International Camera Museum : Blue Moon Camera and Machine

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Yashica 44 LM

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Rollei company may be the most flattered camera company of the all. It seems that nothing they created stayed un-copied for very long. In 1957, Rollei re-started production of their "Baby Rollei" that produced 4cm square images on 127 film and with that the imitators started to work. Topco, Primo, Tower, and Walz all produced their versions of the little camera, but the most successful of the bunch was Yashica.

In 1958, Yashica rolled out the Yashica 44. Hoping to stand out a bit from the others in this now crowded field, Yashica brought out the Yashica 44 with different camera cover colors, creating several different versions to cover all price points. Depending on how feature-laden you wanted your camera to be, you could opt for the more basic Yashica 44A with its limited shutter speeds, the basic 44, or the 44LM, which came with a light meter. Of these, the 44LM was marketed as the serious photographer's camera.

The Yashinon 60mm f/3.5 taking and viewing lenses on the 44LM gives the photo a brilliant look on a focusing screen with a magnification that makes achieving focus a breeze even when shooting wide open. On a 4cm square negative , the 60mm lens is roughly equivalent to a 46mm lens on a 35mm camera, so the 44LM is at home shooting street, portrait, or even landscape photos.

While Yashica may not have invented the format, just as with their other twin lens reflex cameras, it made a name for itself with its own designs and innovations. When you come across one of these cameras, pick it up and wonder for a moment if Yashica might not have outdone its flattery to Rollei.

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Yashica 44 LM Out for a Fall Walk

We had one of these plucky little Yashica 44 LM cameras come into our shop during the autumn months. One of our staff, Gabriel, loves all things 127 TLR so he promptly volunteered to take this one out for some field testing. One nice change (to go along with the leaves on the trees) is the relative abundance of 127 film we have had in stock. Thanks to the efforts of Film For Classics we now have four different 127 film stocks - two B&W and two color - to complement those available emulsions from Rera Pan. The light may be waning, but not your options as a 127 user.

Postscript - This Yashica 44 LM never made it beyond the testing stages. Its automatic frame counter refused to index properly when loading and the light meter did not work anymore (no surprise there given the camera's age). It also turned out to be front focusing a bit. This all added up to a few too many issues to make the camera salable and sadly their retail value doesn't justify the cost of repairs. Having said that, they are a very repairable camera and if you get one on a good deal they are well worth fixing up to usable status.

Yashica 44LM and Ilford ULF

Every year, Ilford offers a special window of opportunity where photographers can place orders for ULF film. ULF is essentially any size/format larger than 120 and is generally sheet film. Though it also includes such sizes as 46mm bulk rolls, which can be used for spooling 127 film. Ilford allows orders sometime in the spring with delivery in the fall. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ilford shuttered their main production facility and furloughed a large part of their staff, which caused an interruption not only to the manufacturing of standard film formats, but delayed ULF as well. They relaunched their ULF program in July of that year, after their production facility had reopened, once again allowing photographers working with odd format cameras the ability to stay stocked up with film, even in the midst of a pandemic. Go Ilford!

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Yashica 44 LM at the St. Johns Bridge

While staying safe and socially distanced during the COVID-19 outbreak, we managed to get down to our favorite bridge with this cute, little Yashica 44 LM. The "LM" stands for light meter, meanwhile the "44" refers to the 4x4cm negative (or positive, if you are glass-half-full kind of photographer) that this little TLR produces. The camera was part of a run of 127 format, twin lens reflex cameras that popped up in the late 1950s. For a TLR, it fits remarkably well in the hands, being the smaller 127 format means the rest of the camera is a bit more snug as well; this baby TLR is especially nice to hold. Despite its age, it has a pretty decent focusing screen on it too. We managed to get a shot of the St. Johns Bridge through the viewfinder.

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If you have not yet added a 127 camera to your collection, this one would be a prize. If you already have a 127 camera to call your own, don't forget that we stock a small variety of 127 films (yes, you can still get 127 film) AND we develop, print, and scan it as well.