C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Yashica FR (~1976) is the inaugural Yashica SLR built around the Contax/Yashica (C/Y) bayonet mount - the lens mount co-developed by Yashica and Carl Zeiss for the Contax RTS (1975) and Yashica's own FX-1. The FR is a mechanical-shutter body offering both manual and aperture-priority automatic exposure modes, with TTL center-weighted CdS metering and a cloth horizontal focal-plane shutter running from 1 second to 1/1000s. The mechanical shutter operates independently of battery power at all speeds, with electronics used solely for metering and the aperture-priority automation.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
Expect to pay $60-180 depending on condition and whether a lens is included. The FR's relative obscurity within the C/Y system occasionally makes it underpriced compared to the FR-I for equivalent mechanical condition.
About this camera
The first C/Y-mount Yashica SLR: the mechanical bridge between the M42 era and the Zeiss partnership.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Contax/Yashica (C/Y) |
| Introduced | ~1976-1977 |
| Shutter | ~1s - 1/1000s + B, cloth horizontal focal-plane |
| Flash sync | ~1/60s (X sync) |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted CdS |
| ISO range | ~25 - 1600 |
| Modes | Manual, Aperture-priority |
| Battery | 2x SR44 (meter and auto-exposure) |
| Mechanical fallback | Yes (shutter fires without battery) |
The Yashica FR emerged directly from the 1975 Contax/Yashica partnership. When Yashica and Carl Zeiss announced the new C/Y bayonet mount - designed to replace both Yashica's M42 and Contax's Nikon-F-based prototype mount - it created an immediate need for Yashica-branded bodies that could fill the market below the Contax RTS flagship. The FX-1 was Yashica's first C/Y body; the FR followed as a more consumer-accessible entry offering aperture-priority automation alongside full manual control.
The FR was short-lived as a standalone model. The FR-I and later FR-II refined the formula, and the parallel FX line (FX-3, FX-7) took over the volume consumer role by the early 1980s. The FR's significance is as the proof-of-concept that a single C/Y mount could span from the Zeiss-optically-engineered Contax RTS to a mid-market Yashica body without compromising lens compatibility.
Yashica's C/Y body line continued through the 1980s and into the 1990s before the parent company Kyocera wound down the Contax and Yashica film SLR brands in the early 2000s.
The FR is the entry point of Yashica's C/Y story. The same bayonet mount on the FR accepts every Carl Zeiss C/Y lens ever made - Planar T* 50/1.4, Distagon T* 28/2.8, Sonnar T* 85/2.8, and the full Contax/Yashica catalog - at the same mechanical compatibility as the professional Contax bodies that shared the mount. This cross-compatibility is the defining feature of the C/Y system and the FR demonstrates it in its earliest accessible form.
For contemporary photographers, the FR represents the most historically interesting entry into the C/Y ecosystem: an early-production mechanical body with aperture-priority at a lower price point than the Contax RTS, usable with the full range of Zeiss glass that commands premium prices today. The mechanical shutter's independence from battery power adds reliability not shared by fully electronic contemporaries.
The Contax/Yashica (C/Y) mount is the defining feature. All C/Y lenses - Zeiss and Yashica ML - mount and meter correctly:
The C/Y mount also adapts to modern mirrorless cameras (Sony E, Fuji X, Nikon Z, Canon RF) via passive adapters, making C/Y glass a viable choice for hybrid film/digital shooters - though that is a contemporary consideration, not a period-correct one.
Winders and motor drives compatible with the FR line are less common than those for the Contax RTS system; verify compatibility before purchasing any accessory drive.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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Image coming soon