Yashica Dental Eye - No Longer For The Teeth
written by blue-dog
on September 10, 2009
, 33 comments
(25 votes)
I just found this amazing camera at a yard sale. It is called a Yashica Dental eye, based on the Yashica FX-3 Super Body which has been extensively modified . A one piece single lens reflex camera with focal plane shutter and built in flash. It was sold to me by a dentist who used it in his practice for many years.The camera is packed in a tight little case which looked like a makeup case with foam cut to fit the cameras contour. When I first saw it I thought it was one of those odd telephoto lenses with the big black dot in the middle of the glass. I picked it up and realized it was a ring flash built into the lens. The camera is auto exposure sync with the flash at 125th second, you just set the ASA and get to work. It has a 55 mm F1:4 Macro non removable manual lens.
This camera is for close up shooting only. The lens has a built in ring flash with a little b light for focusing. The battery pack for the ring flash looks like a motor drive. The ring flash shooting gives off a nice even almost shadowless natural light. I can not Imagine how he used this 55 mm on his patients; he had to have been pretty close to them, within inches. This camera got bad reviews for making the patients uncomfortable because the doctor had to get so close. Yashica made a few more models of this camera with 100 mm lens so the doctor does not have to work as close to the patient.
I have been using this Dental eye for close up shooting for little insects and super close ups of flowers.
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