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on Sept 15, 2014 20:23:49 GMT
Posted: Sept 15, 2014 20:23:49 GMT
I just thought that we should add a forgotten hero - a not so-distant cousin of the Yashica FX-3 Super - to our Forum: the Braun SR2000Y.
This is the last ever camera to be made with a C/Y mount - indeed it was in production a few years after the last Yashica with a manual mount. It has the same specification as the FX3 Super although it does have uprated electronic components and was twinned with a Braun-labelled Ultralit 28-70mm lens made by Cosina's Chinese factory. It came bundled with a durable camera case, strap and lens hood and feels just like its FX-3 predecessors.
I take it for an airing every so often and its meter is absolutely spot on as are its shutter speeds; on mine, the 1:2000 is actually 1:2005 so I'm not complaining. Twinned with the ML 50 1.4, shown below, it's a real pleasure to use. 
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on Sept 15, 2014 22:22:22 GMT
Posted: Sept 15, 2014 22:22:22 GMT
Gee, the only German in this group (?) didn't even know that such a camera existed. A quick check on German eBay tells me that the Braun2000 (without Y), sporting a Pentax K mount, is still available at asking prices ranging between 70 and 120 euros. The C/Y mount Braun, however, seems to be rather a rare bird.
Thanks for the info anyway. I never stop learning from you guys.
Michael
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on Sept 16, 2014 2:25:24 GMT
Posted: Sept 16, 2014 2:25:24 GMT
Hi Michael,
It's such fun being part of this Forum as we all learn from each other. Just when I think there's nothing more to know about Contax/Yashica, something pops up that's quite unexpected...
Talking of great things German - just for the sheer fun of it, I sometimes take the little SR2000Y for a shoot along with my old Braun F900 flash gun - that is one heck of a Braun combination! That flash gets everyone's attention as it's a real monster. I've got around the problem of the non-availability of the rechargeable battery with a slightly dodgy alternative rechargeable cell that required a lot of cutting and soldering, looks awful, but does the business. Although nothing for me beats the Contax RTF540 - the T version rather than the standard RTF540 - for versatility, I do love the raw power of the Braun - sometimes I use the F900 with its F910 companion and a lovely old Braun 380BVC for fill-in in a multi-flash set-up. Great build quality in those old Braun flashes.
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on Sept 18, 2014 2:47:35 GMT
Posted: Sept 18, 2014 2:47:35 GMT
Alright, another variation to keep a look out for. You never know when or where one of those might show up.
PF
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on Sept 18, 2014 21:49:45 GMT
Posted: Sept 18, 2014 21:49:45 GMT
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on Sept 18, 2014 23:13:21 GMT
Posted: Sept 18, 2014 23:13:21 GMT
I don't know if that is actually the last C/Y mount camera produced, I recall seeing very recent info regarding a camera being sold with the Kenko brand that features the C/Y mount, I will dig around and see if I can find it.
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on Sept 18, 2014 23:18:04 GMT
Last Edit: Sept 18, 2014 23:24:41 GMT by greyscale
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on Sept 19, 2014 13:16:27 GMT
Posted: Sept 19, 2014 13:16:27 GMT
Well done in finding these two C/Y mount cameras! I was not aware of either of them so we have another 2 we can add to our camera list - even though their specs are all pretty similar. The FX-3 Super lives on.... |
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on Sept 20, 2014 0:21:32 GMT
Posted: Sept 20, 2014 0:21:32 GMT
As to the Braun SR 2000, it seems I was a little too enthusiastic; at least my research in German user reviews yielded some less than favourable assessments, saying the camera looked cheap, was cheaply made (with lots of plastic) and sported a very poor and virtually useless focusing screen. Hence, I might actually be able to resist this temptation...  Michael |
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on Sept 20, 2014 2:15:17 GMT
Posted: Sept 20, 2014 2:15:17 GMT
As to the Braun SR 2000, it seems I was a little too enthusiastic; at least my research in German user reviews yielded some less than favourable assessments, saying the camera looked cheap, was cheaply made (with lots of plastic) and sported a very poor and virtually useless focusing screen. Hence, I might actually be able to resist this temptation... Michael The same could be said of many reviews of the original FX-3 and FX-3 Super/Super 2000, Michael, most written by people expecting perhaps too much of what is, by design, a quite basic camera. |
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on Sept 20, 2014 13:22:41 GMT
Posted: Sept 20, 2014 13:22:41 GMT
Hi Michael,
The camera would never win a design award, that's for sure, but it is what it is - a simple, basic camera with an accurate meter and shutter on which you can place a Zeiss or Yashica lens and take great photos. It's only got a 92% field of view, but the viewfinder is bright enough with a good, diagonal, split screen and I've had no problems focusing other than in very low light. It does feel light and uses the latest Engineering Thermoplastics which are pretty resilient but no one is pretending it's a pro-spec designed for durability. It's an excellent back-up camera and I'm happy to use it - especially in places where I'd be nervous about possible damage to my S2b. Oh yes, and no nasty leatherette to worry about... It's essentially a FX-3 Super in someone else's clothes; nothing more, nothing less.
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on Sept 20, 2014 23:37:07 GMT
Posted: Sept 20, 2014 23:37:07 GMT
Yes, I get the picture now. It's just that the photographs in the Leica Shop offer led me to believe the Braun had a far more sophisticated (metal) finish than it actually has. Design-wise I still like it very much, by the way.
When it comes to back-up bodies, however, I shall stick to the Yashica 108MP dealt with in an extra thread here. I think its price/performance ratio is hard to beat.
Michael
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on Sept 21, 2014 1:16:15 GMT
Posted: Sept 21, 2014 1:16:15 GMT
My biggest gripe with the FX-3 Super 2000 is the viewfinder information. To me it was hard to tell if I had the exposure correctly set. Other than that, mine has a good set of coverings, not like that bloated crap that came on the FX-D. It's a good handling camera, with all the controls where they should be, and though it's super light it doesn't feel cheap. I may have to give it a go again to see if I can come to grips with it's viewfinder operation. I was kind of in a rush the one time I used it.
PF
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on Apr 27, 2015 3:18:59 GMT
Posted: Apr 27, 2015 3:18:59 GMT
I don't know if that is actually the last C/Y mount camera produced, I recall seeing very recent info regarding a camera being sold with the Kenko brand that features the C/Y mount, I will dig around and see if I can find it. Just when I think I know it all, I am once again reminded not to be so arrogant. There is another Yashica camera produced under a different brand name purely for Japan: Yodobashi 30th Anniversary. Although it carries the Kyocera name on the front plate, the pentaprism has the name YODOBASHI in bold letters with 'The 30th Anniversary' on the top of the front plate. It was matched with the 28-80 MC zoom and was actually a rebadged 108MP and produced in 1990. It was made for the famed Japanese camera shop of the same name.
And there was also a Yashica FX-80 produced exclusively for China - again a rebadged 108MP.
What next.....?
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on Apr 27, 2015 10:32:39 GMT
Posted: Apr 27, 2015 10:32:39 GMT
I remember seeing the Braun, and recognising it instantly as a rebadged FX-3. An earlier post mentions the shutter accuracy at top speed. The top two speeds on my FX-3 measure at 501 and 980, and on my 108 the top two speeds are 980 and 1917. In terms of 'stops', that's better than 0.06 stops. I don't have any exposure meter that accurate. The mechanical FX-3's accuracy is better than my Contax RTS.
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