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-Mat EMR (1973) is a 6x6cm twin-lens reflex camera for 120 film, fitting twelve exposures per roll. It is a direct refinement of the Yashica-Mat EM, retaining the fully automatic exposure system but replacing the earlier needle-readout meter with a rotary CdS meter dial that is easier to read at the waist-level shooting position. Like all cameras in the Mat line, it carries a fixed Yashinon 80mm f/3.5 taking lens in a leaf shutter and advances film with a side-mounted crank.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — 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.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →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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About this camera
A refined, metered 6x6 TLR — the Mat EM reworked with a more practical rotary CdS meter dial.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 film, 6x6cm (12 exp per roll) |
| Mount | Fixed |
| Taking lens | Yashinon 80mm f/3.5 |
| Viewing lens | Yashinon 80mm f/2.8 |
| Years | 1973 |
| Shutter | Leaf: 1s – 1/500s + B |
| Flash sync | X-sync |
| Meter | CdS rotary dial |
| Exposure modes | Manual (meter-aided) |
| Film advance | Side crank handle |
| Viewfinder | Waist-level, ground glass + sports finder |
| Battery | 1x PX625 mercury equivalent (1.35V) |
| Weight | ~ |
Yashica introduced the Mat EM in the mid-1960s as the first Mat-series TLR with a built-in exposure meter, using a selenium cell that required no battery. The Mat EM was later updated to a CdS metering system demanding a battery but extending the useful meter range into lower light levels. The EMR is a further iteration of this CdS-metered configuration, distinguished primarily by the redesigned rotary meter readout that suits the downward viewing angle inherent to waist-level TLR use.
By 1973 the Mat line had been in production for sixteen years. The EMR arrived late in the lineage, after the Mat 124 had already introduced dual 120/220 compatibility. The EMR's omission of 220 compatibility positions it as a concurrent or slightly overlapping variant rather than a successor in the strict sense. The Mat 124G, introduced in 1970 and running through 1986, became the line's canonical endpoint; the EMR is a less well-documented parallel model that appeals to collectors seeking the rotary meter interface.
The EMR's rotary CdS meter dial addresses a genuine ergonomic complaint with TLR metering: reading a conventional needle display at waist level requires tilting the camera, which disturbs the composition. The rotary dial — positioned to be readable straight down into the finder hood — keeps the photographer's eyes on the subject. This is a small but considered improvement that reflects the accumulated ergonomic thinking Yashica applied to the Mat line over its seventeen-year run.
For modern users the EMR is an affordable entry into the metered Mat family. The meter may require a PX625 mercury-equivalent battery for accurate readings; modern zinc-air or alkaline replacements can introduce minor exposure errors due to the voltage difference (1.5V vs 1.35V), but many photographers find the latitude of ISO 100-400 negative films forgiving enough to absorb the discrepancy.
The Yashinon 80mm f/3.5 taking lens is fixed and non-interchangeable. Compatible accessories:
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →Yashica Mat EMR
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