Yashica Twin Lens Reflex Guide - Focal Press January 1964
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YASHICA MAT AND YASHICA MAT LM
Yashica Mat and Yashica Mat LM are equipped with f 3.5 Yashinon, a four-element triplet of 80 mm. focal length as
taking lens and an f 3.2 Yashinon as viewing lens. The shutter is the Copal MXV giving speeds 1,½,¼, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30,
1/60, 1/125,1/250 and 1/500 sec. and B for time exposure with XM flash synchronization and built-in delayed action
release. The shutter speed and the aperture are actuated by thumb wheels on either side of the shutter and are read off in a
cut-out window above the finder lens.
Focusing is by wheel on the side of the camera with distances engraved in feet and metres. A depth of field indicator is
engraved on the camera body above the focusing wheel.
The film transport is fully automatic by lever wind. One movement advances film, sets shutter and operates exposure
counter and is interlocked with shutter release to prevent double exposures.
The folding reflex finder hood, opened and closed by one hand operation, incorporates a frame finder and focusing
magnifier. The focusing screen incorporates a fresnel screen giving enhanced brightness and even illumination.
The camera back is hinged on and incorporates a film pressure plate.
THE YASHICA MAT has a reminder disc in the centre of the focusing wheel showing the speed of the film loaded into
the camera.
THE YASHICA MAT LM has a built-in photo-electric exposure meter. The cell is incorporated in the top of the front
plate of the camera and the light reading window is adjacent to it. The exposure setting scale is in the centre of the
focusing knob.
BOTH MODELS have a bayonet mount around viewing and taking tenses to accept filters, close-up lenses and lens hood.
ACCESSORIES for Yashica Mat and Mat LM include filters for colour and black-and-white photography, close-up lens
sets with built-in wedge for parallax compensation, lens hood and hand grip.
NOTE: To operate the transport crank without film in the camera, remove the take-up spool from the upper chamber. The
automatic mechanism of the Yashica Mat and ML may jam if the crank is operated with only the bare metal spool in the
take-up position.
Loading
1.
Open camera back.
2.
Insert the film and turn up the transport crank and wind it slowly in a clockwise direction until the lateral double
arrow or bar printed on the backing paper of the film points to the red markers on either side of the film aperture
on the camera body.
3.
Close camera back. The letter S (= start) automatically appears in the film counter window.
4.
Get film ready for first exposure by turning the crank handle forward until it comes to a stop. The number 1
appears in the film counter window. Turn the crank handle backwards (anticlockwise) until it stops and fold it
over into its rest position.
The crank handle should be operated gently. The forward cranking movement must be completed before it is
brought back. The shutter should not be kept cocked for long periods. It would tend in time to weaken the shutter
spring and you also could inadvertently press the release and waste a film frame. Therefore, crank for first and
subsequent exposures just before you are ready to take the photograph.
5.
Set film speed on Yashica Mat on the reminder disc by turning the ASA or DIN speed of the film used opposite
the indicator dot on the rim. This has no function as far as working the camera is concerned; it is solely intended
as a reminder.
On the Yashica Mat LM set the ASA speed on the exposure setting scale. (See below under "Photo-electric
Exposure Meter").
