First Impression Mini Review: Yashica Auto Yashinon 5cm f2

Yesterday was a new lens day - in fact, I managed to pick up two.

The first was a 50mm - I know… I know…

The Yashinon Auto 5cm f2 (M42 mount) - my first Yashica lens.

Initial impressions were that it’s a small but weighty (for its size) lens. My copy has a few cosmetic bumps and scrapes, but the glass is clean and free of fungus or separation (phew).

Interestingly (to me at least), this lens reminds me a lot of the Auto Takumar lenses I have, and from the reading I’ve done, they are of a similar vintage, and some suggest they may have even been made in the same factories!

I’ve not tested it thoroughly yet, but the bokeh intrigued me from the first shots. It’s not as fast as some of my 50mm lenses, so I wasn’t expecting how creamy out-of-focus areas would look.

With specular highlights in the background, the bokeh swirls a little too. Not as much as my Helios or Carl Zeiss Pancola,r but it’s there so far.

It's an intriguing lens so far, and I’m looking forward to playing with it more.