Yashica was once a more prominent name in the camera and optics world, but that doesn’t mean that the Japanese company has been idle lately. The latest from the company is the Tank, a surprisingly affordable compact camera that still finds space for a decent set of features.
But first, just how affordable is this thing? A price tag of HK$800 puts its Rand cost at a little under R1,700. Of course, you’ll still have to ship it over to South Africa to play with one. That’ll elevate the full price to R1,900, plus whatever SARS decides you must hand over for tax.
Build like a Tank
You’ll probably want to fiddle with the Yashica Tank a little if you’re into cameras. The little retro shooter weighs just 105 grams, measuring 12 x 5.5 x 2cm in size. That’s dinky enough to fit into most pockets, but Yashica has found space for a 3in 180° LCD touchscreen on the rear. It’s just 360 x 640, but it’ll do the job of framing your shots.
Which, it turns out, are captured by a 12MP 1/2.8 CMOS sensor. Users can select 24MP and 36MP captures in addition to the default, with 8x digital zoom also present. The f/1.8 sensor, which isn’t detailed further, shoots 4K video at 30fps. Drop to 1080p or lower, and it’ll handle 60fps.
MicroSD cards from 8GB to 256GB are compatible with the Tank, while an internal 800mAh battery will keep your finger on the capture stud up top for ages. An internal LED flash completes the whole retro vibe, so you can feel like you’re snapping birthday parties in 1996 all over again.
The Yashica Tank is available for pre-order via the company’s website in a range of shades. One of these is called Pink Marshmallow, with Sky Blue, Brown, and Black being the remaining colours. And yes, Yashica does deliver directly to South Africa.
