Around 1959–1960, Yashica acquired the assets of the bankrupt Zunow Optical Industry Co. Ltd.[6][7] Though a small company, Zunow had become known for limited production of a very advanced 35 mm SLR camera, along with several high-quality, fast 35 mm camera and 8mm cine (movie) lens designs and a proprietary bayonet-mount lens system similar to that of Yashica Pentamatic.

With the assistance of Tomioka Optical Works, Yashica adapted Zunow lens designs into its own 8mm turret cine (movie) cameras.

Sales of 35 mm SLRs continued to grow steadily, and Yashica was quickly acquiring a reputation for both electronic camera expertise and high-quality optics.

In 1968, Yashica introduced the TL Electro-X 35 mm single lens reflex (SLR) camera and produced it until 1974.

It also had an all-electronic through-the-lens exposure meter in the viewfinder using lighted arrows (not true LEDs, which were first introduced with the Fujica ST801).

[13] Settings to the shutter speed and aperture had to be made manually but it allowed the camera to be used without an additional handheld meter.

[14] In 1973, Yashica the company began Top Secret Project 130, a collaboration with Carl Zeiss that produced the RTS (for "real time system"), a new, professional 35 mm SLR with an electronically controlled shutter bearing the Contax brand.

In contemporaneous tests, the FR was described as being tougher in some ways than the more expensive Contax RTS, including better sealing against dust and contaminants.

[18] Designed and manufactured to Yashica specifications by Cosina, the affordable FX-3 still incorporated the C/Y lens mount that would also accept Carl Zeiss T* lenses.

Yashica eventually introduced its own autofocus 35 mm SLR camera line that was overpriced and poorly marketed in comparison to its competition.

[20][2][21][22] In 2008, Kyocera sold the trademark rights of Yashica Inc. to Hong Kong-based MF Jebsen Group, and is under its subsidiary JNC Datum Tech International, Limited.

[22] [19] [19] [3] [9] [19] [19] [19] [19] [23] Yashica sold various electronic devices including 8 mm film editing equipment, radios, and tape recorders.