Help: first time shooting w/ Yashica-D...

[pryan9]

Hey everyone! This is my first post on the board.

I recently purchased a Yashica-D that is in great shape and i want to start shooting with it asap. I was just wondering if anyone could lend me some advice or tips to help me take the best photos I can with this camera.

I read online that a lens hood is a must on these cameras...can anyone back that up? Will shooting without a hood greatly affect my photo? Also, Is metering with my digital SLR a good idea or should I use a separate light meter? If my digital SLR has a cropped sensor will that throw off my metering if I try and match it on the Yashica-D?

Also, is it true that the 3 element yashikor lenses are only sharp between f11-f16?

Thanks so much, I’m looking forward to hearing some responses

[Mattias]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the camera Can't answer your questions though, my knowledge on the TLR-models are very limited.

[MarkB]

Hi, my first post too! I use a later D with a Yashinon lens.

Shooting without a hood will result in some veiling flare. This will reduce the contrast of your pictures and may ruin some altogether. If you take care to avoid flarey situations you'll be OK, no shooting into the sun! You may use your DSLR to meter if you like, I mostly use the sunny 16 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule) rule when shooting with meterless cameras. Small, old meters are quite cheap but check them against something you trust first. The Yashikor is good in the centre at wider apertures, the f11/f16 thing refers to edge sharpness.

[Xmas]

A D is a nice camera and will accept the RollI small baynet hood and filters, try and get a hood in dusty camera shoppe or camera fair. A beaten up metal or cracked plastic will do as you only want photos.

Use matt black acrylic blackboard paint on inside off hood if not still matt.

If you are fussy many of the TLRs have internal light baffles to minimise internal reflections and you can make a baffle yourself out of thin post card style card and glue in place - painting the baffle matt black.

If you open the camera & look through the back of the camera, while pointing it at a typical sceane you can see where there might be reflection.

But I'd be tempted to take it out and shoot up the neighbourhood with C41 or monochroms...

Noel

[yashican]

Hello and congrats on your purchase! Throw some film in it and go out and have fun! You'll learn more about your camera after you've shot a few rolls of film in it. I agree, a small, cheap light meter will "help" you adjust your exposures but nothing replaces experience. I had never used a TLR before...always SLR's, but I purchased a beautiful Yashica EM and wandered around town. f8 @ 125/sec works 80% of the time with ASA 200 color film at mid day. The sharpness of the prints are fantastic! Good luck and have fun! Chris

[Provia400F]

I have been shooting with my Yashica D with Yashikor lenses for some time now without a hood. It does flare a bit if you're not careful with strong front lighting. I find it plenty sharp at F8 and up, but at F4 and F5.6 it's only slight lower in contrast or sharp. I've recently acquired a plastic hood (aftermarket of course) to see if it improves anything. Now if this insistent rainy weather would let up I'll get a chance to take some photos...

[zx9]

I find it plenty sharp at F8 and up, but at F4 and F5.6 it's only slight lower in contrast or sharp. I've recently acquired a plastic hood (aftermarket of course) to see if it improves anything. Now if this insistent rainy weather would let up I'll get a chance to take some photos...

Sharpness can be over rated sometimes, when you have such a big negative to work with a slight softness is not so magnified on the final print as it would be with 35mm. As for the lens hood, they are very good at keeping the rain of your front element, go out and shoot some pictures in the rain / snow you don't have to wait for the sun to use a lens hood.
Just remember to post somr pictures in the gallery or on Flickr.