The Yashica Mat-124 G was made from 1970 till 1986 and was the last TLR produced by Yashica. Even if this type of camera seemed to be obsolete at the time of its appearence, the 124 G was a success in that time.
The 124G has a four-element, 80mm F3.5 taking lens, of the better "Yashinon" variety. Focusing is via a ground glass screen, with a 3x diopter loupe for critical focusing, as well as a sports finder. The focusing screen is used with the camera at waist-level. The sportsfinder, incorporated in the focusing hood, is operational by pushing the front cover backwards. According to the Instruction Booklet, it comes in handy for snapshots or when shooting fast-moving objects at eye-level. No screen to check focus in this set-up though. The Copal shutter features speeds 1 to 1/500 sec., plus B.
The 124 and 124G are largely identical, save for trim (the Mat-124 G was all black) and electrical differences. The 124G pressure plate slides between 12-exposure and 24-exposure settings, while on the original 124 it pulls out and rotates. The 124G also features a coupled match-needle exposure meter, although it uses now-discontinued 1.3v mercury cells. Suitable air-zinc replacements and adapters for modern alkaline or silver oxide batteries may be obtained at camera stores and on the internet.
The 124(G) can handle both 120 and 220 film. The Yashica 12, 24, Mat-124 and Mat-124 G all accept Bay 1 accessories, such as those made for the Rolleiflex. An artificially inflated demand for the 124G has raised the price somewhat in the used market.
Since the Yashicamat camera is basically a Rolleiflex copy, the controls take a similar configuration. Build quality is very good. Yashica’s are considered to be an excellent choice for entry-level medium format. The 4-element 80mm f/3.5 Yashinon (taking) lens cannot be considered of equal quality compared to the Rollei’s, however it produces very good results, especially when stopped down to f 8-16.
Courtesy - wikia
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