The Yashica YK

       Quite a few of the two dozen or so fixed lens RF cameras in my collection arrived with extremely stiff focusing mechanisms. That's why I was happy when the Yashica YK I bought at an auction site for $15 was free of that defect. Of course, for just fifteen bucks I didn't expect the camera to be anything worth crowing about. But I was wrong. As a matter of fact, in terms of build quality and ergonomics, the Yashica YK easily stands up to its upscale and more expensive cousin the Yashica 35(see this blog, 2/15/19).
        Both cameras, for example, are fitted out with 2.8/45mm Yashinon lenses. Both have lever film advances; swing out back doors for easy film loading; and robust bodies that look and feel like they can survive rough handling.
        There are differences, of course. While the more expensive 35 offers a full range of shutter speeds, the YK offers only 25-300 +B. What's more, because the viewfinder and rangefinder windows on the 35 are set farther apart than those on the YK, the rangefinder on the 35 is the more accurate of the two.  Finally, the 35 offers a Copal MXV shutter with self-timer, while the YK features only a Copal shutter. Because the remaining differences between the two cameras are what I call "bells and whistles" designed more or less for convenience, I won't discuss them here. 
                                                

Yashica YK

        Given the differences between the two cameras and your needs and style as a photographer (as well as your budget), which of the two cameras would you select? As far as I'm concerned, either camera would serve me well, but I would probably choose the YK.  Here's why.
        The limited range of shutter speeds and lack of self timer on the YK wouldn't be a problem for me. During all the years I was active in street photography (and there are many of them), I'm pretty sure I didn't use shutter speeds slower than 1/30 or faster than 1/250 more than a few dozen times. And I was usually working at f8-f16. I don't remember ever shooting wide open. Finally, as far as focusing is concerned, I would set the distance at ten or twelve feet and rely on depth of field. Most of the time I hit the mark or was pretty close to it. I usually used Kodak Plus X (ASA 125) film or Ilford (ASA 100) in daylight. Ninety-nine percent of my photos were in black and white.
         Well there you have it: the confession of an octogenarian whose been left so far behind the digital revolution that he's not able to tell a pixel from a potato. And happily so. But that doesn't make me a Luddite. I have to admit that I was among the first to own a Leica M-9 when that camera appeared a few years ago. Using it was fun for a while. But I sold it when I began to miss the magical appearance of images in a tray of Kodak D-76 developer.

COMING SOON:The Neoca 35-k