2026-11-13 Yashica FX-3 Camera Repair

    This Yashica FX-3 (1979-1984, black body) was in a bargain bin because the film rewind crank—that has to be lifted to release the film back for loading—was stuck out. You couldn’t press it back into the body and if memory serves me well you couldn’t rotate it either. At the time of purchase the seller joked you could always try smashing the camera on something solid to drive the crank back level with the deck (DO NOT DO THIS!! The fix is really simple). We will give you the repair at the end.
    

The camera would advance and fire quite happily. The self timer worked. Sure there was a large crack in the pentaprism bump (see the crack running between the “S” and “H in Yashica) but the view through the eyepiece was fine. The body covering was ripped and pieces of it were missing too.
    As for the tattered body covering, this is common to several cameras of this time period. When new it made the camera feel great in your fingers, giving a smooth easy-to-wipe cushioned grip.  But the material delaminated and the smooth top layer tore. The common solution is to buy a new precut body cover on the internet. Some have cut their own materials. I just removed all the top layer. It leaves you with a camera that feels upholstered in leather. It will pick up dirt until quite unsightly, but I enjoy its feel while it lasts.
    Yashica didn’t make the FX-3. The camera was subcontracted to Cosina who beside making their own cameras were making cameras for Yashica, Nikon and Olympus too. Cosina has a high reputation for making excellent cameras.  

    The FX-3 had a simple exposure system. You pressed the exposure check button on the back under the tip of the advance arm. There were three LED’s that you adjusted shutter speed and/or aperture until the middle green LED came on. If the top red and the middle green LEDs were lit the exposure was ½ stop overexposed. If the bottom and the middle were lit the exposure was ½ stop underexposed.
    Incidentally this brings up a problem with the FX-3 being used for astrophotography time exposures. Because the top red LED will light during the entire time exposure some red veiling of the frame will occur. Once you know this will happen the cure is simple. Take the batteries out of the camera if you are using the camera for time exposures!
    Now the fix for the stuck out rewind shaft. Take the three screws out of the camera’s bottom. On the latch side of the bottom there will be a small tab. Press that tab up into the body and the back will release. To handle the stuck up shaft, in the cassette well inside look up into the hole through the camera’s top deck the shaft goes through and you will see a small metal tab has slid into the shaft. Press that small tab back until the shaft can be pressed back towards the deck. The camera should now be workable and you can replace the bottom’s three screws.
    Without taking the top deck off to investigate further you will have to be careful not to rank the rewind shaft too far up. Just lift it gently until the back releases and stop tugging. You can break the camera again using force, so don’t!
    Evidentially there is a second solution to getting camera backs open. The camera’s front covering can be peeled back along the side edge to reveal a plate with two screws holding it in place. If you remove the screws and the plate you will find a latch plate. 

CAUTION: This plate often has a spring running along the edge that will try to escape. Try to keep the spring contained to make it easier to find if it does get loose.
    Sliding the latch plate will open the back, but you may have to do more work with the film cassette spool end to fix the original problem.