Yashica FX-1

I'm aware of this Situation - but currently, atm i can't shell out perhaps ~500 EUR to handle this...it's way over the top, and too much right now. Other-wise, it's a shame, because my RTS III copy looks like new, never being used OTOH. I've never sent it in, it does nothing, when power on....so some suggested, it's the "usual" DC/DC Board being broken...and then, even that is would being fixed, i don't know, about the bleeding blue LCD Panel, inside the Viewfinder...so anyway, it'll cost a lot...you must know, i've put a lot into my Photography Hobby...but not that much, like you.

If I can offer some observations... If you appreciate the FR or FRI, there's only a few differences in layout and it's equal in most respects for functions.

The FX-1 is kind of the grandparent to both the FR and FX series as a whole, with two distinct differences from the later models... it uses a mechanical shutter (with a shutter lock), and unlike the FX-3, it has an 'Auto' mode, if that's a necessary user preference. The location of the battery is a bit odd and might be a bit finicky for some fingers, but I don't mind the setup.

I have a sentimental attachment to analog needle metering cameras, in how they visually help me compare bright and shadow in a scene with a quick pan/tilt of the camera. My brain prefers to see the distance of needle travel to calculate exposure extremes, rather than counting the number of LEDs that switch on and off, or reading the high/low f-stop numbers and calculating some equation. They allow me to work intuitively without too much 'processing'. The FX-1 is as responsive as I could ask for, and takes the same super cheap and easy to find LR44 batteries for power that the FR's and others do.

All of the separate pieces come together to make it seem to be a better alternative in many respects than any of the other FR/FX models. It might be a little heavier, but it's a tank and feels good in-hand. The possible downside is that if you absolutely need a winder and/or intervalometer, or the external battery pack like the FR's have, you might as well use an FR or FR-I and carry a spare FX-3 if your batteries die. The only single C/Y camera alternative might be a Contax S2, which would also get you 1/2000 and 1/4000 speed upgrades, but no Auto mode.

I think the absence of much info on the camera results from the fact that it was essentially a stop-gap until the entry the following year (1976) of the FR; as @gentlegiant implies, it was in essence an amalgam of a classic Yashica M42 SLR with improved electronics and a C/Y mount.  Although it can't utilise any of the Real Time System electronic accessories (as also with the Contax Preview, Yashica FX-3/7 and later Contax S2/S2b and Preview II), it fully deserves its place in the Contax/Yashica pantheon of great 35mm cameras as it's built to last and performs superbly.   Interestingly, the FX-1 was promoted under the title: Yashica FX-I System; the system however merely referred to non-electronic items that could be attached to the camera such as bellows units, microscope adapters, copy stands and the range of Zeiss and Yashica lenses.

I'm ashamed to admit that I do have a few reviews of the FX-1 and FX-2 somewhere among my 1970's magazines but I've never got around to scanning them, although I have scanned a couple of advertisements found in UK publications.  When I can find the time (and the magazines!) I'll get around to some scanning...  I've finally been able to get some drivers for my positively ancient A3 scanner - if it still works it will make recording double-page spreads much easier.

Oh yes, I think you can safely describe it as 'a bit heavy' but many people find the weight of those early C/Y Yashica cameras very reassuring as they can take a bit of a battering and still perform.  All that's needed is a W-50 strap as the extra width really helps to ease the load on the shoulder, especially if you have a heavy lens attached.