Yashica Mat 124G1970

History

Yashica's TLR line started in the 1950s with direct Rolleiflex inspiration. The Mat 124 (1968) was the first with both 120 and 220 capability and a built-in meter; the 124G (1970) added a Copal-SVK shutter, a black-and-gold ("G" for gold contacts) cosmetic, and improved electrics. Production continued until 1986, by which point all Japanese TLRs were ending.

Why It Matters

The 124G democratized medium format. Photo students, wedding shooters on budgets, and serious amateurs could buy one for half a Hasselblad's price and shoot square negatives identical in dimension. The lens isn't a Planar — it's a four-element Tessar that's a stop slower and shows more falloff in corners — but stopped down to f/8 it's perfectly sharp and the rendering is recognizably "TLR."

It's the camera that turns up second-hand at flea markets, in inheritance lots, and at film-revival pop-up shops. Anyone learning medium format on a budget probably starts here.

Lenses & Accessories

Fixed lens. Bayonet I filters and accessories: yellow, orange, red filters; close-up Yashinons (Yashinon 1, 2 close-up sets); bay-I lens hood. The eye-level prism finder for Yashica TLRs is rare but available.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Default "first medium format" recommendation alongside the Mamiya C330 and Rolleicord V.
• Used in countless 70s/80s wedding studios as a backup to Hasselblad or Rollei.
• Frequently cited in beginner-to-medium-format guides on Casual Photophile and 35mmc.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Yashica-Mat 124G
• Ken Rockwell: Yashica-Mat 124G
• Butkus manual archive.