Yashica Minister D

Yashica Minister D is a 35mm rangefinder camera which was built around 1964; an advanced version of Yashica Minister III which was built in 1963. A rangefinder camera is used to taking extremely sharp images. It rungs on a range-finding mechanism, which is embedded into the camera. The rangefinder measures the exact distance of the subject from the camera. A value, which is then fed onto the focus ring to take an impeccably focused image. It is different from an SLR camera as it comes with a fixed lens and doesn't have the mirror to reflect the same image as seen by the lens onto the viewfinder, as is the case with SLRs. The parallax error cased by this, has to be either corrected manually or in better rangefinders (like the one we are talking about) the viewfinder self corrects for parallax. 

The focus can be set from 2.6ft (0.8m) to infinity. In case the environment gets too dark to use the rangefinder, the focus ring is very reliable and has clear graduations. However, this camera should not be used for taking macro shots. 

Specifications:

1. Yashinon 45mm f2.8 lens with and angle of view of 56 degrees. The lens mount accept 46mm screw-in accessories and 48 mm push on lens hoods.
2. Shutter speed - B, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, 500 seconds. The shutter can be set at M or X synch. A self-timer with 8 seconds delay is provided and the lever is placed at the bottom of the lens barrel. In case of using the self-timer, please shift your shutter lever to X synch.
3. A PC socket is provided on the front left bottom of the camera for connecting external flash.
4. The aperture ranges from f16 to f2.8.
5. It features an uncoupled CdS exposure meter which runs on a 625A battery.
6. The viewfinder self corrects for parallax. 

How to use: 

To load the film, a small lever with O-P written on it is provided at the base of the camera. To open, push the lever from P to O and while at O, push it inwards and the flap will open. On the flap's inside, a chart with ASA and its corresponding DIN value is given. Compose your frame. Set your aperture and shutter speed. In this camera, both the aperture and shutter rings are coupled together, so when you move the aperture ring, the shutter ring moves in accordance. However, a separate aperture ring is there (the last ring from the mount), which you can further use to alter your aperture settings. Its numbers coincide with the ones on the exposure meter. Look through the viewfinder on your subject and press the red button (rangefinder button), to the left of the viewfinder, to activate your exposure meter. You will see two vaguely overlapping images. Move your focus ring to make them exactly overlap. And CLICK! 

The works - Rewind crank, flash mount, exposure read-out, shutter release and film advance lever

Yashinon 45mm lens. Clearly visible focusing ring and LVS ring right of it

Thats the Copal SVL shutter - highly reliable and simple in operation

Style Swap With Attic: Getting Behind the Scene

My Camera Went Strolling

The other day my old camera decided to go out and see the world around, it had been stashed away in a cupboard for quite some time. Looks like this Yashica Minister D had a lot of fun hanging out with some vintage stuff.   

The Forgotten Portugal in Mumbai

Traversing the busy lanes of Girgaun in the heart of the city, I took a slight detour to one of the narrow gullies, not knowing where it leads to and I was in for a very pleasant surprise. What unfolded before my eyes was something unlike Mumbai – far away from the reaches of a metropolis and deep rooted in the thick of it. Khotachiwadi is a heritage village in south Mumbai, around which the city has grown to its present magnificence. Though it appears to be a misfit to the cosmopolitan countenance of the megalopolis, it is a testimony to the generous ability of Mumbai to give its people the liberty to choose and shape their own place and environment. 

This 19^th century settlement was founded by Mr. Khot, after whom it is named, who was the landlord who leased these plots to the early settlers in the area. It was first inhabited by the city’s east-Indian Christians who are believed to have worked for the East India Company and hence got the name. Most of these people had a mix of Indian and Portuguese origins, as a result of which, Khotachiwadi looks like a forgotten piece of Portugal with its quaint old houses, trellised balconies and latticed windows. In the recent past, many Gujarati and Marwari families have also moved into the area.

It’s a labyrinth of small narrow lanes wandering off the main road into the belly of the city. Once you enter it feels like a different world – so much away from the hustle and bustle of fast-paced city life and completely not invaded by traffic, which seems a utopian wish in a city like Mumbai. The houses are made of wood, with a large open front verandah, a back courtyard and an external staircase to access the top bedroom. Earlier, there used to be 65 of these houses and the number has now reduced to only 28, as old buildings are being pulled down to make way for new skyscrapers to accommodate the ever swelling population of the city. 

Particularly, the charming architecture of the village has won the attention of many urban heritage conservation initiatives. Most of the people are attracted to its distinctive low-rise, high-density landscape showcasing a variety of individual homes, chawls and apartment buildings in bright colours that reveal Indo-Portuguese flourishes, port-town styles off the western coast and modernist decor touches. But it is indeed limited to talk of the place only in terms of its architectural and historical uniqueness. It is also the intimate involvement of the residents in times of emergencies that makes the place so special. As of the residents, Shirley, puts it firmly that “I have been living here for the past 40 years and what keeps me attached to this place is the generosity and warmheartedness of the people. In times of need, we are there for each other.” 

There every house has an engaging tale to tell of its existence and of the generations of families who have lived in this neighborhood  The community is passionately involved in its present and future as for them the place is stretched between communitarian nostalgia and the aspirations of its younger generations. One has to run through the history lessons of the city in order to understand the significance and the status Khotachiwadi holds within the metropolis of Mumbai.  The area comprises most of the layers of social and cultural changes that have transformed the face of the city through the last five centuries. It’s lanes, family names, architectural forms, social, cultural and culinary traditions continue to perpetuate the customs and habits from days that have long gone. Tracing the history of the place and of its people requires approaching it from different perspectives. It’s like catching a glimpse of the evolution of an incrementally built city, generation after generation. 

A Happy Holiday

For reasons good enough, Goa is said to have the best quality of life in India, and for even better ones, it is Arambol where your existence comes quite close to being blissful. It was one of those weeks when you have a Thursday off and if you happen to be as lucky as I am to have an off every Saturday and Sunday, you can just skip work on Friday and be off to some nice place. I took a late night train to Goa, along with four of my friends and since we didn't get our tickets confirmed, we were all cramped up in the general compartment. For a better part of our journey, we could barely sit, but after Ratnagiri, which comes around four in the morning, we got a few berths. We reached Pernem at around 10 am and from there we hired a cab to Arambol, which took another 45 minutes. Through a friend who had stayed there earlier, we knew of a person (Abhay) who gives his house on rent to tourists. It was a two-bedroom apartment, with two balconies, a functional kitchen and was just a 2-minute walk away from the sea. We couldn't have got anything better for the price he charged us for four days. The experience that unfolded thereafter is something I will cherish for life. Consider this, specially, if you come from a moribund city: you wake up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping and water gently lapping the seashore, you walk upto the balcony of a charming Portuguese-style abode and all you see around are grooves of palm trees, winding lanes leading to the sea and brightly painted cottages. 

If you happen to meet the eye of the passers-by, you are treated with a warm smile. At a restaurant, you ask for a fruit juice and the staff gently replies saying, “Let me check if the fruit is ripe enough to be plucked” (I was at Dylan's Toasted and Roasted with a friend, the person sitting opposite us asked for avocado juice, the owner replied saying that he will go and check if the fruit is ripe. Soon after he returned saying that the fruit can be plucked now and minutes later I saw him coming with a glass full of avocado goodness). Everything on your table tastes fresher, juicier and tastier. All this and Arambol offers a lot more. Its crescent-shaped beach is less populated and cleaner than the most in Goa, with a crowd majorly of hippie foreigners basking in the sun and sea. It is dotted with cafes serving local specialities and continental cuisine. Towards the north of it, around the cliff side, there is a sweet water lake, with an adjoining jungle valley hiding The Money Stone, a sculpture which has “Give if you can, take if you have to” engraved on it. At night, the beachfront looks beautiful with cafes lit up in candle lights and lamps, and lesser people around. The market has shops and stalls selling beachwear, pyjamas, kurtas, stoles, tops, imitation jewellery and there are more eating joints. Though you will constantly hear music wherever you go in Arambol, jam sessions are organised at the restaurants on Thursday nights, where you get to hear some good original music. If you plan to stay for long, do enrol into one of the many yoga centres in the city. And don't forget to drink King's beer.

Ready Reckoner

How to reach: Take a flight to Dabolim Airport or a train to Pernem station and hire a taxi to Arambol.

Where to stay: Yellow House Residency, Maldo Waddo; Surf Club Goa, Dando Wada; Arambol Plaza Hotel, Arambol Beach and Sand Dune Huts, Arambol Beach. For a low budget accommodation, call Abhay (+91 9822 1619 35).

Where to eat and what: Dreamland Café for Italian coffee, salads and crepes; Café Hemp for multinational cuisine and arresting sun set views; Loekie Café for a relaxed meal; Double Dutch Restaurant for cakes (all these eating joints are on the main road); Surf Club in Dando Wada for its live music scene; and Dylan’s Toasted and Roasted on the beach for pancakes, dips and juices.

What to do: Laze round on the beach, listen to music, read a book, practice yoga and meditation, go for sports like kite-surfing and paragliding or play beach volley ball.

How to get around: Though most of Arambol can be accessed on foot, you can also hire a bike or a car.

A baguette for me

One of these weekdays I went to Le Pain Quotidien (pronounced as luh pan koh ti diyan) at Colaba for lunch with my colleague. It's a Belgian bakery-cum-restaurant, serving authentic French cuisine (which you wont find at many places in the country), located very close to the Gateway of India. When you enter the place, an enticing mild whiff of freshly baked bread and pastries greets you, slightly tantalising your taste buds. The balmy wooden environs, and the thriving yet languid pace of the place almost instantly put you at ease. I ordered for the soup of the day, which was a concoction of carrots and coriander. It was at my table in a short while with some crisp baguette and butter. One of the best soups I have had outside my home, it was thick, rich, creamy and very tasteful, and filling too. I was pleasantly satiated with my soup and didn't feel the need to order anything else. For those of you who may be wanting to go for a full-fledged meal, let me tell you that the menu is extensive, with a lot of options to choose from for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is a huge counter displaying a variety of breads and desserts, along with some scrumptious marmalades. And not to forget, there is a selection of wines too at the restaurant.            

Great selection of wines to choose from

Charming view from the first floor

The other good thing about LPQ is that it's spatially engaging and is aesthetically laid-out in two floors, with a charming alfresco section on the first floor. They have something called as a communal table, a long table with many chairs, where you can sit and enjoy your meal with your neighbour, who may be a complete stranger. While you have your brunette, you can indulge in a random conversation and get to know somebody new in this strange big city. All in all, if you are looking for a beautiful eating out experience to linger with you for long, LPQ is where you should go, atleast once.