Film Fun Folio #20 - Yashica 12 and Velvia 100F

Periodically, I'll be posting scans of some complete rolls of film on here, showing both the good and the bad, and giving some basic information as well a little write up of the shoot as well as the reasons why I selected each camera and film.  Enjoy the trip! 

Feature #20:

Camera: ca. 1967 Yashica 12 TLR
Film: Fuji Velvia 100F

Locale: Central Maryland.

When I picked it up late in the Summer of 2014, I saw it as my TLR of the future.  Only problem was that my interest in TLR cameras was soon overshadowed by the magnificent portability and varied formats of 120 folding cameras.  The 12 continued to see decent usage, particular when experimenting with new films when I wanted to be sure of proper focus on the final image, but it never really grew to be the tagalong camera I expected it to be when I first bought it.  Having shot a few rolls through my Seagull TLR recently, it seemed only natural that the 12 should see some use as well, and it did indeed on the advent of Fall in Central Maryland.  Though I had hoped to do more shallow depth of field shots with the camera given its ease of focus accuracy compared to most folding cameras, it really didn't get that chance on this roll, though it was nice to get 12 shots from a roll of film compared to the 8 on the larger format cameras.

1 - Lewistown, MD - f/11, 1/125 - Continuing the covered bridge ramble in late October, I snapped this shot of the Utica Mills bridge from the opposite side as the other cameras.  The result is one that does brim with image sharpness.

2 - Catoctin Furnace, MD - f/8, 1/125 - Still enough color in the scene to make this shot work.  The old furnace provides an interesting look at Frederick County's history.

3 - Thurmont, MD - f/5.6, 1/60 - I left the lens a tad on the "open" side for this shot.  As desired, the foreground elements are muted while the bridge feature is nice and sharp.

4 - Thurmont, MD - f/5.6, 1/60 - Yet, from my review, this would be the better perspective for this subject.  The fall leaves render nicely golden while the bridge renders sharply.  

5 - Ok, maybe I expected 12 exposures, but it seems I goofed this one.  Make that 11.

6 - Graceham, MD - f/5.6, 1/125 - A view into the autumn Maryland hillsides provides a generally colorful scene, though I wasn't able to put a better spin on composition.

7 - Graceham, MD - f/5.6, 1/125 - The Loys Station Bridge was too obscured in shadow, leading to a contrasty scene.  Overall, a decent snap shot however.

8 - Thurmont, MD - f/8, 1/125 - Another grab shot of the Walkersville Southern Railroad renders well, though not as colorfully as I remembered the scene being. 

9 - Jefferson, MD - f/8, 1/60 - A "golden hour" shot that is pure gold.  The warmth of this image and composition just work well for me, and the sharpness that the 12 delivers helps me recall just what an outstanding machine this is. 

10 - Jefferson, MD - f/5.6, 1/60 - It took some searching to find this bridge, but I discovered it at the perfect time.  A great image, though I can admit that this scene was more appropriately rendered by a later image I took of it that will appear soon.

11 - Jefferson, MD - f/4, 1/8 - A scene that I recall as being more of a tunnel of color, but which conveys as something less than what I remembered.  I opened it up in hopes of muting some of the backdrop in bokeh, but it doesn't seem to work.

12 - Braddock Heights, MD - f/16, 1/125 - Stopped down, the Yashica 12 delivers images that, to me, look sharp as a tack and ready for publication.  The harvest has passed, the sky is blue, and it is a lovely day in Frederick County.

Thoughts: Shooting the TLR and the folding cameras side by side, I have to admit that the image sharpness that results from this bulky Yashica is certainly quite a bit better than many of my triplet equipped folders.  The Yashica certainly should be my go-to camera of choice when I want an image that yields as much sharpness as my medium format collection can offer up.