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Yashica announces Y35, a digitized version of Yashica Electro 35

by 24 Comments

Legendary Japanese camera brand Yashica has recently announced a comeback. After a series of teaser videos, they have finally launched the Kickstarter campaign. The camera they are making is called Yashica Y35, and it’s a pretty unusual blend of the analog and the digital.

Yashica Y35 features the same design as the Electro 35, but on the inside, it’s quite different. It “recaptures the joy and meaning of analog photography,” but turns it into digital. Their campaign says “expect the unexpected,” and indeed – this is quite an unexpected camera. And in many aspects a pretty cool one, too.

Yashica Y35 camera features a with an entirely new system – digiFilm. You load it into the camera, but you don’t need to develop it. Instead, the photos are in digital format and stored on an SD card. And what does the film do? Well, it controls the look of the photos, to put it that way. There are four types of digiFilm at the moment: ISO 1600 High Speed, ISO 400 Black & White, 120 format of 6×6 images, and ISO 200 Ultra Fine. According to the campaign, there are more digiFilms coming. So, when you load the film, it determines the ISO and the look of your photos, just like the real film. And I guess it gives you the feeling of shooting with the good ol’ Electro 35 since it even requires a brief pause to wind on the film before shooting.

Although the photos are shot and stored digitally and the film isn’t really a film, there are other features that make this camera analog more than digital. There is no review screen or delete button, which means – no hiding from mistakes. As the campaign states, “Using YASHICA Y35 is a journey to the truth.”

Here are the complete specs of the camera:

  • 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

You’ll notice that Yashica Y35 has a lot of fixed or limited features, such as the aperture and the fixed focal length. You can also choose only between five shutter speeds. I assume all these limitations are frustrating if you’re used to modern cameras and the control they give you. But still, they could lead you to expanding your views, experimenting and just – playing.

This year, many legendary brands are making a comeback. Since Zenit is coming back with a full frame mirrorless camera, it seems that some users expected a similar move from Yashica, too. So, it seems the Y35 really is unexpected. Although this isn’t a professional camera that can compete with modern mirrorless or DLSR bodies, I think it’s an interesting project nevertheless. Call me a hipster, but I would definitely like to try it out and see how it performs.

As I mentioned, the Kickstarter campaign has been launched, and as I am writing this article, the number of backers grows evidently. You can pledge $142 for a package containing Yashica Y35 camera, one ISO200 normal color film, one ISO400 B&W film and aYashicaa digiFilm Post Card. There are other rewards available and you can check them out on the campaign page. And if you pledge for your camera and films – you can expect the shipping to begin in April 2018.

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  • Jason Howell your next camera?

  • This is exactly the sort of batshit crazy idea the photography industry needs right now.

  • Awesome. I’d use it.

  • something like this was the first idea to convert film cameras to digital…..

    • But this never happened

    • wow that’s pretty cool. kinda like how you can get a digital back for modular medium format cameras

    • There was a proposed project to make a digital super-8mm film cartridge, too. But it never happened.

    • It would have been a great idea…but I dont think they had the backing…

  • I loved the original, so this looks promising 😃

  • I really like the concept but the sticking point for me is the sensor size. 1/3.2″ is the same size as the iPhone 5, a phone that was released 5 years ago!

    Also it’s in no way affiliated with the original Yashica, they went bust in 2005 and were bought out by an investment firm based in HK called MF Jebsen, clearly this is just someone getting smart and hoping that the name will sell the product (which based on the kickstarter, it definitely has).

    • PuncheonRun

      I don’t like the concept, but the rest of your post explains a lot. Dumpster divers looking to cash in by forging a lottery ticket.

    • Lee Alan Bartholomew

      I kinda figured that.. right down to using Japanese with English words. They are aiming at a particular market. That isn’t professional but misses the feel of film. But what they really miss is prints. I prefer real film but clearly someone in the digital area is concerned slightly that film might make a comeback. Which it is. Not like the max in I guess 2002. O_O woulda thought that’d be earlier.. But hey Vinyl is back safe and sound. Polaroid is back albeit the actual company doesn’t know their namesake anymore. Impossible project owns it. So Polaroid as a brand name alone is useless. Polaroid Originals isn’t. Now we just need pack film that Fuji stopped making and expires this month thus $50 a pack for 10 shots :O eep. was $34 when I noticed it. It never occurred to anyone they still made peel film. Until it was slightly 2 late. So the only one to take such film is from a camera nobody wanted and I got. (Takes cube flashes which I can get) but outside no problem unless it’s a bit muggy. And those are about the same size as the silly Polaroids. (Instax same crap) the pack film peels are pretty much real prints. And I guess also produces a large negative if you have alot of bleach around.. Wish I’d know that. Might have to take another but I need to tape it to something like glass or hard plastic just to wash the goop off right. (needs one tells me a rather rash GRILL scratcher to scrap the crap off. ) Nice kickstarter would be to get the Packfilm back. And I know they came in smaller sizes similar to the instax mini since my parents had those, well fleeting. A friend of theirs had them and they are a bit small and tended to as the old polaroid peels .. require a brush to brush the lacquer on

  • Great! Is it comoatible with Canon film cameras.

  • No.

    Just, no.

    And why would a “legendary” camera manufacturer need to use kickstarter?

  • I’d like a digital Yashica-D or Yashicamat TLR, with a medium format sensor and a sub-$1000 price.

  • I’m super excited for this. Haters be damned.

  • I had a Yashica Electro 35.. It was the first camera I had with built in electronics.

  • It’s just some presset in a “box”.

  • Graeme Simpson

    Just wish someone would make a digital back that sits in a 35mm film cartridge so we can use all our old cameras. So many have promised and nobody has delivered

    • PuncheonRun

      Why not use film? Or give that old camera to a school which teaches photography.

  • CAugustin

    Fake “film feeling” – what a BS … If someone want’s “film feeling”, he/she can just use film (the real thing, not fake). A nice contemporary “real” 35 mm film camera would be a completely different thing – but this one? Nope.

  • PuncheonRun

    Lead balloon, a few numbskull hipsters may be fooled into buying it but it’s going to bomb. Answer this question: what problem does this solve? Does it do anything better than what’s already out there?

    Makes one wonder who wrote this article. Stenography from the Yashica publicity release? Complete with “legendary?” More like mythical.

  • Lee Alan Bartholomew

    I get what they are trying to do. although dads Yashica 35 electro is a bit slow in the shutter area so most of my childhood pictures are something akin to over exposed and LSDish for night shots. But the digifilm is interesting. It’s forcing a camera to take only one type of film. Instead of a one size fits all. Everythings on micro sd card or sd card .. boring.. why pick an APS clone to design that around I have no idea. pick 35mm not the dreaded APS which I shoot expired with because it produces unique shots. Although finding Black and White APS film was a bit hard. Saving that for a trip. which I’m aiming to take ONLY film photos with a few digitals at night. But innovation is hard to come by these days.. As for Yashica needing a Kickstarter. That name isn’t used in modern lingo. Legendary name doesn’t mean they make camera’s as much as Kodak.

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