Yashica Y16 Pocket Camera Costs HK$898, About $115 to $119, With Pre-Orders Shipping Late November
The retro compact takes its name from a 1959 film camera, and outlets disagree on the dollar price and a lens detail.
Yashica has put a price and a shipping window on the Y16, a small retro compact camera modelled on a 1959 film camera of the same name. Pre-orders are open, and Yashica's own store lists the camera at HK$898, excluding shipping and taxes, with shipments scheduled from the week of November 30.
Price and availability
Outlets converting the price disagree slightly: DPReview gives $119, Notebookcheck about $115 plus shipping and import costs, and Digital Camera World $114.42. HK$898 is the consistent figure; Yashica has not published a separate dollar price. The camera comes in seven colours: Green, Orange, Red, Baby Blue, Baby Pink, Butter Yellow and Black. It was first teased around September 21.
What the camera offers
| Yashica Y16 | Per Yashica's listing |
|---|---|
| Sensor | 12MP (5MP option); size not stated by Yashica |
| Lens | 4.05mm, marked f/1.8 (DPReview says 27mm equivalent, F12) |
| Zoom | 4x digital |
| Viewfinder | Optical, with eye sensor |
| Screen | 1.45-inch LCD |
| Video | 4K 22fps, 2.7K 30fps, 1080p 60fps |
| Flash | Xenon, about 50cm to 2m |
| Filters | Eight digital filters |
| Battery | Removable 800mAh, USB-C charging |
| In the box | 8GB microSD card |
| Size / weight | 91 x 45 x 29mm (DPReview) / 93g |
| Price | HK$898 |
What is unclear
The sensor size is one gap. DPReview says it is about 18 square millimetres, while Digital Camera World says it has not been disclosed. That matters because sensor area largely decides image quality, and a 12MP count says little on its own.
The lens aperture is another. A fast f/1.8 would be unusual in a camera this small and cheap, and DPReview's F12 figure points elsewhere. Reviews will settle it.
Regional pricing is the third. Yashica sells from its own store, and buyers in India, the US or Europe will pay shipping, customs and taxes on top of HK$898, which can add substantially to the final cost.
Who it is for
The Y16 is aimed at buyers who like the look of a vintage film compact and want something cheap and easy to carry (The Gadgeteer). The retro filter dial, optical viewfinder and xenon flash suit casual snapshots more than serious photography, and it competes with other low-cost retro compacts rather than with phone cameras, which generally have larger sensors. Low-cost cameras like this lean heavily on processing, which spec sheets do not reveal, so wait for hands-on samples.
What to watch next
Review units and sample images, a confirmed aperture, and whether the November 30 shipping week holds.
