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Yashica t5
Adobe_Andrew
Registered Users Posts: 14 Big grins
These have an amazing reputation as a great point and shoot camera. I've seen them on ebay for about $150. Are they worth it?
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Adobe_Andrew
Registered Users Posts: 14 Big grins
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found this one at $108 right now..........if that is what you're looking for then it would be very good.
The good thing about the Yashica was the lens and it took great outdoor pics of friends and family - exactly P&S territory. The build quality was unspectactular. I did enjoy owning it and did think it was "great" at the time. I would not buy one now unless I was thinking of starting a museum. Even if my copy was still working I don't think I would ever use it.
Good luck finding one and let us know how she goes.
One person that drove the Yashica T cameras to success was Terry Richardson, who used off-the-shelf Yashica T4 P&S cameras for his glamour and swimsuit photography.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8i3VETLflk
A very similar image quality, but ostensibly better built, P&S camera with a similar lens design (Tessar design) is the Olympus "Trip 35".
If you want a "much" better film camera overall, but you desire the Tessar lens properties, I can recommend the Russian built Fed 5 with an Industar 61, 55mm, f2.8 L/D lens. The 55mm is much better suited to people photography IMO and the Tessar design and f2.8 aperture has the special bokeh qualities that everyone lusts after.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I chose the Russian built Fed 5 based on cost, reliability and features. I have 2 bodies and each was selected by how well it works with the particular lens mounted to the body. (Rangefinder focus accuracy was a primary consideration and focus accuracy was determined using a hand-made ground glass at the film gate.)
1 body is dedicated to the 55mm, f2.8 Industar, while the other is dedicated to the 5cm, Jupiter f2.
The Fed 5 is considerably easier to load than most of the earlier Fed bodies, and much, much easier than the earlier Leica rangefinders. The Fed 5 has a built-in selenium meter, no batteries, and has a fair reputation for reliability. My 2 copies are tough little cameras and I did use them for a bit while Boy Scout camping with my son. They also have a viable hot shoe, making it a usable camera indoors and after dark. I even used the Fed 5/Industar to shoot parts of a wedding rehearsal dinner in 2004, my last film wedding.
There are 3 versions of the Fed 5 and I believe that both of mine are the first version in that series. That's also the version I recommend for the reasons above, but the Fed 3 is very collectible. Regardless of model make sure to always cock the shutter before changing shutter speed as damage can occur otherwise.
All Fed bodies are subject to individual variations in quality, and quality control is almost non-existent. If you purchase a Fed body, it's best to be able to inspect the camera first, or at least purchase from a vendor with return/exchange privileges. I purchased both of my copies via EBay and I was just lucky that they both have tested nicely.
Informational links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FED_(camera)
http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/rangefinders.html
http://www.thecamerasite.net/02_Rangefinders/rangefinders.htm
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Very interesting, Ziggy53.
I used the Olympus Trip 35 for years. The Trip I still have and it still works. I used it mostly with slide film and it was often difficult to tell the difference between those shots and those taken with my SLR. Reading your piece made me wonder whether my memories of the Yashica are partly a result of the Trip being so good.
The Trip 35 has a following still - www-olympus-trip.co.uk. It is a rugged and extremely simple camera to operate. A real classic. Entirely manual operation - no batteries.