Yashica T-4 Super/T5

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
3 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Owned for 8 years. Camera produces excellent pictures. I use with Velvia slide film and find the lens resolution is more than adequate. Despite plastic construction, I've taken trekking in Nepal twice and dropped from shoulder height onto concrete - still works fine. Great for outdoor photos; not great for portraits.

Strengths:
Lens, durability, Cheap (now)

Weaknesses:
Shutter lag. Flash a bit weak (okay for fill)

Similar Products Used:
Nikon FE2.

Customer Service:
Not used.

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $130.00 from Jessops

Summary:
My first T5 died - it kept locking up unpredicatably. I exchanged it for another and I am glad that I did. I carry it around with me most of the time to take landscape and portraits, mainly black and white. I am very impressed with the quality of the images the camera has produced. They have a really nice, sharp quality. The camera copes very well in low natural light with the flash turned off - I enjoy taking portraits in these conditions - the results so far have been impressive and for most situations as good as my manual SLR.

Strengths:
Lens Metering Ability to still produce good, atmospheric images without flash in low natural light

Weaknesses:
Construction? My first T5 died - my current T5 has been very reliable Fiddly controls It is bulkier than newer models.

Similar Products Used:
Mju Praktica BC1, B100 SLR

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
2 votes

Price Paid:  $90.00 from Singapore

Summary:
I've only been using a Canon SLR before trying to get a good P&S for my overseas travels with the family. Damn lucky to get a brand new T4-last piece- from a big department store at only S$160. That's about USD$90. Another smaller photo shop was quoting USD$160. Chose this over the Epic II because of the price and well, they don't produce T4s anymore. I've ran thru only 3 rolls so far but am very pleased with the quality of the pictures, esp outdoors. The colours are simply awesome. Sharpness at all corners is comparable to my 50mm 1.8 Canon lens. Not very pleased initially though with the sensitive shutter button, but have learnt to adjust. Portraits produce nice fuzzied backgrounds if correct mode is chosen.

Strengths:
Brilliant optics Small size Cheap

Weaknesses:
Edgy shutter button Shutter lag- depending on the mode Cheap-looking casing could've been more robust Automatically but irritatingly resets to default mode after every exposure

Similar Products Used:
Konica Big Mini

Customer Service:
Agent was quick but not careful. Left fingerprint on lens!

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $120.00 from www.castlecameras.co

Summary:
Fantasic camera for the price, a super sharp lens and top contrasty images. I can hardly tell the difference between 7x5 snaps from this camera and 'high-end' point and shoots - and before you say change labs, I also send my film direct to www.fujilab.co.uk for all processing. Breaking news! - this camera has now been superseded by the Yashica T4 Zoom, see www.yashica.com for more details. You heard it here first!

Strengths:
Unbeatable price vs performance value. Super sharp Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. Excellent T* coating - superb contrast.

Weaknesses:
All Plastic housing. Weak Flash, not good indoors. Outdoors in sunshine - excellent!

Similar Products Used:
Leica C1, Leica Minilux Zoom, Contax T3.

Customer Service:
Never used.

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.60 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Camera has several killer problems that make it less than useful: strongly recommend looking at alternative.

Strengths:
Lens

Weaknesses:
1. Is NOT dust or moisture proof. Lens cover and lens will jam easily. 2. Hair trigger does not allow for proper focusing. 3. Distance setting returns to default after each shot. Only camera that I know that does this. So...after each shot you willneed to fiddle with the little buttons on top.