Kickstarter projects often get a pretty negative response from the get-go, especially in the photography world. And while many people forget that it’s simply a venue, and you have to look at the seller, sometimes the audience gets duped. That appears to be the case with the Yashica Y35 “DigiFilm” camera. At least according to this review from Point&ShootClub.
We’ve already reported on some of the negative responses Yashica is getting from campaign backers that have now received their cameras. But for a project that raised a staggering $1.28 million on Kickstarter, it’s easy to see why people expected more. Much more. Oh, yes, they also got a further $1.51 million through an Indiegogo campaign, too.
Based on the design of the Yashica Electro 35, released in 1966, backers were very excited about finally getting the camera in their hands. But as the review above illustrates, what they received is nowhere near as good as they expected.
He describes it as a “shit” plastic toy, that’s worth nowhere near the $125-$200 that backers had paid. Various parts of the camera broke within the first few uses, and as the teardown of the camera below shows, the construction on the inside is about as cheap as the camera feels on the outside.
I actually laughed out loud when he unscrewed that metal plate off the top. A plate that only exists to make the camera feel heavier and more “premium” – a pretty common tactic amongst cheap products to make the customer feel like they’re getting a quality product when they’re not.
While I still don’t think Kickstarter is inherently a bad platform, this is a reminder to judge each project on its own individual merits. And to really do our research before we decide to back something.
I couldn’t believe how much money this particular campaign was raising, and didn’t buy into the hype. I’ve just seen too many failed attempts at creating a film-like experience with digital, and too many failed attempts to convert film cameras to digital. I wanted to wait and see what it was like before I decided whether or not to pick one up.
Having seen these videos, I’m glad I made that decision. By just about every definition, this product screams of a scam.
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