I should really start this with an apology, both to the lovely little Yashica T5 (for not treasuring her and using her as swiftly as she would like) and to Hamish (for being remarkably tardy in all things). Formalities over, let’s have a think about the T5 in more detail.
I am a lover of compact cameras, and I’ve owned a number of Yashicas over the years (but never a T5). My real love in compacts are cameras with a little more control, in particular the Fuji Klasse cameras. I’m also a lover of Zeiss glass, so the Yashica has an advantage there.
One of the things I wanted to explore was the use of flash, I normally shoot with available light so I took a few shots with flash, but I have to say it wasn’t really my thing. I guess the best thing about the Yashica (or any compact) is the joy of being able to carry it everywhere. That allowed me to throw the camera in my bag and have it to hand when needed. This included over Christmas, a little trip to the fens (flat, flat flat) and to Framlingham (home of ginger warbler Ed Sheeran).
Overall, the results are great, the camera doesn’t have the control to cope well with strongly backlit subjects (yes, I could have used flash but had turned that off so whatever). If I was to choose between shooting colour or black and white I’d generally go colour, I think it really suits the Zeiss lens. That being said, the black and white results are pretty good as well (once you get past my shoddy composition).
Would I get a T5 for myself? Possibly, if I saw it for not very much money in a thrift store or car boot sale. I wouldn’t spend a lot though, I’d prefer more control if possible. Its still a lovely little camera to chuck in a bag though. So, that’s my little review, hope you like the shots (Portra and XP2) and happy (compact) shooting.
Share this post:
Comments
No comments found