Landscape close up - using close lens with Yashica Mat 124

Using the Close Lens No.3 with the Yashica Mat 124

The Yashica Mat is a lovely camera to use. I’m finding it really quite a fine functioning camera especially for landscape photography. I decided to continue this pursuit to get the complete picture, if you will. By adding a close up lens to capture details of nature. I mean vast vistas are wonderful images. However to complement them detail images should, I believe be also added to the mix. It just gives an overall impression of the location. Especially important for future projects such as a book or exhibition of work. Vistas and details together give better complete submersion into the subject for the viewer.

So this post concentrates on close up landscape photography. It also shows the simple technical equipment required to achieve this. It works for the Yashica Mat TLR cameraand most probably for any other camera for that matter. While most interesting are the results from a rather an easy and inexpensive upgrade. To mention that lens is fixed with about over a metre for the minimum distance focusing. It’s very like most camera with their standard lens. Actually in fact I’ve just purchased a similar setup for my Polaroid Land Camera but that will be another day and another blog post …

The close up lens changes the focusing distance of the fixed lens. Usually close up lens are available for all camera including DSLR and point’n’shoot too.

Above is an image of the close up No.1 lenses set, The No.3 looks exactly the same. Actually I was so content with the results from the No.3. It was easy to decide to buy another set for some portrait photography(No.1). But that will be hopefully another blog post in the near future (so many blog posts to write and so little time…). Just to mention I bought the close up lens from Photography Attic – a second hand site with all sorts of bits and bobs.

I would recommend the use of a tripod to get even sharper images.

Here are some instructions to download and print off from an old Yashica manual – (PDF)