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FOCUSING

Turn the focusing ring while observing the subject in the split-image center spot, microprism collar or matte area of the viewfinder. Split-image Center Spot Precise focus is secured when the images in the diagonal split-image center spot are brought into alignment. Microprism Collar and Matte Area When the multiple glitter disappears in the microprism collar or when the image appears clear and sharp in the matte area, precise focus is secured. * The method of focusing remains the same regardless of whatever lens or accessory is in use. Eyesight Adjustment To permit adjustment of the viewfinder to the eyesight of the individual, eight types of diopter lenes (-5 to +3 diopters) are available.4www.butkus.org

SHOOTING PICTURES

To obtain good results, it is important that the camera be held steady. Erratic movement of the camera at the critical moment of exposure constitutes the most common cause of poor (blurred) photographic results. Before attempting to take your first series of photographs, familiarize yourself with all functional controls. As illustrated, the camera can be held in either horizontal or vertical posture, depending on your photographic requirement. In either case, support your camera firmly with your left hand, with your left elbow held close against your body. Avoid gripping the camera body too firmly with your right hand and press the magnetic release button gently. * For extra steady support, the trunk of a tree or wall of a building or other structure can be used most effectively. * When using a telephoto lens or when making exposure at a slow shutter speed, the use of a tripod is recommended.

AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE

Your Yashica FR I features fully automatic through-the-lens electronic exposure control. By simply presetting the film speed and lens aperture, its exposure control system varies the shutter speed continuously according to subject brightness to assure correct exposure under any light conditions. [1] Turn the shutter control dial to AUTO, and set the exposure compensation dial to 1X.4www.butkus.org [2] Preselect the lens aperture by setting the required f-number to correspond with the index. The following table serves as a guide for selecting the approximate f-number under different lighting conditions when using ASA 100 film.

Light Condition	F-stop
Outdoors under bright sunlight	16, 11,  8
Outdoors (overcast)	5.6,  4,  2.8
Indoors or night photography	2,  1.4

 

[3] While sighting through the viewfinder, press the exposure check button. If exposure is adequate--between the 1/1000 and 1 sec. shutter speeds--focus, compose the picture and release the shutter. * For shutter speeds below 1/30 sec. pictures will blur unless utmost precaution is taken to prevent camera shake. This can be avoided by resetting the aperture ring to a wider lens opening which will give a faster shutter speed. * When shooting at a slow shutter speed is necessary, brace the camera firmly or use a tripod. * When the pointer is in the overexposure zone, correction can be made by stopping the lens aperture down to give less exposure (i.e., f/8 to f/11 or f/16, etc.). A neutral density filter may also be employed for exposure adjustment. * When the pointer is in the long exposure zone, unless extend exposure is desired, open the lens aperture (f/8 to f/5.6 or f/2.8, etc.) to obtain a faster shutter speed. Long exposures (up to 4 seconds) may be made in this zone if a tripod is used.

As the FR I uses an aperture-preferred automatic exposure control system, shutter speeds may be varied by adjusting the aperture ring.  Check, beforehand, that the shutter control dial is set to AUTO and the exposure compensation dial to 1X. [1] Depress the exposure check button and check the shutter speed in the viewfinder. [2] With the exposure check button engaged, turn the aperture ring until the pointer aligns with the desired shutter speed.4www.butkus.org

The following table serves as a guide for preselecting shutter speeds:

Subject	Shutter Speed
Fast-moving objects	1 /1000, 1/500 sec.
Landscape and general outdoor photography	1/250 1/125 or 1/60 sec
Indoor or night photography	1/30 sec. or slower

Exposure Check Button n addition to providing instantaneous exposure readings, the exposure check button may also be locked to give longer readings. To lock the check button, pull the film advance lever out past the edge of the camera to the point where it catches (see illustration) and slide the check button all the way to the right until it locks. To unlock the button, push the film advance lever all the way in toward the shutter control dial. * Once the button has been locked, the film may be wound without disengaging the lock mechanism. * Always make it a point to unlock the button after setting exposure to avoid excessive battery drain.

EXPOSURE COMPENSATION

For normal shooting, the exposure compensation dial should be set to 1 X. When shooting backlit or spotlighted subjects, or when special effects are desired, exposure compensation is required. The exposure compensation scale has four click stop settings (2, 4, 1/2 and 1/4) in addition to 1 X. It can also be used at in-between settings. Operate the dial by rotating it until the required compensation factor aligns with the black index mark. Always remember to return the dial to 1 X when exposure compensation is no longer required.

For Backlit Subjects When shooting against the light or when photographing subjects against a window or bright snow scene, the main subject will be underexposed. To compensate for this and bring out the details of your subject, set the exposure compensation dial to either "2" or "4". The "2" setting doubles the amount of light reaching the film: Thus a shutter speed of 1/250 sec. will automatically lower to 1/125. The "4" setting quadruples the amount of light reaching the film: Thus a shutter speed of 1/250 sec. will automatically lower to 1/60 sec. The top photo was made employing 4X exposure compensation. The bottom photo was made without exposure compensation.

Spotlighted Subjects To prevent overexposure of the main subject resulting from the intensity of spotlighting, it is necessary to reduce the amount of light reaching the film by setting the exposure compensation dial to 1/2 or l/4. The "1/2" setting reduces the amount of light reaching the film by one-half: Thus a shutter speed of 1/250 is automatically increased to 1/500 sec. The "1/4" setting reduces the amount of light reaching the film by one-forth: Thus a shutter speed setting of 1/250 is automatically increased to l /l 000 sec. The top photo was made with 1/4 exposure compensation; exposure compensation was not employed for the bottom photo.

MANUAL OPERATION

The Yashica FR I can also be used on manual for those special occasions when manual control is desired, for flash synchronization and for long exposures at the B setting. When the camera is operated on manual, the shutter will not function at in-between shutter speed settings.

[1] Set the shutter control dial to the desired manual setting. The "M" (manual) indicator will now appear in the lower right-hand portion of the viewfinder.

[2] Press the exposure check button and then rotate the aperture ring until the pointer indicator aligns with the pre selected shutter speed.

* The correct exposure can also be obtained on manual by pre selecting the lens aperture. In this instance, pre select the f-number and press the exposure check button. Then set the shutter control dial to the reading given by the shutter speed pointer.


SELF TIMER

When you wish to include yourself in the picture, mount the camera on a tripod and trip the shutter with the aid of the self-timer. [1] Advance the film and secure precise focus. [2] Shift the self-timer lever on the front-face of the camera body all the way in the direction of the arrow (see illustration). [3] Push the self-timer start lever in the direction of the arrow to activate the self-timer. The shutter will be tripped after a delay of approximately 7 seconds.4www.butkus.org

* When using the self timer for shutter release, slide the rubber eyecup over the viewfinder as illustrated to prevent exposure inaccuracy due to excess light entering through the viewfinder. Then, fold the rubber rim of the eyecup down over the finder.

* If the film advance is incomplete, the self-timer will be activated through manipulation of the self-timer start lever but it will not trip the shutter. In such a case, manipulate the film advance lever to complete the film wind.

* If after activating the self-timer you wish to suspend the self-timer exposure, simply reset the self-timer start lever manually to its original position.

* The magnetic release button will function normally even when the self-timer is charged.


FLASH EXPOSURE

Electronic flash units and flash bulbs greatly aid in making correct exposures with night and indoor photography, and are also useful for providing fill-in light for outdoor shooting.  The FR I uses X flash synchronization.   [1] Slide the flash unit firmly into the camera's accessory shoe. With flash unit's requiring PC cord synchronization, plug the PC cord into the X sync terminal on the camera body. [2] Set the camera's shutter control dial to the flash synchronization (of) setting.

[3] Focus and then read off the camera-to-subject distance on the distance scale of the lens. The correct f-number in correspondence with the subject distance may be computed by dividing the flash unit's guide number by the subject distance. For example, at a distance of 5 meters with a guide number of 20 (ASA 100 in meters), the correct f-number is f/4:

GN 20 / 5 (distance in meters) = f/4

* When the guide number is given in feet, see that the flash-to-subject distance is converted to feet.

* The Contax RTF 540 flash unit with a built-in electromagnetic shutter release can also be employed with the FR I. For operating details, refer to the RTF 540 instruction manual.

* When employing flash bulbs, use the synchronization speeds given in the following table.

Shutter Speed	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1
Flash bulb	O	O	O	O	O

INTENTIONAL MULTIPLE EXPOSURE

Your FR I is capable of producing unique and interesting multiple exposures on a single frame by employing a special technique. [1] Take the first frame in the normal manner.  [2] Then depress the film rewind release button and give the film advance lever a full wind. This charges the electronic shutter system without advancing the film. [3] Press the magnetic release button to make the second exposure. Repeat the same steps for additional exposures. (Keep in mind that the exposure counter will continue to advance each time you make a multiple exposure; thus, you will have more frames left at the end of the roll than the registered count.) * As a general rule, better results with multiple exposures are obtained by superimposing lighter subjects over darker ones. Multiple exposures of equally bright subjects do not come out too well.

INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY

In case of infrared ray photography using the infrared ray film in combination with the red filter, focus must be secured in the normal manner and then compensated accordingly in order to obtain sharp images. The Yashica ML and Zeiss T* lenses feature R index permitting ready compensation of focus.4www.butkus.org First, secure focus in the normal manner without using the filter. Then, read off the subject distance and align it with the R index. After making this compensation, mount the filter over the lens. Always use the red filter when attempting infrared ray photography. For correct exposure setting, refer to the instructions accompanying the infrared ray film.

"B" (Bulb) EXPOSURE

"B" (Bulb) Exposure For exposures longer than one second, set the shutter speed control dial at the "B" setting. As the shutter will remain open for as long as the electromagnetic release button is depressed, always use a tripod to prevent camera movement. Use of the Cable Switch (sold as an optional accessory) is also convenient when shooting at the "B" setting. Release Socket The electromagnetic shutter system of the FR I makes possible use of the camera with various remote release systems and accessories. For such purposes, a release socket is provided to the right of the exposure check button to serve as an auxiliary release and accessory input terminal. The release socket receives the electrical signals for accessories such as the Infrared Controller Set, assorted Cable Switches, the RTF540 flash unit's integral release system and the Data Back recorder among others.

DEPTH OF FIELD PREVIEW/INTERCHANGEABLE BACKS

Depth-of-Field Preview With any one of the Yashica ML or Zeiss T* your Yashica FR I always provides full aperture viewing and focusing. To preview the depth of field, therefore, push in the depth-of-field preview button. The lens diaphragm will close down to the preset aperture as long as the button is kept depressed. To prevent exposure inaccuracy, keep your finger off this button except when previewing the depth of field. Interchanging Camera Backs To interchange the camera back, press the camera back release lug and remove as illustrated.4www.butkus.org The standard camera back can be interchanged with the exclusive data back available as an optional accessory.

DEPTH OF FIELD

When a lens is focused on a given subject, objects in the foreground and background will appear acceptably sharp in the picture. The extent to which all objects will be reproduced acceptably sharp in the picture is called the depth of field.

In the photo taken at f/1,4, the foreground and background objects appear blurred. The depth-of-field scale on the lens barrel will show the extent of the depth of field at different aperture settings. In case the standard 50 mm lens is stopped down to f/16 and focused at 2 meters, this scale will indicate that all objects within the range of about l.5 and 3 meters will appear acceptably sharp in the picture. With a specific lens, the depth of field varies according to the following; [1] It increases as you stop down the lens. [2] It is more extensive in the background than in the foreground. [3] It is more extensive as you focus on a distant subject.

AMBIENT TEMPERATURE

Your Yashica FR I has been tested to function faithfully in ambient temperature ranging from + 45° to--5° C. In extremely low ambient temperature, however, give utmost precaution to the following matters: * A battery which may function properly in normal ambient temperature may not provide the required performance in extremely low temperature. If the battery confirmation lamp fails to come on, replace the battery with a new one or use the battery adapter set available as an optional accessory. * Avoid exposing your camera to excessive temperature fluctuation. When your camera is brought into a warm room suddenly after exposing it to cold outdoor temperature or vice versa, small droplets of water may accumulate on the internal mechanism. If left in this state corrosion may set in, causing serious malfunctions. Protect your camera from excessive temperature fluctuation as much as possible.

CAMERA CARE
* Do not expose your camera to excessive heat. Never leave it in direct sunlight or in the glove compartment, trunk or on the rear seat shelf of your car. Exposure to excessive heat may adversely affect the film emulsion, battery and/or camera systems and cause exposure inaccuracy. If it is accidentally exposed to heat, leave the camera to cool to normal temperature before attempting to use it.

* Knocks and jolts, as well as exposure to humidity and sea breeze are counted among the common causes of malfunction. To obtain maximum service, take good care of your camera and avoid rough handling.

* Do not keep the shutter charged when your camera is to be left unused over any great length of time. If possible, take the battery out of its compartment.

* Never expose your camera to sudden changes in temperature, because the electrical contacts may corrode, thus causing malfunction due to poor electrical contact.



Precautions
* Before installing the battery in the battery compartment, wipe both ends with a clean, dry cloth. Oily smears on the battery ends may cause poor contact.

* In case your camera is to be left unused over a great length of time, take out the battery from its compartment.

* When going out on a long trip, take along a couple of spare batteries.

* To avoid hazards, do not attempt to dismantle the battery or to throw it into open fire.

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