Actually this camera seems pretty IDEAL for the every day person who WILL NOT CARE about image quality past 5x7 and 99% of those 4x6 just being able to double the frames is a huge selling point Only use semi/pro users are going to feel this is lacking. I WOULD KILL for an decent quality SLR with this half frame function!!! half frame is still a 12mp image which is more than enough for 90% of my needs.
With my Samurai, I used a Beselar 23C XL with their half frame negative carrier and a 50mm El Nikkor lens. Since. The serttup I used with my wife's Olympus Pen F. I was given the camera, I felt no guilt when I put it on a shelf after a few rolls. Interesting video. Thanks!
I have the X3 one , and I enjoy it for what it is, mostly full auto, good zoom range and very economical on film. There are many rangefinder half frame manual cameras to choose from, by the way, mostly rangefinder ones.
The cool and creative thing about halfframe cameras is to compose 2 frames to one final image. (Lines that begin in one frame, and the second frame corresponds). I‘m actually shooting a roll this way in an East German Penti 2, which is a halfframe camera, too. Maybe you shouldn‘t judge it by a single frame.
The Samurai was the first Yashica I bought, in fact it got me collecting Yashica cameras. It was a Samurai Z, I had no idea what it was, so when I got the film developed I was amazed at the half-frame images. I now have 3 or 4 different Samurais inc an APS version. Great video
I love my Z, it's old, it was my first and now very much the worse for wear but it is very easy to use, so its for sentimental reasons rather than any technical reasons. I dont think the specs are that different from the 4. Yashica seemed to do a few different types of half-frame camera as I also have a 72E which is a bit of a Olympus Pen clone.
flic.kr/p/5pCK89 one of the shots I took on the Z years back, out of date film, I managed to capture both on the same negative. This my actual camera camera-wiki.org/wiki/Yashica_Samurai_Z_/_Z-L_/_Z2 and looking back the specs are a little different.
I got a hold of an Ilford HP5 400 72exp roll, I'm trying to wrap my head around using a half-frame camera with it....but, 144 frames is a little excessive for my tastes ha ha. Good to see more content from you Azriel. I got my camcorder working again finally, I'll start making videos again by January.
So good to see your having plenty of fun shooting and developing the film! A new agitation technique, bouncing agitation! I struggle to shoot 36 shots on film since I use medium format Fuji 6x9cm and TLR 6x6. So much patience trying to shoot 60, especially when you think you've got a good shot and want to develop and see that shot asap! Thank you for showing stuff that most of us might not ever use! Have a merry christmas and a happy new year. May 2018 bring you plenty more photography adventures.
It’s cinema format 35mm film format. The stuff that you’ve been watching all your favorite movies on for the last hundred years. The Samurai X3.0 is where it’s at. The 4.0 is a gimped and uglier version of the original masterpiece. The 3.0 is a brilliant camera. It’s not fast and not for very low light, but neither is a lot of other point and shooters. It is however a half frame camera that allows you to look through the lens, have a wide range of focal lengths, spot metering, have integrated flash and a standard filter thread. *That* is very unique. Not even the Pen F can match it there. What other camera can you name me that has a piece of music written for it: ruclips.net/video/Ba6Fd0sMkeI/видео.html And clean version of the music: ruclips.net/video/EA-8r-VI618/видео.html Since when did you start worrying about looking like a freak? Hold it to your eye and you can shoot inconspicuously street all day. People will just assume you're filming all about. The 3.0 has build in diopter slider, so you’ll be able to suit it to your needs. There’s also an official tele lens, wide lens, macro lens, extension flash, bags and different handles to suit.
I have this camera and love it :-) Yes Its different! Its automatic! And it takes you away from thinking about what settings you are gonna use on your next shot! That's a big tick for me for when I'm just in the mood to play and not get technical! Scanning's a ball ache though!
Azriel Knight Yashica made a similarly designed, vertical half-frame camera called the Sequelle many years before the Samurai, so the latter might have had some inspirations from the company's past.
It's a strange beast for sure. I've got the Z3 version. It's a brilliant camera, but yeah, makes the shooter look like a creep with an old camcorder. I used mine at a football game a few years ago. Took a few multi frame panos, as well as bursts of 10 or so images, which I made into slideshows with quick transitions, so they look like little movies. You can then make them into GIFs too.
A brilliant video, very interesting and entertaining, with some of your best editing to date especially with the developing. I thought it was a video camera when I first saw it, I might not be alone with that mistake taking into consideration its appearance. Your highlights were really good, I really like the look of FP4, although we don’t often days bright enough to use it at box speed in the U.K.. I’ve often wondered how you Canadians managed to keep upright so easy 8n the snow, now I know it’s a challenge like everywhere else. Trains stop running...well to be honest...the entire country stops running when we have more than a slight dusting in England, though the Scots are far more hardy. Wishing you and Mrs Knight a wonderful Christmas and thank you so much for all the brilliant and informative videos over the last year. I’ve enjoyed every one of them and always look forward to new ones.
I've recently shot my Olympus EE-2. It's focus free and all you've to do is to set the ISO and fire away, if shooting using flash you can manually set the aperture. I can say that the images are great on scans and small prints. however, when making an 8x10 print I had to put my enlarger head at maximum height to get it to fit and this is where the grain and imperfections are highlighted. Otherwise I got loads of shots and I love the look it gives!
I have a Olympus Pen EE-2, and the Konica AF-Recorder half frame in which this model you can set the ISO Manually, it has 3 settings ISO 100-200-400 NO DX Setting, and the AF only has two focusing zones near, and far to I would say 4feet to infinity... and it is power by 2 AA Batteries. The Price range to $199 to $299 on ebay....... They also made one model that was ALL RED color for $699.00 Those are for the ones that LOVES Ferrari...
about the flash - I'm not going to sift through the comments- to shut it off during the daytime set it to night mode without flash, its. the only way to get it to fire without flash all the time. I picked up the X 3.0 model and for a frame that's the size of an APS frame and bigger than a 110 pocket... its remarkably nice, its sharp and other than the meter getting confused sometime it takes great pictures and *LOTS* of them!!!
I was a Contax pro for many years. I have at least one of everything Kyocera made from early 80's to early 90's which means I have a Samuri the is still brand new never used and will probably never be used.
Half frame is perfect for modern film shooters. You can't tell the difference on Instagram anyway ;) But that camera is ridiculous, half frame but still a huge camera. I have a Belomo Agat 18, which I love shooting with, but I wouldn't mind a nice Olympus Pen half frame camera either.
About every 5 years, I have gotten the hots to get a Samurai, but thankfully I've come to my senses (what little I have) and avoided the follow-through. What would I do with the largest, heaviest all-automatic half frame camera with battery issues? But it is neat. Maybe I can get my buddy to buy one. The point of half-frame is small, light and pocketable. Somehow Kyocera concluded that people would buy a camera with all of the features, size and weight of an automatic full frame 35mm, but half frame to same on the cost of film. They went through at least 3 model variations over the years, but didn't sell a lot of them.
Loved this video I would also love to see your input on instant photography, not sure if you have and instant cameras but want to see your style and technique with instant photography!!! Please consider a video like this
I haven't done a lot of instant photography, but if you dig deep I have a few videos shooting with it. Is there a particular camera you'd like to see me shoot with? Or a specific film?
You could try a Ricoh Mirai (Olympus AZ-4), it is also a funky "bridge" camera which was introduced at about the same time as this camera. It gives you slightly more control over what is going on (program shift. exposure compensation) and it is full frame. My father had one, and it actually was not all that bad - but it looked extremely weird.
Does anyone know how to set the date/time? Or more precisely how to finish setting the date? I have not been able how to get the date to stop blinking after I have the date entered.
Oh, sorry, Azriel - hadn't checked in for a while. Yep, using the "dating button" (item#33 on the diagram"), with the power on, you simple press the button until the date shows as "-- -- -- -- --". That is the "no date" option. Happy shooting!
How do you think about the half-frame cameras in general? I feel like manufacturers lost out on an opportunity to create a classic by emphasizing that movie-film like experience.
It's almost the same size as an APS, so it's a great alternative if you want to develop yourself as the APS canisters need to be busted open if you're going to develop yourself. Not a huge fan of the design, but I can see this being great for action shots, depending on the fps.
Im not quite sure what, artistically speaking, this camera is supposed to accomplish. One would think that the photographer would like some creative control from one half image to the next, yet the unit being fully auto eliminates that possibility. No thank you.
Thanks for the asnwer but it is not the frame number. But I found the solution. The camera has a secons battery behind the shutter plate. It is some sort of memory battery. So if yours tend to refresh the date and starts blinking it is time to replace this battery.
Yes there was. It was aimed at the high speed motor-drive slrs of the time. I think it was introduced in the late 70's early 80's. It had a thinner polyester base, similar to what 220 film has. The film was very difficult to get good prints out of and had excessive curl. The problem was that the cameras it was aimed at, rewound the film after the 38th exposure. And of course, if you didn't develop your self, labs absolutely hated the film since it required a special reel.
An weird camera? See a camera like "CANOMATIC" or "Olympia DL 2000A" has a 50mm lens "Free Focus" (whatever it may mean "free"). A very strange photographic construction. Counterfeit counterfeit Canon for a reporter version.
Actually this camera seems pretty IDEAL for the every day person who WILL NOT CARE about image quality past 5x7 and 99% of those 4x6 just being able to double the frames is a huge selling point
Only use semi/pro users are going to feel this is lacking. I WOULD KILL for an decent quality SLR with this half frame function!!! half frame is still a 12mp image which is more than enough for 90% of my needs.
You make a good point.
That developing montage lol \m/
Best developing montage EVER!!
lol, thank you ;)
Tripod, hard hat and safety vest would make you look like a surveyor with that one.
With my Samurai, I used a Beselar 23C XL with their half frame negative carrier and a 50mm El Nikkor lens. Since. The serttup I used with my wife's Olympus Pen F. I was given the camera, I felt no guilt when I put it on a shelf after a few rolls. Interesting video. Thanks!
Thanks for the story and feedback :)
I have the X3 one , and I enjoy it for what it is, mostly full auto, good zoom range and very economical on film. There are many rangefinder half frame manual cameras to choose from, by the way, mostly rangefinder ones.
Olympus Pen F or FT is a good choice for half frame.
Tried to be really generous to this camera, but damned with faint praise!
Thanks for the episode.
Thanks :)
The cool and creative thing about halfframe cameras is to compose 2 frames to one final image. (Lines that begin in one frame, and the second frame corresponds). I‘m actually shooting a roll this way in an East German Penti 2, which is a halfframe camera, too. Maybe you shouldn‘t judge it by a single frame.
i do a lot of triptychs with my chaika (it's a fully manual soviet half frame, nudge nudge)
The Samurai was the first Yashica I bought, in fact it got me collecting Yashica cameras. It was a Samurai Z, I had no idea what it was, so when I got the film developed I was amazed at the half-frame images. I now have 3 or 4 different Samurais inc an APS version. Great video
Thanks for sharing Lee. Is there a model you'd recommend especially?
I love my Z, it's old, it was my first and now very much the worse for wear but it is very easy to use, so its for sentimental reasons rather than any technical reasons. I dont think the specs are that different from the 4. Yashica seemed to do a few different types of half-frame camera as I also have a 72E which is a bit of a Olympus Pen clone.
flic.kr/p/5pCK89 one of the shots I took on the Z years back, out of date film, I managed to capture both on the same negative. This my actual camera camera-wiki.org/wiki/Yashica_Samurai_Z_/_Z-L_/_Z2 and looking back the specs are a little different.
I got a hold of an Ilford HP5 400 72exp roll, I'm trying to wrap my head around using a half-frame camera with it....but, 144 frames is a little excessive for my tastes ha ha. Good to see more content from you Azriel. I got my camcorder working again finally, I'll start making videos again by January.
Thanks man :)
So good to see your having plenty of fun shooting and developing the film! A new agitation technique, bouncing agitation!
I struggle to shoot 36 shots on film since I use medium format Fuji 6x9cm and TLR 6x6. So much patience trying to shoot 60, especially when you think you've got a good shot and want to develop and see that shot asap!
Thank you for showing stuff that most of us might not ever use! Have a merry christmas and a happy new year. May 2018 bring you plenty more photography adventures.
Merry Christmas to you as well.
I may be weird, but I like that camera 😀 and it's pretty cool that it doubles the number of frames 😊
Superb, what an odd camera. Love it
Thanks Robin!
It’s cinema format 35mm film format. The stuff that you’ve been watching all your favorite movies on for the last hundred years.
The Samurai X3.0 is where it’s at. The 4.0 is a gimped and uglier version of the original masterpiece.
The 3.0 is a brilliant camera.
It’s not fast and not for very low light, but neither is a lot of other point and shooters.
It is however a half frame camera that allows you to look through the lens, have a wide range of focal lengths, spot metering, have integrated flash and a standard filter thread.
*That* is very unique.
Not even the Pen F can match it there.
What other camera can you name me that has a piece of music written for it:
ruclips.net/video/Ba6Fd0sMkeI/видео.html
And clean version of the music:
ruclips.net/video/EA-8r-VI618/видео.html
Since when did you start worrying about looking like a freak? Hold it to your eye and you can shoot inconspicuously street all day. People will just assume you're filming all about.
The 3.0 has build in diopter slider, so you’ll be able to suit it to your needs.
There’s also an official tele lens, wide lens, macro lens, extension flash, bags and different handles to suit.
You're setting the bar pretty high for dark room montages.
I have this camera and love it :-) Yes Its different! Its automatic! And it takes you away from thinking about what settings you are gonna use on your next shot! That's a big tick for me for when I'm just in the mood to play and not get technical! Scanning's a ball ache though!
Thanks for the feedback Ian. I knew scanning was going to be an issue but it was actually slightly less painful than expected.
Azriel Knight Yashica made a similarly designed, vertical half-frame camera called the Sequelle many years before the Samurai, so the latter might have had some inspirations from the company's past.
Ah, good to know!
It's a strange beast for sure. I've got the Z3 version. It's a brilliant camera, but yeah, makes the shooter look like a creep with an old camcorder. I used mine at a football game a few years ago. Took a few multi frame panos, as well as bursts of 10 or so images, which I made into slideshows with quick transitions, so they look like little movies. You can then make them into GIFs too.
Okay that's kinda neat.
A brilliant video, very interesting and entertaining, with some of your best editing to date especially with the developing. I thought it was a video camera when I first saw it, I might not be alone with that mistake taking into consideration its appearance. Your highlights were really good, I really like the look of FP4, although we don’t often days bright enough to use it at box speed in the U.K.. I’ve often wondered how you Canadians managed to keep upright so easy 8n the snow, now I know it’s a challenge like everywhere else. Trains stop running...well to be honest...the entire country stops running when we have more than a slight dusting in England, though the Scots are far more hardy.
Wishing you and Mrs Knight a wonderful Christmas and thank you so much for all the brilliant and informative videos over the last year. I’ve enjoyed every one of them and always look forward to new ones.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment Mark, it means a lot.
I've recently shot my Olympus EE-2. It's focus free and all you've to do is to set the ISO and fire away, if shooting using flash you can manually set the aperture. I can say that the images are great on scans and small prints. however, when making an 8x10 print I had to put my enlarger head at maximum height to get it to fit and this is where the grain and imperfections are highlighted. Otherwise I got loads of shots and I love the look it gives!
Thanks for the comment. You make a good point about raising the enlarger higher, thanks for that. I will say the images seemed super sharp.
That was an awesome developing montage! That camera looks just like this really low end VHS-C camcorder I have.
Thanks :)
I have a Olympus Pen EE-2, and the Konica AF-Recorder half frame in which this model you can set the ISO Manually, it has 3 settings ISO 100-200-400 NO DX Setting, and the AF only has two focusing zones near, and far to I would say 4feet to infinity... and it is power by 2 AA Batteries. The Price range to $199 to $299 on ebay....... They also made one model that was ALL RED color for $699.00 Those are for the ones that LOVES Ferrari...
about the flash - I'm not going to sift through the comments- to shut it off during the daytime set it to night mode without flash, its. the only way to get it to fire without flash all the time. I picked up the X 3.0 model and for a frame that's the size of an APS frame and bigger than a 110 pocket... its remarkably nice, its sharp and other than the meter getting confused sometime it takes great pictures and *LOTS* of them!!!
Thanks fort he tip Ally!
I was a Contax pro for many years. I have at least one of everything Kyocera made from early 80's to early 90's which means I have a Samuri the is still brand new never used and will probably never be used.
That's pretty cool :)
Love that editing with the rock music! Interesting camera as well!
Thanks :)
Half frame is perfect for modern film shooters. You can't tell the difference on Instagram anyway ;) But that camera is ridiculous, half frame but still a huge camera. I have a Belomo Agat 18, which I love shooting with, but I wouldn't mind a nice Olympus Pen half frame camera either.
What an adorable camera!
There are a few solid half frames out there.
I use the Canon Demi, I never leave the cave without it.
What an adorable little camera! I added one to my eBay watch list...who knows!
Oh wow, that camera looks cool, I even saw a red one on ebay.
You can press the MODE button. when you see the 🌙 logo on the screen, the flashlight won’t work even in dark environment.
Hey thanks for the tip :)
I have and love using this camera. It's bob on! :-)
Yashica Samurai - Available in left & right handed versions ! #madness
really?
Azriel Knight Yup, a later model after they attracted criticism from ‘lefties’ 🙃 www.subclub.org/shop/yashsam.htm
About every 5 years, I have gotten the hots to get a Samurai, but thankfully I've come to my senses (what little I have) and avoided the follow-through. What would I do with the largest, heaviest all-automatic half frame camera with battery issues? But it is neat. Maybe I can get my buddy to buy one. The point of half-frame is small, light and pocketable. Somehow Kyocera concluded that people would buy a camera with all of the features, size and weight of an automatic full frame 35mm, but half frame to same on the cost of film. They went through at least 3 model variations over the years, but didn't sell a lot of them.
I don't know that I'll shoot with this again.
Loved this video I would also love to see your input on instant photography, not sure if you have and instant cameras but want to see your style and technique with instant photography!!! Please consider a video like this
I haven't done a lot of instant photography, but if you dig deep I have a few videos shooting with it. Is there a particular camera you'd like to see me shoot with? Or a specific film?
You could try a Ricoh Mirai (Olympus AZ-4), it is also a funky "bridge" camera which was introduced at about the same time as this camera. It gives you slightly more control over what is going on (program shift. exposure compensation) and it is full frame. My father had one, and it actually was not all that bad - but it looked extremely weird.
Ah yes the Batman camera! I will keep an eye out!
...and also this one has stiff Tele/wide controls. Seems like a common feature for these early bridge cameras.
Unexpectedly sharp and detailed!
agreed
I know it isn't the right camera but the samurai remaineds me of the 1989 Tim Burton Batman move and the camera used by "Bob the Goon".
I had one briefly years ago, didn't work right unfortunately.
Happy with yaschica motor J1
Metal developing montage was great!
lol, thanks, I took a risk but think it paid off :P
You're so AWESOME! Love this video!
Thanks :)
Weird camera but great review and video. Very nice photos too. Thanks.
Thanks :)
“12 18 2017” Photos taken coincidentally on my birthday!
Happy birthday!!
Azriel Knight thanks!
Does anyone know how to set the date/time? Or more precisely how to finish setting the date? I have not been able how to get the date to stop blinking after I have the date entered.
Hah! Loved this vid; I'd snagged two Samurais off eBay - Cheap!, Real cheap, and gave one to my grandson!
Nice. Is there a way to turn the date stamp off?
Oh, sorry, Azriel - hadn't checked in for a while.
Yep, using the "dating button" (item#33 on the diagram"), with the power on, you simple press the button until the date shows as "-- -- -- -- --". That is the "no date" option. Happy shooting!
The appetite has been wetted. I'm now on the lookout in charity shops for half frames. eBay silly prices.
That developing sequence
hehehe
This is a really cool channel. Fun! I wish I found your channel earlier.
Thanks very much :)
Love the new intro
Hey, thanks so much! I made that a couple weeks ago and pushed my graphics card past its limit to make it. Much appreciated.
man those pictures are sharp
I was surprised too!
Strange looking. Good call not going into the city with that, you would get laughed at, maybe beat up...lol. thanks for the video, I enjoyed it.
LOL
Developing montage gold!
Thank you Adam!
How do you think about the half-frame cameras in general? I feel like manufacturers lost out on an opportunity to create a classic by emphasizing that movie-film like experience.
It's almost the same size as an APS, so it's a great alternative if you want to develop yourself as the APS canisters need to be busted open if you're going to develop yourself. Not a huge fan of the design, but I can see this being great for action shots, depending on the fps.
happy new year
Thanks Paul
Nice! Thanks for sharing.
Last picture with those flares / light prisms!
yeah, too bad about the date stamp. Thanks :)
Id be curious what you think of Canon's Photura, which is similar but full frame.
Funny you should mention that ;)
ruclips.net/video/Uee7JUFE_aQ/видео.html
I had one of those. It wasn't that bad. I thought I was all cool and futuristic carrying that around. Lol
Im not quite sure what, artistically speaking, this camera is supposed to accomplish. One would think that the photographer would like some creative control from one half image to the next, yet the unit being fully auto eliminates that possibility. No thank you.
Great to see that you are doing Impressions, can you do Christopher Walkin in your next video.
Entertaining stuff, love it 😊
Thank you :)
Did you ever replace the internal battery?
There's the Holga TIM, which looks genuinely weirder than this camera.
(looks it up on Google) it's like it's staring into my soul.
the display of mine is always on and the date is blinking. I guess that is not normal is it?
I don't know about blinking, but a lot of cameras like this are always showing the frame number.
Thanks for the asnwer but it is not the frame number. But I found the solution. The camera has a secons battery behind the shutter plate. It is some sort of memory battery. So if yours tend to refresh the date and starts blinking it is time to replace this battery.
Hi, how do you usually slice your film into stripes?
A steady hand a pair of scissors.
Imagine loading some 72 exposure Ilford HP5. That would give you 144 exposures.
There's a 72 exp HP5?
Yes there was. It was aimed at the high speed motor-drive slrs of the time. I think it was introduced in the late 70's early 80's. It had a thinner polyester base, similar to what 220 film has. The film was very difficult to get good prints out of and had excessive curl. The problem was that the cameras it was aimed at, rewound the film after the 38th exposure. And of course, if you didn't develop your self, labs absolutely hated the film since it required a special reel.
I was planning on sending something to you, what kind of music do you like?
Hits of the 80's
You have me curious now :P
captain picard,this may be a borg implant!
lol, took me a second.
I’ve been trying to find one of these samurai’s but they are either too expensive, not working or both.
It's tough. Electronic cameras don't last like mechanical ones.
Thx, really useful~ \m/
An weird camera? See a camera like "CANOMATIC" or "Olympia DL 2000A" has a 50mm lens "Free Focus" (whatever it may mean "free"). A very strange photographic construction. Counterfeit counterfeit Canon for a reporter version.
That Olympia DL 2000A is a weird one, thanks for the suggestion!
Canomatic Deluxe Automatic Camera Kit 7000SEL Zoom 50mm 1:6,3 Optical Lens Focus Free
That's some hardcore developing...LOL
\m/
This camera was made in a left handed version as well, not to popular.
Definitely a Canadien.
Nice 🖒🖒🖒🖒
thanks :)