Kodak Ektar 100
Roll 1 With the Yashica T2
I've long wanted to shoot film with a point n' shoot film camera. For those that aren't familiar, point n' shoot cameras are essentially the same concept of a disposable camera that you would get from Walgreens. Except in this case, you don’t have to throw the camera away after the roll is finished! Also, you’re able to choose what film stock you can load into the camera next.
For me, the allure to shooting with a point n' shoot camera is the simplicity that comes with using this camera. As the photographer, all you need to do is aim the camera at what you want a photo of and fire away. No need for metering, adjusting your aperture, shutter speed, or even manually focusing the lens. While I actually do enjoy doing all of that, sometimes I just want to shut my brain off & get a nice photo without having to think about shutter speed, or if I’m getting the correct exposure. It’s almost liberating to drop all of these esoteric concepts and to be able to get a sharp photo with as little thought as possible.
Furthermore, I think that in the world of photography there are so many different cameras with so many different features that it can be easy to get lost in features, settings and even the camera itself. As we enter the new year, there's a big part of me that has been seeking a more minimal approach to photography, I want to cut down and cut back on my cameras. So, moving forward I think I'm primarily going to shoot color film with this camera — for a few of reasons:
Reason Number 1. Color film is actually a bit more complicated to shoot than black & white film. When you shoot black & white film, you’re essentially shooting for highlights & shadows, simply put — light & dark. However, When it comes to shooting color film, metering for the correct exposure is crucial. If your exposure is off, more importantly — if you underexpose color film, then it is very easy for the colors in the photo to shift, which can then produce muddy & less than desirable results. Because of these potential shifts in colors, I generally stray away from color film, even though I really like how color film looks!
Reason Number 2. I absolutely adore the look of black & white film from my Leica & Hasselblad. Monochromatic film was made for these cameras, literally! I could go on for days about this topic, but I’ll keep it brief here; however, be on the lookout for more articles detailing this matter.
Reason Number 3. This is probably the biggest reason I bought the Yashica T2. I was looking to capture those 90’s vibes with a film camera. I want those vibrant, saturated & sharp photos out of a camera. You can somewhat replicate this look with digital, but I feel like it often just comes off as tacky. And while I could get vibrant, saturated colors with a film camera like the Leica, or even Nikon — I just don’t feel like you can truly replicate those 90’s vibes with those cameras. I sincerely believe you need a point n’ shoot camera or even a disposable camera to get this desired look that I’m after.
I’m happy to say, that after getting my film developed & scanned, I was able to achieve that 90’s look I’ve been seeking for a while now! And while I wish I could say that the Yashica T2 is a perfect camera, as with everything in life — nothing is perfect, the same is true of the Yashica T2.
For starters, as great as it is to have a flash right there on the camera to use in those dark situations — I count 4 photos where the flash washed out skin. On the flip side, many of the photos shot at night where the flash was used look great. So perhaps I just need more time with the camera in order to figure out all of the little nuances.
Additionally, I hate to point this out, because as you can see, 90% of the photos are in focus, which I was thrilled to see! However, by that math, that means that about 10% of the photos were out of focus and being the perfectionist that I am, this of course is unacceptable. Admittedly, I was bummed to see that the 2 photos I took of my friend Nick were out of focus.
Truthfully, this is the gamble you have to live with when you give the camera full control of all of the settings & it's something that I'm will to live with.
Overall, I would rate the Yashica T2 an 8 out of 10. The camera is not perfect, but I would say that it's really all that I need. I wanted a camera that I could take everywhere with me and document daily life. While I was doing that with my Leica M2, sadly that camera has been in the shop for a few months now and I'm not entirely sure when that camera will be back. Also, it's nice to just have a camera that I can literally just throw in my backpack & not ever have to worry about. All in all, for the price, I don’t think you can beat this camera when it comes to point n’ shoot style cameras. The Yashica T2 costs roughly $100 online, and I highly recommend this camera to all types of photographers — from beginners, to the highly seasoned.
