Trends have brought the retro camera design back into the spotlight – and it looks like a Hong Kong company is preparing to launch a new digital camera that keeps the old school looks right down to a “film” wind lever. The Yashica FX-D is a an upcoming camera that the company is calling a “film-digital hybrid camera.” A teaser video, however, suggests some unusual features, including a viewfinder bump that doesn't appear to actually contain a viewfinder.
With only a brief “coming soon” page on Kickstarter, Yashica has shared relatively few details on the upcoming camera beyond the name, a tag line, a few lines on social media, a few photos, and a teaser video. The company has teased the camera with the tagline “Your first film-digital hybrid camera."
A post on the camera's Facebook group suggests that the film-digital hybrid is referring to "Film-look" digital photos, including the ability to shoot in RAW. The camera will have what the company is calling Signature Film Modes, including simulations inspired by the 60s, 70s, and 80s as well as two black-and-white options.
Yashica says the FX-D is inspired by the film FX-3 camera. The upcoming camera is said to have a digital mode for "crispness" and a film mode for "nostalgic character." The camera's blend of modern and analog includes a tactile film winder mixed with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB-C charging.
While details are slim, the teaser video and images already shared of the Yashica FX-D, however, include some hints. In the video, I can clearly see a lever at the top of the camera that looks similar to the film rewind dial on the old film Yashica FX-103 that currently decorates my office. The FX-D also appears to have two dials at the top.
But a brief glimpse at the back of the camera has me a bit puzzled – and disappointed. I noticed the photographer in the video appears to be holding the camera away from their face, rather than up to the eye like when using a film camera. When the video pans briefly to the back of the camera, I can see why: I don’t see a viewfinder anywhere.
Now, I suppose its possible the teaser is showing a strange cover over the viewfinder, or the doesn’t show enough of the camera, or there’s a hidden viewfinder like on the Sony RX100 VIII. Or perhaps the video was even made with a pre-production model that’s not quite final yet. But what I can see of the back of the camera has the camera’s name along with “Digital Camera” where a viewfinder would typically be. There is some sort of window underneath this, which looks a bit like the selfie camera on my iPhone, but looks too small to actually be a usable viewfinder. Throughout the teaser video, the photographer seems to be relying on a screen at the back of the camera.
Plenty of successful cameras skip out on the viewfinder, like the Nikon Z30 or the Panasonic S9, relying instead on the rear screen. But a viewfinder feels rather essential for a camera that tries to maintain the feel of film. And why would a camera still have the viewfinder bump but not the viewfinder itself? Most cameras that omit the viewfinder do so to create a more compact design.
In a photo shared on the Yashica FX-D, however, I’m also intrigued by the suggestion of what the camera could have: weather-sealing. The header photo on the Kickstarter page appears to show the camera held in a photographer's hands while it's raining. Leaked specifications on Photo Rumors, while unverified, suggest an IP65 rating for the camera.
The more times I watch the Yashica FX-D teaser viedeo, the more I’m intruged by just how the brand is trying to create a “film-digital hybrid.” Cameras like the Instax Mini Evo are both digital and instant film, and there are plenty of digital cameras with an old-school look and colors inspired by film. The glimpses of the FX-D feel a bit different than the existing options.
While Yashica is a longstanding company, the current line of Yashica cameras isn’t made by the same company. The trademark is now owned by a company based in Hong Kong, so it’s not the same company that made the classic film cameras. One of the company’s previous Kickstarters garnered a lot of attention because it had “film” canisters that loaded into the digital camera to change the color profile. But the Yashica Y35’s Kickstarter page is now filled with negative comments about the quality of the camera.
Regardless, the glimpses of the upcoming camera had me curious enough to sign up for project alerts on the Yashica FX-D Kickstarter page.
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For the old-school look that you can actually buy now, visit the best retro camera guide, or browse the best film cameras.
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