Yashica’s Upcoming Y16 Compact Camera
Yashica is once again digging into its past for a new digital camera, this time with the upcoming Yashica Y16. The name and design come from the original Yashica Y16 released back in 1959, although this new version is obviously digital. For now, this is only a development announcement, so quite a few details are still missing, but Yashica has shared some early specifications and teaser photos. The camera will use a 12MP sensor, shoot both photos and video, and interestingly, it appears to have a proper xenon flash rather than the LED used in the Yashica Tank released earlier this year.
The design is probably the most unusual part. Like the original Y16, the new camera has a very flat, horizontal body, with what would normally look like the top of a camera actually serving as the front. That is where you will find the built-in lens, xenon flash and front of the optical viewfinder, while the shutter button and mode dial sit along the actual top edge. Around the back there is a small display and optical viewfinder, which Yashica says will have some kind of motion-sensing functionality. What exactly that means has not been explained yet. As mentioned, we also do not know the sensor size or any real specifications for the lens, so there is still a lot left to learn about the actual camera hardware.
Given Yashica’s recent digital cameras, it is probably reasonable to expect a relatively small sensor and not anything approaching APS-C or full frame. That would actually fit the Y16 name rather well, since the original camera used 16mm film. Yashica will offer the new model with seven different trim colours, all paired with the same vintage-white main body. Pricing has not been announced either, although Yashica’s current digital camera lineup ranges from models below $100 to the $419 Yashica City 300, so we will have to wait and see where the Y16 lands. Preorders are expected to open sometime in October.
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