This Yashica camera caused a Kickstarter stir, but was it justified? Ugh, yep...

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The Yashica digiFilm Camera Y35 was a digital camera designed to capture the tactile nature of analog photography, but the reaction from many Kickstarter backers was far from positive

Yashica Y35 camera product image on a grey background
The Yashica Y35's digiFilm cartridges were certainly a novel idea (Image credit: Yashica)

In light of the new Yashica FX-D Kickstarter due to kick off in the not-so-distant future, I was reminded by an excellent YouTube video from James Warner (@snappiness) that this isn’t the first time Yashica has released a film-digital hybrid camera. The Yashica digiFilm Camera Y35 was launched on Kickstarter at the tail end of 2017 and the price for early bird backers was $124. But sadly, one of the best retro cameras it is not...

I Bought the WORST Kickstarter Camera Ever - YouTube I Bought the WORST Kickstarter Camera Ever - YouTube
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The camera was designed to merge the tactile nature of analog photography with the practical nature of digital photography and, on paper, it at least seemed like a novel idea. The system is built around a series of digital film cartridges, ‘digiFilm’. Think of these a bit like Fujifilm’s Film Simulations, but instead of selecting the style of film from an in-camera menu, you have to swap out the digiFilm to access different filter effects, ISO settings, and aspect ratios.

But – although Yashica had no trouble attracting enough backers – I think it’s safe to say that the camera failed to meet expectations upon its release. A quick look at the comments on the Kickstarter page reveals that plenty of people were not happy. And indeed, James Warner's (@Snappiness) video above is entitled: ‘I Bought the WORST Kickstarter Camera Ever’.

But what I like about James' video is that it’s a non-biased retrospective. It doesn’t set out to lambast the Y35, but it doesn’t pull any punches, either. As James says: “There is no sugar coating this. The camera is really cheaply built.” But he also takes the camera and lens apart to see what makes it tick, and makes a pretty interesting discovery, but I won’t spoil it...

Ultimately, though, despite it looking like the Y35’s digiFilm cartridges do provide the pseudo retro experience promised, the cheap build and shutter button lag are a dealbreaker. I hope Yashica has learned its lesson and the FX-D addresses these issues. Do make sure you check out James’ excellent video on this little camera. I have to admit, despite its many shortcomings, watching the video was making me want to try one out for myself...

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Want more Yashica content? Eureka – I've found a Yashica! I predict big things for this little camera. Perhaps you'd like to check out other cut-price devices. Here are the best cheap cameras. And here's why I only buy cheap cameras.

And check our coverage of the new Yashica FX-D coming to Kickstarter.

Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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