Yashica Half 17

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The Half 17 is a half-frame 35 mm viewfinder camera made by Yashica in about 1964.[1] It has a six-element 32 mm f/1.7 Yashinon lens (a wide maximum aperture for a popular camera of the time) and a Copal BR shutter. There is a selenium meter, with the cell arranged around the lens, and the camera is normally used with automatic exposure, which follows a program between 1/30 second at f/1.7 (EV 6½) and 1/800 second at f/16 (EV 17). The metered shutter speed (but not the aperture) is displayed in the viewfinder. There is also a setting for 'B' shutter (the aperture is then set to f/1.7), and manual aperture settings for use with flash. There is a PC socket on the left end of the body, and a cold shoe on the top. There is a film speed dial on the top plate, allowing speeds from 12 to 400 ASA.

The lens has scale focusing down to 0.8 meter, and zone-focusing symbols are displayed in the viewfinder (for a head-and-shoulders portrait at 0.8 m, a half-figure portrait at 1.2 m, a group at 3 m and a scene at infinity). The viewfinder has a brightline frame, with markings for parallax error correction when focused close.

The film is advanced with a toothed wheel at the bottom of the back. The rewind release button and a folding rewind crank are on the base.

A similar camera, the Half 17 Rapid was made the following year, for Agfa's Rapid film cassettes rather than regular 35 mm film.

Notes

  1. Yashica half-frame cameras including the Half 17, at Joe McGloin's Sub Club.

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