Yashica FX-3: shutter / mirror noise

[BradS]

I bought a very lightly used Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 about a year ago. I love the thing. It is small, light weight, and came with some really excellent glass. The shutter / mirror noise is really starting to annoy me though. Anybody have any suggestions on how to quiet this thing down?

 

[naeroscatu]

These cameras have been around for a while and from my experience light seals on 20+ years old cameras start to melt. That includes the mirror foam shock-absorber. I do not have this model myself and I may be wrong but this is one of the reasons why mirrors make noise when slamming on the base of the prism. Sticky or damaged foam needs to be replaced.
If light seals and mirror foam are ok then probably this model is noisy - others may confirm.
On my cameras Praktica is by far the loudest. cheers

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Ahhh.My first slr.
Could be mirror slap because of bad foam.In a real pinch you can use the felt from a film cassette to replace the seal.Best bet is to get one of Jon Goodman's excellent kits.
Just cycled my FX-3 and it is a bit loud.Nothing like the "Door Slam" of the Praktica Super.Stealthy,not!

 

[BradS]

Mirror foam was my first instinct too but, this thing is in like new condition...everything looks great including the mirror foam.

I don't think it is that old. It is the last of the FX-3 line - it is the all plastic model without even any leatherette to flake off. Was made by Kyocera. It might be as much as ten or twelve year old....at most.

Maybe, it's just a noisey model?

 

[Shawn Rahman]

I've always found the obsession with shutter noise a little strange. Granted my 35s are relatively quiet Nikons (F100 and F3HP), but I can't imagine even the noisiest SLRs so prohibitive that you can't use them on the street or outside. How close do you have to be to the camera to hear the shutter noise on a regular street?

But I've long admired the compactness of the FX-3, and am considering getting one so I can use with some Zeiss lenses. Good luck, and enjoy!

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Mine is 20 years plus in age.Maybe the build quality went down in later models.

 

[BradS]

Mine is 20 years plus in age. Maybe the build quality went down in later models.

Build quality of this newer one may may actually be better than that of the older versions, but, certainly, the materials have changed.

 

[chop61]

My dad had one. I had an FX-2, they are just loud.

 

[frdrx]

I use and love (to a certain degree) a Yashica FX-3 Super. Mine is made in Japan and had all its foam replaced recently. It is just as loud as any Praktica I had in my hands, and the mirror/shutter-induced vibration is pretty bad compared to my other cameras. I need to concentrate far more with the Yashica to take sharp pictures. I can imagine hating this thing, probably as much as I used to hate my Praktica BX20, but for the price I paid, I think it is superb, especially in places I wouldn't want to take my precious Contax to. It has a good viewfinder, and the shutter OK. I've replaced the Yashica's winding lever with one from a broken Contax RTS II, and this modification has made a huge improvement. I don't like the inconsistent film spacing, though. Frames do not overlap, but many are so tightly spaced that it is a pain to cut them into slides. Does anyone know if this is normal? Could it be a sing of an impeding failure? I'm quite content with the ML F1.9/50mm, although it is clearly inferior to my Planar. I think it is of similar quality to the Pentacon F1.8/50mm I once had.

 

[Stew]

I have two of these cameras. One of them was bought new in 1995, and the other used. Both of them are noisy ,so I guess that's just the way they are.