Last Updated on 10/12/2017 by Chris Gampat
Well, the Yashica Y35 DigiFilm Camera is improving for sure!
In a recent Kickstarter update announced by Yashica, their Yashica Y35 digiFilm camera is getting an upgrade as per what’s being mandated by their stretch goal. According to the update, the cameras are being updated from f2.8 lenses to f2 equivalents; and this will only happen if they reach HK$ 9,000,000. They’re honestly not far off from that goal as it is. For photographers who shoot in lower lit situations, this is fantastic news. It also just makes sense as the sensor is about the size of a traditional digital point and shoot camera’s yet the lens is superseded by optics made for phones in some ways. But now that the lens is being upgraded to f2, there’s a lot more going for it.
Now why wasn’t it an f2 lens to begin with when you consider all that info? Well, apparently it takes a lot of work. The Kickstarter update states that 30 hours were put into figuring out how they could this.
Just to refresh everyone’s memory, the Yashica Y35 digiFilm camera is a small point and shoot with a small sensor designed to look like and function like a film camera. So the type of images that you get are all based on what sort of digital film you put inside of the camera. Want black and white? You’ve got it. What about 1600 ISO color? Yup, that’s there too. What I’m personally hoping for is for the white balances to be locked into Daylight.
Yashica DigiFilm Camera Specifications
- 1/3.2-inch CMOS sensor
- 14 megapixel photos
- Built-in viewfinder
- Apertures of f2.8
- Focal Length 35mm
- A minimum focusing distance of 1m (~3 feet) to infinity
- 5 selectable steps shutter speeds 1s, 1/30s, 1/60s, 1/250s, 1/500s
- SD card storage (wifi card compatible)
- Micro USB connectivity for data transfers
- Tripod mount ready
- Operate with 2 x AA batteries
- Image controlled by digiFilm™
Dimensions:
- Body Only: 100 (w) x 64 (h) x 28 (d) mm
- With lens and switch: 110 (w) x 70 (h) x 55 (d) mm
In addition to the lens update, Yashica announced that a few other options are being offered, such as the camera in “Silence Black” The Kickstarter was initially thought to be a new film camera of some sort, but it unfortunately isn’t. As stated by Ron Leach over at Shutterbug:
“To be blunt: I knew the Electro 35. The Electro 35 is a friend of mine. And sorry Yashica, but your Y35 digiFilm camera is no Electro 35. In fact, I actually have a Yashica Electro 35 sitting on my desk, and she’s looking very, very sad at the moment. My disappointment is simple: The new Y35 is pretty much a gimmick with nice retro styling—not a tool for serious photographers.”
Of course, some photographers are a bit salty about this and perhaps even more salty about the camera being fully funded in under 24 hours. But lots of Kickstarter backers will hopefully be getting their cameras next April.
We reported on the Yashica Y35 digiFilm camera earlier this week, and the project was amazingly fully funded within four hours. Since then, Yashica (or the shell of Yashica being operated by a Hong Kong based company) has been trying to provide more insight to photographers. In my opinion, they’ve been doing a pretty swell job. Yashica started teasing a comeback originally by reaching out to a few photographers, then they started showing off videos, If you’re a Kickstarter backer, you can see more details about this news and more about the stretch goals right here.