple dial on the back, and the automatic frame counter had been replaced by a simpler manual reset type counter on top of the film wind lever. The Copal MXV shutter had been replaced by a simpler Copal type, and consequently, the self-timer was gone and shutter speeds reduced to B and 1/25 to 1/300.

The YK was only available with an f/2.8 4.5 cm Yashinon lens. The lens was likely a Tessar, a solid choice for a budget model. The YK was also the first Yashica camera to be engraved with "Yashica Co., Ltd."

The YK was produced for less than a year, with serial numbers suggesting that production began in June 1959 and ended in January 1960. This is in line with the release of the next generation of Yashica cameras, including the Minister and Lynx models, which began in 1960.

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