This image from almost 40 years ago was taken with a Yashica Mat-124 G. The camera was a twin lens reflex with the distinction of being the most affordable medium format camera of its day. Pictures were taken hand-held or on a tripod, typically at waist-level with a flip-up viewfinder. For many folks (me included), the just-over-$100 price tag opened the door to 120 film and square format.
JOHN TODARO 
Welcome back!
Thanks Chris 🖐
When I was in the USAF (a long, long time ago) I bought the Yashica D, the less expensive version of the Mat, for $30 (US). I understand your fondness for the square format. I still find myself shooting with the square in mind and it is usually the first crop I try if I need to crop. Beautiful shot, btw.
Thanks. I’d forgotten about the Yashica D, as well as all those accessories for the cameras.
Great story and picture
Thanks Phyllis 🌟
Great to delve back into the past. Just found some old photos from the early 80s which fitted well with the post I was writing. Old box cameras in town squares! personally, I started with modest Russian Zenit and a cramped darkroom under the stairs.
The Zenit; interesting. I don’t recall ever seeing one of those.
Yep. As a student…..simple and cheap. Remember buying 5 metre tins of Ilford film and rolling my own cartridges!
Good memory. It was a basement darkroom for me through the 70’s. That fragrance of developer and fixer is quite unlike anything else.😊
Way back then, I remember me standing at Mamiya’s and Hasselblad’s booths on Photokina in Cologne holding medium format cameras in my hands like holy objects, unreachable …
Photokina… wow. Never knew anyone who made it there.
I lived about 100 km away from the location then, so it was no case of witchcraft to get there. 😀
No doubt close to one of the Zeiss plants as well.
Financially, not that close.
Your photo brought up wonderful stories – the conversation with Ule was fun. 🙂
Glad you liked the stories ⭐️