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 FX-D Quartz, introduced around 1980, is an electronically controlled aperture-priority SLR sharing the Contax/Yashica mount with the premium Contax RTS line. The defining feature is its quartz crystal oscillator, which regulates shutter timing for improved accuracy across the exposure range - a novelty at its price point in the early 1980s. It offers aperture-priority AE and full manual control, a center-weighted silicon meter, and automatic film-advance integration via a self-cocking mechanism. The FX-D was positioned as the competent mid-range body in Yashica's C/Y lineup, giving access to Carl Zeiss T* optics at a substantially lower price than any Contax body.
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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Before you buy used
About this camera
Yashica's 1980 aperture-priority workhorse with a quartz-regulated shutter, sharing the Carl Zeiss-compatible C/Y mount.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Contax/Yashica (C/Y) |
| Years | ~1980 – ~1986 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/1000s + B, electronic vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | Center-weighted silicon |
| EV range | ~EV 1 – EV 18 |
| Modes | Aperture-priority, Manual |
| Weight | ~560 g |
| Battery | 2x LR44 / SR44 |
Yashica introduced the C/Y mount in 1975 in cooperation with Zeiss and Contax for the revived Contax RTS flagship. The FX-D Quartz followed Yashica's earlier FR and FR-I bodies, which had launched the company's C/Y-compatible line for budget-conscious shooters. The "Quartz" designation was prominent marketing language of the early 1980s, borrowed from the watch industry's precision connotations; several manufacturers used quartz timing in shutter mechanisms during this period to differentiate their electronics from less stable RC-oscillator-controlled bodies.
The FX-D was succeeded by the simplified Yashica FX-3 and the long-running FX-3 Super 2000, which raised the top shutter speed to 1/2000s and became the de facto budget entry point to the C/Y system through the 1990s.
The FX-D Quartz sits at an interesting intersection: it is fully capable in aperture-priority operation, accepts every Carl Zeiss Planar, Distagon, and Sonnar T* lens made for the C/Y mount, and costs a fraction of what a Contax RTS or ST commands on the used market. For contemporary film shooters seeking affordable access to Zeiss glass in a body that actually works as a camera rather than a display piece, the FX-D is a practical and undervalued option.
The quartz shutter regulation, while not transformative in practice, reflects an earnest engineering effort at this price tier and produces consistent exposures that hold up well when tested.
Full Contax/Yashica (C/Y) mount compatibility. Representative pairings:
The FX-D accepts Contax/Yashica system flashes and a motor drive (compatibility varies by variant).
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.
View profile →Yashica FX-D Quartz
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