- Type: Yashica FX-2
- Serial No: 71003798
- Manufactured: from 1976
- Manufacturer: Yashica
- Shutter: Focal pane curtain
- Shutter speeds: B, 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000
- Lens: Yashica Lens ML 50mm 1:17
- Aperture: 1.7, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16
- Lens Serial No: A20167514
- Lens mount: Y/C
- Last CLA: 01/2012
This quite underrated camera is a cheaper, mechanical and manual pair of the Contax RTS also made by Yashica. Big metal body, great ergonomics, no automation, fully manual shutter. Microprism in the center to help focusing, TTL metering with match needle. Simple, heavy, reliable. Not a beauty but not ugly either. A true workhorse.
To be honest, the only reason I've bought one was the C/Y mount. Contaxes with C/Y mount are too electronic to my taste but I didn't want to forsake the possibility of using those famous Zeiss lenses. I ended up buying an almost new FX-2 with an f/1.7 Yashica lens and a jammed shutter. Getting it repaired, I wanted to try out the f/1.7 and ran a roll of film through it. It was a love for the first sight. I wasn't impressed of the performance of the Yasinon 45mm/1.7 of my Electro 35 GSN but this lens is a completely different story. This lens have soul.
On 1.7 the depth of field is really narrow so focusing is not easy. Better to take multiple shots to have one perfectly focused. But this is not the weakness of the lens nor of the camera. Manual focusing with narrow depth of field is challenging. That's why we like it.
So this is a big, heavy, fully manual camera which is easy to use. If you need something reliable: this is it. If you don't want to struggle with the "specialties" of an old camera but want to go analog: choose this one. Cheap. Great lenses. If I must say something against it, there is only one thing: the shutter is inexplicably loud. But that's it. Nothing else. I've tried it for night shots and it was very handy in the dark too. And the photos it took...
Shall I say more? Go and buy one.
(No links this time because this camera handles so evidently that there is no need for more information. Just get one and enjoy using it.)
