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 TL Electro X ITS (c. 1969) is a variant of the TL Electro X, Yashica's M42-mount 35mm SLR that introduced one of the earliest LED-based exposure indicator displays inside the viewfinder. The base TL Electro X debuted in 1968; the ITS (sometimes catalogued as ITU) variant followed within a year or two with refinements to the shutter speed dial interface and possibly a revised meter coupling. The mechanical horizontal cloth shutter runs to 1/1000s, TTL stop-down CdS metering drives red/green LED arrows visible through the eyepiece, and the camera operates as a fully manual exposure system. It accepts the complete M42 screwthread lens range.
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.
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About this camera
A refined variant of Yashica's LED-metered M42 SLR, adding an improved shutter interface.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | M42 |
| Years | ~1969 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s + B, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL stop-down CdS with LED arrows |
| Modes | Manual |
| Battery | 1x PX625 mercury (meter only) |
| Mechanical fallback | Yes |
The TL Electro X family sits between Yashica's earlier, non-TTL M42 bodies (such as the Pentamatic and J series) and the later, fully modern FX-series bodies that debuted with the C/Y mount in 1975. When the original TL Electro X shipped in 1968, its LED indicator arrows in the finder were a genuine engineering novelty - the Fujica ST801, often credited with popularizing this feature, arrived four years later. The ITS variant extended the model's commercial life while Yashica developed its next-generation system with Carl Zeiss and Porsche Design (the Contax RTS, 1975). Production of the M42-mount TL line concluded around 1972-1973 as Yashica committed to the new mount.
For collectors the ITS designation is a minor variant hunt: spotting the suffix on a camera body or original box is the primary differentiator. Functionally it is near-identical to the base TL Electro X and shares all the same strengths - the pioneering LED meter, M42 lens compatibility, full mechanical fallback. The LED display predating the Fujica ST801 is a fact often cited incorrectly in camera community discussions; the TL Electro X line established this feature in 1968. Yashica's partnership with Carl Zeiss (formalized 1974 with the Contax RTS) has since elevated the brand's collector profile, bringing more attention to the pre-Contax M42 bodies.
Mount: M42 (Pentax screwthread). All M42 lenses compatible subject to flange distance.
TTL metering requires stop-down: aperture ring must be set to working aperture before reading meter.
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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