If you’re as confused as I am over this brand Yes!Star, I wouldn’t blame you for those raised eyebrows you have right now. Yestar Healthcare Holdings Company Limited is a leading provider of high-margin medical consumables and equipment in China. Focusing on the growing healthcare industry, Yestar specializes in high-margin products such as medical imaging tools and In Vitro Diagnostic products. What you also probably don’t know about them is that they are the “sole manufacturer and exclusive distributor of Fujifilm color photographic papers and industrial imaging products” in China. And it appears that they’re cashing in on the growing popularity of compact film cameras, having just announced their first analog model.
The site Fujiaddict reports that Yes!Star has announced its first-ever analog camera model – the Yes!Star S1. At first glance, it definitely evokes memories of compacts that I’d seen in the 80s and early 90s. Back in the day when SLRs were an expensive affair, such compacts were able to help many families document their lives. If thousands of families with Baby Boomer and Generation X parents have photo albums in their attics, you can be sure that a large chunk of photos in there were made with such cameras. These cameras weren’t just straightforward to use; they helped keep photography affordable to a certain degree for many.
Yes!Star S1
The camera was reported to be launched on the 1st of July, but I’ve yet to see any information about this on the undoubtedly outdated Yes!Star website. Ergonomically, it might not be the best-designed camera, at least from what I can see in the images I’ve seen so far. It’s almost like a brick with a slightly raised hand grip and a viewfinder cutout in there. I guess styling was skimped on in order to keep the costs low. I really can’t see this one flying off the shelves if it’s any more costlier than $35 or so. What we can see so far about the camera is that it has:
- A fixed 31mm lens
- A maximum aperture of f11
- A built-in flash with what appears to be a button to engage it
- An eyelet for a neck/hand strap
The narrow aperture spec is probably an indication that this camera won’t have any autofocus (or manual focus) mechanisms. No bokeh with this camera then. I guess it’s more akin to a disposable compact camera in terms of looks and features.
Why All The Buzz About Compact Film Cameras
Yes!Star is hardly the first brand to get on the compact camera bandwagon recently. The delightfully cute Pentax 17 (seen above) won our hearts when it was announced earlier this year. Editor-in-Chief Chris Gampat praised Ricoh’s approach to getting more photographers back to analog photography with this camera. You can read more about it in our review.
Ricoh did nearly everything right with the Pentax 17. It’s got the looks, the controls, the feeling, the excitement when you hold it, etc. And they did this through authenticity by borrowing things from their past and even bringing back former film camera engineers to make it all happen.
I was having a chat with my friend and fellow photographer Renith Sunil about this one evening and asked him what he attributed to the surge in interest for such cameras in recent years. Although Renith started his career with a DSLR, it was a compact camera belonging to his dad that was his first exposure to photography. “The first film camera I ever used or saw was a Konica EFP-20, which belonged to my dad. It was his first camera, and I vividly remember playing around with it when I was very young. This early exposure to photography through the Konica EFP-20 sparked my interest in capturing moments on film,” said Renith, vividly recalling his childhood.
This recollection resonated with me personally, as the earliest camera I remember using was granddad’s National C-300, a very handy compact for its time. The TBC camera (seen below) was started as an idea for a camera that could continuously be reused.
As for what he felt has led to more photographers getting piqued by compacts and disposable analog cameras these days, Renith feels it’s a trend on social media that’s caught on like wildfire. “I’ve seen photographers and content creators make engaging reels using these disposables. For instance, there’s a popular reel where a photographer hands out disposable cameras to random strangers heading to parties or events and later shares the images from the camera as a reel on Instagram.”
The Evergreen Appeal Of Analog Film
He also makes a valid point about the appeal of analog film in digital photography for some years now. “Many young people try to explore or at least emulate the look and feel of film in their posts.” Film-emulating presets have been around for over a decade now; you can check out the ones we’ve made for color and black-and-white enthusiasts. Companies like Histamaic also try to keep a very retro look in their smartphone photography app. What sets film photography apart is its inherent uniqueness. Each shot carries its own character, making the final images authentic and unrepeatable. Compact film cameras, with their minimalist design and fewer settings, simplify the photography process. Slowing down the process really helps you, the photographer, connect more with the images. It allows you to focus more on composition and creativity rather than navigating a sea of digital options. I guess this is a big part of their charm, making compacts a favorite for those who value the artistry of analog photography.
We hope to get our hands on the Yes!Star S1 sometime this year for a full review.
All images of the Yes!Star S1 and the announcement poster seen in this article, are screenshots from PhotoRumors.