Yashica T4 Compact 35mm Camera w/ Zoom Kit

The Kyocera / Yashica T4 Zoom is a well-made, handsome and very compact zoom film camera. The lens has above-average sharpness and photos taken with this camera show little or no vignetting, a problem typical of these cameras. The camera is very easy to use and, although its small size makes for tiny controls, it's not hard to use. Color saturation is very good and contrast isn't bad, but photos may be overall a bit dark because of the slow lens speeds. My only complaint is that, at wide-angle settings, the flash isn't very powerful, but it's acceptable at close-up range. This camera probably won't take photos that are as sharp as those taken by a single focal length camera (like the Olympus Stylus Epic with an f2.8 lens -- sharper than the original T4? Maybe!), but for a zoom camera it produces quality results.

Bought this camera a few months back and retunred it after a few rolls. Indoor pics are horrible compared to my old Pentax PS, and the camera is uncomfortable to operate. Why on earth did the put a viewfinder on the edge? Don't waste your money on this camera. Go with Pentax or Olympus for PS cameras.

I've been very happy. I've had the weatherproof version of this camera without the zoom kit since about 1996. Basic rules of photography aside (lighting, composition, etc...), it has consistently taken some excellent pictures and has held up to a lot of abuse: hiking, sailing, snowboarding, kayaking (though it's never been submerged). I got a digital camera but still take my T4 on all my trips. It still works great. The super-viewfinder and timer setting (along with a pocket tripod) also comes in handy depending on the situation. I only gave it 4 stars because sometimes I wished I had a zoom, but I suppose there should be 5 stars now that it comes with a zoom kit.

I am a fan of the Yashica T4 Super, which featured a fixed focal length 35mm f3.5 Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. I still own this superb little gem of a camera since it takes pictures whose quality I can't readily discern from other, more expensive cameras I use, most notably the Contax G2 autofocus rangefinder camera and Carl Zeiss lenses, and the manual focusing Leica M6 with an assortment of Leica M lenses. Kyocera has updated the Yashica T4 into a phenomenal zoom P/S (Point and Shoot) 35mm camera which I wouldn't hesitate to bring along if I wanted to carry one light camera. The new Zeiss lens is superb, though it may lack a little of the Tessar's sharpness (I'm not sure why the lens is designated a Vario Tessar as opposed to a Vario Sonnar, which would make more sense, but I will leave this aside to those more familiar with Carl Zeiss lens lore.). I have seen superb 8 x 10" color enlargements made from this camera that have excellent contrast and resolution. If you are looking for a first-rate, yet relatively inexpensive zoom P/S 35mm camera, then the Yashica T4 Zoom has to be your first choice.

Basically I was looking for the highest quality camera for under $200. I previously had the Canon Sureshot Classic 120 but was lost and now is discontinued. Some of you may know that the Classic was a great, solid PAS (point and shoot).

Pro's: Carl Zeiss lens! Solid aluminum body construction. Clean lines. Doesn't feel cheap. Comes with case and remote (T4 Zoom Kit)

Cons: Viewfinder seems a tad small. A slight shutter delay, takes getting used to. The zoom is 4 stages, you can't make zoom adjustements in between.

Overall: I'd suggest this to anyone who wishes to get a great PAS and doesn't want to lug around a 35mm SLR.