Capsule review: Yashica Mat 124G
Medium format photography tests the patience of even the most ardent amateur film photography lover. It is more expensive and less convenient than 35mm film photography, and while said lover can reconcile himself to the added expenses without too much difficulty, he may well balk at the added inconviences of medium format cameras with slow lenses and awkward handling like the Yashica 124G. The Yashica 124G weighs a bit more than a kilogram and hangs down at the waist of the photographer, who looks down onto a ground-glass screen with its reversed image cast by the focusing lens. Its bulk and the disorienting experience of framing an image in reverse make its use feel unnatural to the inexperienced, though this defamiliarization can have its own special appeal. But beyond this appeal born of novelty, does the unambiguously higher quality of the resulting images justify the camera’s downsides ? Maybe. Despite its disadvantages the Yashica 124G remains popular, and therefore expensive, with prices unlikely to decrease as functioning ones become harder to find for the average amateur photographer. Should he find one for a reasonable price (say, less than the equivalent of 300 USD), he might chance it, but otherwise he should content himself with the more accessible world of 35mm film.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
published