Konica FR

Name: Konica FR
Brand: Konica

The Konica FR is a compact, fully manual 35mm SLR with aperture-priority auto-exposure. It was introduced in 1976 as a lighter, simpler successor to the Autoreflex T3. It sits between that camera and the later FT-1 in Konica's lineup - a more affordable companion to the motorized FS-1, whose body shell it largely shares minus the built-in winder. The FR uses the Konica AR bayonet mount. The shutter is an all-metal, vertically-traveling Copal focal-plane unit with speeds from 1 sec. to 1/1000 sec. plus B, and X-sync at 1/125 sec.

Metering is TTL center-weighted with aperture-priority AE. In manual mode you set both aperture and shutter yourself, and the viewfinder's LED display, which shows the selected aperture in AE, gives no meter readout to guide you. That quirk, plus the lack of a true off-switch for the meter, are the most common owner complaints. The finder is a fixed pentaprism with split-image and microprism focusing aids. Metering and AE need a 1.3V mercury battery (PX-13/625 type), which is now obsolete. Many owners adapt the camera to run on zinc-air hearing-aid cells.

Owners on Photo.net forums describe the FR as "a superb little camera, with sharp lens" and "very reliable, well made," though the shutter is notably loud. The standard Hexanon 40mm f/1.8 pancake lens is widely praised as superb and smaller than comparable lenses from competitors. The Classic Camera Magazine blog called it "an excellent compact SLR for the money; ideal for beginners," while noting the mercury battery problem. The FR was marketed as roughly 20% smaller than the Autoreflex T3, aimed at photographers moving up from rangefinders. Period reviews from HiFI-Stereo discussed compact equipment dimensions in detail, reflecting the era's focus on smaller camera designs HiFI-Stereo (July 1983, p.16).

Sources disagree on production dates. The Classic Camera Magazine blog says 1976-1982, while Photo.net says the FR sold from 1976 until the FR-1 replaced it in 1979. The original price with a 50mm f/1.7 lens was around US$329 at introduction. Used prices today run roughly US$80-$140 with that lens, or £40-£75 for the body in the UK. Light seals and mirror bumpers degrade and are easy to replace. The Copal shutter is sturdy but needs a CLA after decades, and parts are scarce.