Kyocera Super Weatherproof T5 35mm Film Camera
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Similar in Film Cameras
- Film Type: 35mm
- Zoom Lens: Without Zoom Lens
- Camera Type: Point and Shoot
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"Take a picture, it'll last longer"
Pros
Secret Agent Spy Scope
Cons
Premature Shutterfication
Recommended it?
Yes
Point and Shoot cameras may soon be dinosaurs, forced to an end by the auspices of digital technology. Its gravemates the turntable, Swiss movement, and rotary-dial phones, have all felt the impact of the digital nova. Their loss saddens me, for they offer functionality that surpasses mere task. Winding a watch makes one more mindful of the passage of time. The tactility of placing a record on a turntable ? and flipping it ? offers deeper connection to the music contained. The act of using these things gives perspective, meaning. So to the art of silver emulsion photography. A glass lens focuses an image onto a surface. A shutter is opened for the briefest of instances, and the image imprints itself into the light-sensitive substrate of the film. Forever captured. Digital cameras capture images, too. But their pictures seem cold, unconnected. Pictures need to age ? they need to fade ? they need to yellow. Digital images don?t age, they get corrupted. But we still need to capture the images of our life, so, let?s find a camera.
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The Point and Shoot camera market offers great variety. You can go with a $5 cardboard disposable or you can go with the $1000 titanium reference. Most, however, end up somewhere between. My choice ? the Yashica T4.
One of the key features on the T4 is the lens itself. Manufactured by the world-renowned Carl Zeiss, this 35mm glass has clarity not usually found on cameras in this price range. Its wide opening (? 3.5) is helpful for low light situations as well as action shots. Its Macro focusing gives you some nice close-up options, and its infinity lock mode is great for ?perfect focus? landscapes.
The auto-focus is a multi-zone infrared and features a focus-lock (so your subject can be off center and still be in sharp focus) that engages when the shutter release is pushed down half way. Which leads to my only complaint of the T4, the shutter release on this bugger has a hair trigger. Inadvertent pictures can be snapped when you?re not perfectly still.
The viewfinder isn?t great when your wearing glasses, but the ?Super Scope Viewfinder? more than makes up for it. Like the old twin lens cameras, this auxiliary viewfinder (located on top of the camera body) allows you to frame your shot with the camera at your waist (this not only makes for some great perspectives, but also for some of the best candid shots I?ve seen).
The flash has a standard mode (useful up to 10ft with ISO 100 film), red-eye reduction mode (annoying ?strobe flashes?), a fill-in mode (perfect for daytime ?in the shade? people shots), and off (most cameras don?t have this ? but, it?s essential for nighttime shots).
The T4 is designed to be weatherproof (meaning it can handle a bit of rain) and the overall construction is astonishingly solid given its ultra light weight (7oz) and diminutive stature (4 5/8? wide x 2 9/16? high x 1 9/16? deep). The silver edition is nice because it doesn?t absorb much radiant energy (ever feel how hot a black object gets when it sits out in the sun for a few minutes?).
The data-back allows you to imprint each photo with the year, month, day, hour, or minute. Three buttons allow you to set the time, and then you can set which format (if any) you want printed onto the negative. These controls are easily manipulated, as is that of another feature, the 10-second self-timer. Once you get your shot composed, (it also has a tripod socket) just touch ?the button?. The display on the top of the camera body will read ?10?, then start counting down. The ?heads up? flasher will even blink in the last few instants before the shot?s taken (so that everybody knows when it?s money time).
Purchased online from PhotoAlley.com for $170 (including free shipping and a ($50 value) 2-year extended warranty.
I?ve shot with a Nikon SLR for over 15 years. The problem is, with so much gear, I don?t use it as often as I?d like. The T4 offers me a quality image in a design that is intuitive. The programming allows me to override several functions and that helps keep the approach creative. I still use my SLR, but the T4 is the next best thing.
Y
P.S.
lizf says that these cameras might soon be discontinued - see her review at http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-7344-3375EB02-3A41222C-prod5y
__________________________________________________________________________
The Point and Shoot camera market offers great variety. You can go with a $5 cardboard disposable or you can go with the $1000 titanium reference. Most, however, end up somewhere between. My choice ? the Yashica T4.
One of the key features on the T4 is the lens itself. Manufactured by the world-renowned Carl Zeiss, this 35mm glass has clarity not usually found on cameras in this price range. Its wide opening (? 3.5) is helpful for low light situations as well as action shots. Its Macro focusing gives you some nice close-up options, and its infinity lock mode is great for ?perfect focus? landscapes.
The auto-focus is a multi-zone infrared and features a focus-lock (so your subject can be off center and still be in sharp focus) that engages when the shutter release is pushed down half way. Which leads to my only complaint of the T4, the shutter release on this bugger has a hair trigger. Inadvertent pictures can be snapped when you?re not perfectly still.
The viewfinder isn?t great when your wearing glasses, but the ?Super Scope Viewfinder? more than makes up for it. Like the old twin lens cameras, this auxiliary viewfinder (located on top of the camera body) allows you to frame your shot with the camera at your waist (this not only makes for some great perspectives, but also for some of the best candid shots I?ve seen).
The flash has a standard mode (useful up to 10ft with ISO 100 film), red-eye reduction mode (annoying ?strobe flashes?), a fill-in mode (perfect for daytime ?in the shade? people shots), and off (most cameras don?t have this ? but, it?s essential for nighttime shots).
The T4 is designed to be weatherproof (meaning it can handle a bit of rain) and the overall construction is astonishingly solid given its ultra light weight (7oz) and diminutive stature (4 5/8? wide x 2 9/16? high x 1 9/16? deep). The silver edition is nice because it doesn?t absorb much radiant energy (ever feel how hot a black object gets when it sits out in the sun for a few minutes?).
The data-back allows you to imprint each photo with the year, month, day, hour, or minute. Three buttons allow you to set the time, and then you can set which format (if any) you want printed onto the negative. These controls are easily manipulated, as is that of another feature, the 10-second self-timer. Once you get your shot composed, (it also has a tripod socket) just touch ?the button?. The display on the top of the camera body will read ?10?, then start counting down. The ?heads up? flasher will even blink in the last few instants before the shot?s taken (so that everybody knows when it?s money time).
Purchased online from PhotoAlley.com for $170 (including free shipping and a ($50 value) 2-year extended warranty.
I?ve shot with a Nikon SLR for over 15 years. The problem is, with so much gear, I don?t use it as often as I?d like. The T4 offers me a quality image in a design that is intuitive. The programming allows me to override several functions and that helps keep the approach creative. I still use my SLR, but the T4 is the next best thing.
Y
P.S.
lizf says that these cameras might soon be discontinued - see her review at http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-7344-3375EB02-3A41222C-prod5y
