Yashica T5

First Impressions

I had read a lot about the quality of the lense and what great pictures it would take and that Terry Richardson would use them for fashion shootings. But I was still a bit disappointed when I held this piece of plastic in my hand after I got it of the ebay package. It is definetly not a design piece. Especially when you are used to Rangefinder Cameras.

But this first disappointing impression turned out as a big advantage as I found out after a while. I use point & shoot cameras on trips when I can´t or do not want to carry a "proper" camera with me. This one is small and light enough to put it into a pocket of my jacket or a bag. But what I really like about this camera is that nobody takes you serious. I shot in bars, cafes, streets and in situation were a real camera might rase unwanted attention. But (taking into account the size of the lense) the photos turn out rather well.

Photos of my Yashica T5

Handling

There is not much handling with a point and shoot camera. You turn it on, point it at your target and press the button. The Yashica T5 focuses rather fast, is not too noisy and 95% of the shots I took turned out sharp. The Yashica has two viewfinder: a typical one at the back and a small one on top. This was originally one of the reasons why I was interested in this camera because I thought it makes it even easier to shoot unnoticed. But I keep forgeting about the second viewfinder and either shoot from the hip or look through the real viewfinder.

But point & shoot camas certainly have their limitations and the Yashica T5 is no exception here. The photos turn out sharp but not as sharp as with rangefinder cameras or SLRs. If there is not enough light or you object is moving, there is not much you can do since you can´t adjust the film speed and push the film. It has a flash but I am not a flash friend. And the only thing that realy annoys me about this camera is the flash because it turns back to automatic after a while or when you turn the camera off even though you turned the flash off. I forget that from time to time which is kind of dumm when you mean to take a photo seacretly.

Photos taken with my Yashica T5

Relevant specifications

Film: 35mm
Production Time: 1993 - ?
Viewfinder: green LED), flash/camera shake indicator (red LED)
Second Viewfinder: Super scope
Frame lines: focusing frame, picture area frame, close-range picture area frame.
Focus: Focusing system: Infrared active multi-autofocus system
Flash Modes: Auto, Off, On, Red eye reduction, Slow sync
Max aperture: f/3,5
Shutter speeds: 1 second to 1/700th
Film speed: ISO 50 - 3200
Power supply: 1 x CR123A
Size: Length 118 (W) x 64.5 (H) x 39.5 (D) mm mm
Weight: 190 g
Price I payed: EUR 167