Yashica FRI and Minolta X700 - You like?

[Johnmcd]

Just picked up these two beauties (thanks Rif). First impressions is that the X700 has one of the brightest VF's I've ever used and feels great in the hand with the motor drive. BTW, that MD has got to be one of the loudest!

The FRI is a solid beast and probably weights as much as the X700 with the MD and batteries. Looking forward to seeing what the lens is capable of.

I would love to hear what any owners, past or present, might think. Film is loaded in both. What can an OM user expect?

Cheers - John

 

[colyn]

I've owned a couple of X700's and liked them a lot. I wasn't much fond of the motor though. Just didn't feel right to me.. The FR1 is also a rock solid camera well built. Yashica has alway had excellent quality lens so you should enjoy using this camera..

 

[JeffL]

I am a fan of Yashica and Contax. I have both Yashica FR and FR1 and they are great cameras. My ML 50 1.4 is very sharp. ML lenses were Yashica's best. The 21 and 24mm and 55 macro were very good.
The film counter on almost all of the FR series will have stopped working. Inside is a small white (nylon?) gear that splits and doesn't turn the counter in the window. The camera will still work, you just have to remember how many frames you've shot.
Good luck, you have two really nice cameras there.

 

[p.giannakis]

I really like the X-700. As you said the viewfinder is very bright and crisp. I used it in aperture priority mostly and the exposures were always accurate. The only criticism is the noticeable shutter lag, it is due to Minolta's "Final check" system...something... It is much better than the XD's ridiculous lag though...

 

[Johnmcd]

I am a fan of Yashica and Contax. I have both Yashica FR and FR1 and they are great cameras. My ML 50 1.4 is very sharp. ML lenses were Yashica's best. The 21 and 24mm and 55 macro were very good.
The film counter on almost all of the FR series will have stopped working. Inside is a small white (nylon?) gear that splits and doesn't turn the counter in the window. The camera will still work, you just have to remember how many frames you've shot.
Good luck, you have two really nice cameras there.

Yes, I heard about the film counter. So far mine still works 🙂

Cheers - John

 

[Johnmcd]

I really like the X-700. As you said the viewfinder is very bright and crisp. I used it in aperture priority mostly and the exposures were always accurate. The only criticism is the noticeable shutter lag, it is due to Minolta's "Final check" system...something... It is much better than the XD's ridiculous lag though...

Great looking example. The green actually works really well. I'll experience the lag soon when I shoot that a roll. Thanks for the sharing.

Cheers - John

 

[Greyscale]

I like the FR I, it is the poor man's Contax RTS. It can even use the RTS winder. I've had several, and not one had a working frame counter.

 

[Johnmcd]

I like the FR I, it is the poor man's Contax RTS. It can even use the RTS winder. I've had several, and not one had a working frame counter.

I'm lucky with the counter then 🙂. Thanks for the winder info.

Cheers - John

 

[santino]

the ml lens is def. a keeper. it actually outperforms the planar imo and has more aperture blades. the fr1 is a nice and solid camera!

 

[Penny Lane]

Should anyone want to try to fix the frame counter on their FR/FR-I/FR-II, here's a how-to: http://www.cdegroot.com/photo-yashica/fr1-repair/ with a pic of what goes wrong here: http://www.cdegroot.com/photo-yashica/fr1-repair/fr1_inside.jpg

I've done it once on an FR with these instructions, and that counter now works. So it is possible to get those counters back up & running. The question is if you'd want to bother.

Derk

 

[JeffL]

Thanks Derk

 

[Johnmcd]

Thanks Dirk great stuff if mine goes south.

 

[Johnmcd]

First roll for the X700. Delta 100 in Ilfosol 3. It's a keeper! Next the Yashica...

Cheers - John

 

[ronnies]

I like my FR I a lot. I have the same 50/1.4 and it's a great performer.

The only niggley bit about the FR series is the meter switch on the back. Having to press that to get a meter reading is a bit more fiddly than the half shutter press. Luckily you can lock it on by sliding it to the right and pulling the wind on lever out.

Ronnie

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I was very pleased with my Yashica FR-1 outfit. It's one of the few cameras I ever bought new, around 1980. I used it for press and personal work for a couple of years and then sold it on at a surprisingly small loss. I had the 28, 50 and 135 lenses, which I thought as good, in real terms, as any other 135 format lenses I've ever used.

It was the kind of outfit that encouraged experimentation...

 

[Johnmcd]

I was very pleased with my Yashica FR-1 outfit. It's one of the few cameras I ever bought new, around 1980. I used it for press and personal work for a couple of years and then sold it on at a surprisingly small loss. I had the 28, 50 and 135 lenses, which I thought as good, in real terms, as any other 135 format lenses I've ever used.

It was the kind of outfit that encouraged experimentation...

Nice effect. I'll certainly be on the look out for those other lenses.

Cheers - John

 

[truefriendship]

You are a film-meister, John. I bet you'd make a Holga sing!

The students at your FILM WORKSHOP in a few weeks won't know what's hit 'em!

~Rif

 

[Johnmcd]

You are a film-meister, John. I bet you'd make a Holga sing!

The students at your FILM WORKSHOP in a few weeks won't know what's hit 'em!

~Rif

Thanks Rif. Not much interest yet though 🙁