The Yashica Mat-124G TLR

Overview

The Yashica Mat-124G TLR is a vintage medium format film camera that captures images in a perfectly square 6x6 aspect ratio. My particular Yashica was owned by my father before me and had seen a good bit of the world during his travels. By the time I inherited this piece, it was in need of some tender love and care to restore it to its former glory. The taking lens was fogged, and the light meter was sadly non-operational. Thankfully, the lens proved to be easy enough to take apart and clean. Since batteries of a similar voltage to the original are now somewhat hard to come by, I decided to use an external light meter conveniently available on my phone to assist with proper exposure settings.

Get Deliberate

I usually use a Mirrorless Canon EOS R5, which comfortably holds approximately 3,800 RAW files on my 256GB memory cards. In comparison, the Yashica Mat-124G provides only 12 shots per roll of 120 film. The expenses associated with the film and development processes are also quite considerable, adding to the overall investment required for a successful photo shoot. Consequently, the Yashica is an excellent option if you want to slow down and take your time with photography, allowing for a more deliberate and thoughtful approach to each and every image you capture. It certainly helps that it captures images in a pleasing vintage style, enhancing the overall aesthetic and making the investment feel truly worthwhile.

I wouldn’t recommend the Yashica as a daily driver for photography due to its relatively high operating cost, which can easily add up over time. However, for special occasions and memorable moments, there are few cameras that can truly beat its unique qualities. Below you will find a selection of photos I’ve taken with the Yashica camera; they’re by no means perfect, but still they were enjoyable to capture, and they have a classic charm that is hard to replicate on digital 35mm cameras.