Group: Moderator
Post: 2,040 (563 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Aug 21, 2019 21:37:59 GMT
Posted: Aug 21, 2019 21:37:59 GMT
Hi Folks,
I can't help loving the old Yashica FR cameras. Almost as heavy as a Contax RTS, gentler on the hands than the FX-1 and built to last (well, most of it).
I only adopted the FRII after joining this Forum as I could not see its purpose as an owner of the FR and FRI but I bought one and have enjoyed running a few films through it though I prefer to be able to take full control. So, I thought it long overdue to show this piccie of the three FR types.
The FR Series
And the only bits of the FRs that weren't built to quite the same standard as the body and shutter? Well, those would be the dreaded plastic film counter cog and the oft-failing self-timer. It's worth remembering that the FRI utilises the same Sugaya shutter as the Contax RTS, just detuned a tad at the top end.
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Group: Administrator
Post: 1,370 (301 liked)
Join date: February 2017
Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
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on Aug 22, 2019 14:39:08 GMT
Posted: Aug 22, 2019 14:39:08 GMT
The FR I was my first-ever new camera, and at the time its feature set seemed to exceed what was available from Nikon's or Canon's prosumer lines (FE, FM, or AV-1, A-1, AE-1), and didn't cost anywhere near as much as their pro lines - where it pretty much equaled those features. I wasn't a fan of shutter priority (then, or now) but the FR I offered aperture priority auto mode if I'd need anything beyond manual. The lenses I bought at the same time - ML 50,1.4, ML 35,2.8, ML 2x, and a YUS 135,2.8 - were (in my experience) better than the competitors of the same size and speed. Oddly enough, that includes the YUS 135 in that comparison too. It was far better than the price would suggest. I never had any counter gearing issues, but that could be due to the FR winder I used from day 1, and didn't over-torque the gears via the lever. The Nikon and Canon users I new at the time chuckled a bit when they first saw the kit I used... until they saw the photos. The pointing and rib-poking stopped shortly after. Reading this post also reminded me that I purchased the gear as a mail-in order from a magazine ad from 17th St. Photo in NY. My local camera store didn't have any of what I wanted, and their prices to order them for me were pretty much at full retail. Here's a similar ad from Popular Photography of August, 1981 that shows the FR, FR I, and FR II and lenses on the same page. |
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Group: Moderator
Post: 2,040 (563 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Aug 22, 2019 18:55:41 GMT
Posted: Aug 22, 2019 18:55:41 GMT
Hi lumiworx,
A good memory, one's first purchase of a new camera! Although it's now unfashionable, the weight of the FR cameras was somehow reassuring and one felt that the combination of the light shutter button and 24 ounces (without the lens) reduced the likelihood of camera shake. It also hinted at superior build quality.
That 1981 ad makes very interesting reading - a Yashicamat 124G cost less than a FRI body; I wish that was still the case! And looking at the lenses, the $35 price differential between the ML 70-210 and the 80-200 is telling and that ML 28-50 is the most expensive zoom made by Yashica - indeed their 3rd most expensive lens - and worth every penny; it's lovely to see two of Yashica's legends in a price list. And I'm reminded that I need to revisit the DSB 38-90 f3.5 Macro..
It's also interesting to note that the Yashica camera that has best retained its popularity and value is the FX-3 - a simple mechanical SLR that just seems to keep on going, in all three of its iterations. |
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