Yashica Mat-124G Camera Review

Written by Samantha Stortecky

Hello friends! Welcome back to another camera review.

I’m super excited to talk about and review one of my favorite medium format film cameras, the Yashica Mat-124G. I got this little beauty a few years ago as a Valentine’s Day gift from my husband, and it’s one of my favorites!

Now, let’s talk about this pretty little camera!

Find the Yashica Mat-124G at KEH Camera or on eBay.

Technical Details of the Yashica Mat-124G

Alright, let’s jump into some of the technical details of this camera.

The Yashica Mat-124G definitely has a very hefty feel to it, weighing a little over 2 lbs. It’s one of those cameras where you can feel how sturdy it is when it’s in your hands. Even the levers for focusing and advancing film have a weight to them.

This camera captures square images that are around 6cm (2.36 inches), and a typical role of 120 film will give you 12 square images.

The lens on the front of the camera is 80mm f/3.5 and gives really beautiful and crisp images. When I put images from the Yashica Mat-124G side-by-side with images from my Pentax 645n, I can’t tell them apart when it comes to image quality.

The Mat-124G does have a light meter. It’s a little yellow arrow that moves from left to right at the top of the camera. It does a decent job, but when in doubt, I always suggest using an external light meter.

On either side of the camera, there is a small metal hook, so using a neck strap is easy and something I definitely recommend, especially if you plan on using the flip top viewfinder!

When holding the camera, on the left side you have a dial that is used for focusing your image, and on the right side you have a lever for advancing your film as well as the image counter and ISO dial.

For the price point, this camera creates such beautiful imagery. I believe one of the biggest contributors to this camera creating lovely, sharp images is the focusing nob on the left side, it turns a little bit slower than other cameras which gives you greater precision when focusing for your image.

Speaking of the price point, it’s one of my favorite parts of the Yashica Mat-124G! I was able to get this camera for around $200 pre-owned.

Loading

When it comes to loading film into the Yashica Mat-124G, this camera works very similarly to most medium format cameras.

You can use both 120 or 220 film with this camera, and loading it into the camera is quite simple. Twist the dial on the bottom of the camera to pop open the back. The film is loaded at the bottom of the camera by pulling the knob to the left, inserting your film, then letting go of the knob.

Then, thread your film into the empty spool at the top of the open back. Crank the film winder until the arrow on your roll of film lines up the green arrow near the bottom of the camera (if you’re shooting 220 film, you’ll match the arrow on your roll of film to the red arrow on the camera).

If you’re used to shooting medium format film cameras, loading up this little beauty will be a piece of cake!

Shooting

Now, let’s talk about shooting. This can possibly be the most challenging part of this camera as it has a bit of a learning curve with it.

One of the coolest parts of the Yashica Mat-124G is the fact that you can see the image you are about to take from the top. Instead of using a typical viewfinder, you get to use the flip-top, waist level viewfinder to see your image.

As cool as this is, one of the learning curves to using a waist level viewfinder is how you are positioning your photos. Every movement you make and what you see in front of you will be reversed in the viewfinder, which can make it a tad bit challenging when taking and framing pictures.

But mastering this aspect is totally worth it, believe me!

Biggest Pro and Con of the Yashica Mat-124G

One of the major pros in my personal opinion is using the waist level viewfinder and being able to see this version of your image before you actually click your shutter. This adds a whole other level of love to the whole shooting experience!

And I won’t even lie, it makes for some pretty awesome Instagram photos as well!

And for me, the biggest con is the amount of images you get per roll. Shooting 120 can already get expensive, so it’s a bit of a hit on the wallet when you only get 12 images out of a roll of film.

Because of this, it makes it difficult to use this camera in situations where you need to shoot and run through film at a faster rate.

Final Thought

Overall, this is such a terrific camera to add to your collection. It really gives such a unique shooting experience and at a really reasonable price point.

Plus, it doesn’t look too shabby when sitting on a shelf in-between shoots.

Thanks so much for reading! Have you ever shot with the Yashica Mat-124 before? And as always, any questions or comments that you have, leave them below so we can chat all about film stuff!

Thank you so much, Samantha! Samantha is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and you can check out her other articles here, including and how to shoot Kodak Portra 400 and Intro to Disposable Cameras: The Fujifilm Quicksnap and the Kodak FunSaver.

You can also check out more of Samantha’s work on her website and Instagram.

Let us know any questions you have about the Yashica Mat-124G below in the comments, and you can pick one up for yourself at KEH Camera or on eBay.

Check out all of our camera reviews here.

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Samantha Stortecky

Samantha Stortecky is a family photographer and a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film. Find her other articles here, such as How to Shoot Kodak Portra 400 and 5 Unique & Experimental Film Stocks You Need to Try.

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