Yashica YJ1960

History

Yashica's early SLR output in the 1958-1963 period was marked by rapid iteration: the company produced multiple closely related bodies (YE, YJ, Penta J, J, J-3) in quick succession as it searched for the right specification and price point for each market segment. The YJ fits into this sequence as a metered variant positioned alongside, or just above, the meterless Penta J that shared the same mechanical chassis.

The selenium meter technology used in the YJ was the standard approach for body-integrated metering before cadmium sulfide (CdS) cells became practical. CdS cells, which were more light-sensitive and could be used behind lenses for TTL metering, were beginning to appear in prototype and limited-production cameras by the early 1960s, but selenium external meters remained the mainstream approach through approximately 1965 in this price class.

The YJ's place in the Yashica lineup was short-lived. As the J series expanded - J, J-3, J-5, J-7 - and as Yashica developed more sophisticated metered bodies, the early Y-prefix models receded from the catalog. By the mid-1960s, the J-series meterless bodies and the metered TL-series had replaced the earlier hybrid approach represented by the YJ.

Why It Matters

The YJ illustrates a specific product-development dilemma that Japanese camera manufacturers faced in the early 1960s: whether to offer metering at the entry-to-mid level (with the attendant risk of selenium cell degradation over time) or to keep bodies simple and meterless. Yashica ultimately chose to bifurcate - the J series ran without meters while the TL series introduced more sophisticated CdS metering later in the decade - and the YJ represents an intermediate bet that did not define the final strategy.

For photographers today, the YJ is primarily of interest as a series link between the YE and the J line. Its selenium meter may or may not function after 60+ years; if it does, it provides a useful incident-light-equivalent reading without requiring an accessory meter. If it does not, the camera operates identically to the meterless J: a fully mechanical M42 body with access to the standard screwmount lens pool.

Lenses & Accessories

M42 screwmount compatibility is the YJ's most durable practical asset:

• Yashinon 50mm f/2 - typical period-correct kit lens; sharp at mid-apertures
• Asahi Auto-Takumar and Super-Takumar series - natively compatible; a significant quality step
• Carl Zeiss Jena glass (Tessar, Flektogon, Biotar variants) mount without adapter
• Helios 44 (58mm f/2) - Soviet M42 lens; widely available, distinctive rendering wide-open
• Meyer-Optik lenses (Trioplan, Domiplan, Primoplan) - German M42 glass from the same era
• No open-aperture metering coupling is relevant since the selenium cell reads ambient light independently of the lens

External Weston Master or Gossen selenium accessory meters from the period provide reliable redundancy if the built-in cell has degraded.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Yashica YJ - series context and basic specifications
• Wikipedia: Yashica - corporate history through the Contax/Yashica mount transition