Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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113 of 114 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superior Camera for the same money as Nikon, Canon & Co., January 15, 2003
As somebody who travels a fair amount I always like to have a camera ready to take with me. During my last trip to the tropics I took my aging Pentax Espio zoom with me which unfortunately packed up half way through the trip. Knowing that I needed to get a new camera I made a list of my needs which are:Compact dimensions
Sharp lens
Robust
Value for money
Good zoom lens range. First off I had to decide where I stood on the Digital vs Film camera debate. This was fairly easily resolved as it is clear that Digital cameras are still some years away in terms of image resolution and cost. My view then is that my new camera would be film-based and if it lasted until Digital overtook then that would work out quite neatly. In other words I'm expecting this to be the last film camera I will buy. Then I had a look at the available film options and the field narrowed down very quickly. In this sector of the market the quality brands are Leica, Contax and Rollei by virtue of superior optics. Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Olympus and Pentax are in the next group; don't get too carried away by these names - even though they make superb SLR cameras they tend to out-source the production of their compact cameras to China, Malaysia etc. fair enough but don't expect the high level optics the SLRs give. Compact cameras are generally sold on features (length of zoom etc.) not quality of lens. People only find out about this after purchase so it's not a key sales driver. It is however the most important aspect of getting good pictures which is what this is largely about(!) Taking the three quality brands then: Contax cameras use Carl Zeiss lenses which are generally regarded by many pros as the best in the world, prices however are high. Rollei models seemed expensive with a lesser reputation than Contax for optics. The styling on the Leicas (C1, C2 and C3)is very "clunky" - they're trying for a retro look and failing but the optics are highly regarded. Downsides all round and not an easy decision to make. I was edging towards the Leica C3 (worth checking out despite styling issues) when a helpful sales assistant pointed out the Yashica. This was interesting for the following reasons: The lens is a Carl Zeiss T* lens as in the Contax range (Contax, Yashica and Carl Zeiss are all owned by Kyocera Corp.). *This is just about the highest quality lens which can be bought regardless of money*. As well as pin-sharp precision it is also a faster lens that many others including the Leica.
The zoom on the lens starts at 28mm which means you get a full wide-angle range. More useful that the more common 35mm.
The camera is compact and nicely styled. Controls are well designed.
The price far undercuts all of the other models. While not having quite the cachet of Leica or Contax this camera is in the same league of quality. The results I have had from this camera are better than I had hoped and make the pictures from my old Pentax look rather second rate. My dealer also informs me that many pros use this camera for fast, spontaneous shots and the results are indistinguishable from SLR quality. Highly recommended.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A future design classic!!, November 29, 2002
By A Customer
After Yashica withdrew the T5 we lost what was one of the best point and shoot camera [reasonably priced] (maybe the best). Here was a camera which takes a good camera body and marries it with an excellent pin sharp lens. Pros loved it as a alternative to their bulky SLRs when the situation requires a small unobtrusive camera.Looks like Yashica have done it again, this time listening to T5 owners. We now have a great zoom lens with a great wide angle 28m which is better then most p&s, spot metering, toughened up with an aluminum front body. Slightly smaller the camera oozes quality at a very reasonable price. Get one before Yahsica discontinues this one!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New Kyocera Yashica Zoom, April 28, 2003
By A Customer
A really superb camera, the Carl Zeiss 28-70 zoom alone incredible, I,ve owned it for about 5 weeks now, did not have a chance to use it , did that today and had the results shot on Fuji 200 done at a one hour lab, when I opened the envelope and took a peek, it was hard to believe.
This camera can easily to stand up to any SLR or digital. Exposures were great, I love the feature of being able to underexpose or overexpose by 1 1/2 stops with ease.
It is also a great looking camera.
In some on line reviews it has been criticised for the shutter and the preflash, yes, the shutter is very sensitive, it does emit a preflash in a dark place to get the range, I got used to it very quickly, just inform your subjects it preflashes, thats it, you will get a second flash, no one gets very upset and it works well.
This is not an inexpensive camera for a 28 to 70 lens, but, its worth every penny, you,ll get it back in gorgeous photographs, much better than the average run of the mill PS will do, if you want a great camera, buy it.
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