P&S: Yashica t4

[RdEoSg]

The problem with the T4 is not so much the lack of f-stops as the lack of exposure compensation. I admit that I don't use them much (I ended up with two of them) but they work best with wide lattitude C41 color film. Of course if your subject is not too light or dark you'll end up with very good exposures.... The lens is quite good. I used to use the T4 when working on assignments in b&w (for which I used film SLRs, Leicas, or MF) but still wanted the ability to shoot some color "for the record". Now I use digital for that.

I found that XP2 worked pretty well in the T4. I always got decent results with it! I think my dad still has my T4 in his truck come to think of it! He always keeps it in there in case he comes across something during the day as he is retired.

 

[rogue_designer]

I think my problem ins't so much with the individuals, or the cameras used.

Its the "snapshot aesthetic" that has been in vogue. And has allowed some photographers to become very wealthy and very famous as a result of who they had access too, rather than their ability.

I'm sure it's also a bit of envy. 😉

Still I think I'd slap Mario Testino if I ever met him.

 

[nightfly]

Terry Richardson has a spread in this weeks Sunday New York Times Magazine section and there is a picture of him with his T4.

They are great little cameras with a couple of catches. The first is sometimes they don't focus on what you think they are focused on. The second is that they sometimes rewind your film mid roll. The third and this might just be my personal preference, I find that the black and whites from them are pretty dull. I guess when I manually expose, I tend to give more generous exposure and over expose by a half a stop or a stop and that gives my pictures a little more pop. My Yashica negs always look a little underexposed to me. But I guess I could overdevelop a bit to make up for it.

Color film, particularly slide film looks really spectacular though. The combination of the Contax glass and the exposure system really works for slide film I took one on a few month trip to South America as my only camera and have some really great shots on Sensia and Velvia of Machu Pichu and other spots that are worthy of the locations.

 

[Pablito]

they sometimes rewind your film mid roll.

Yes, this is quite true.

 

[apconan]

I think my problem ins't so much with the individuals, or the cameras used.

Its the "snapshot aesthetic" that has been in vogue. And has allowed some photographers to become very wealthy and very famous as a result of who they had access too, rather than their ability.

I'm sure it's also a bit of envy. 😉

Still I think I'd slap Mario Testino if I ever met him.

You're right about Terry becoming famous due to his access to iconic subjects, but what's the point of moaning about it? It's especially bad that you act like only all-manual film users are 'real' photographers. There are many tools out there, and if they enjoy it, who are you to condemn them?

 

[NickTrop]

Richardson wants his photos to look like snap shots. That's the aesthetic he's going after, generally (but not always), with the T4 so it only makes sense. A big part of what the photographer does is to make the subject feel "at ease" and comfortable and natural in front of the camera. Difficult with lighting rigs, giant portrait lenses, huge cameras... etc. Bet if his eyes weren't shot, he'd be using Minolta HiMatic 7S II or something. But also, he wants "speed" to capture that decisive moment, which autofocus PnS cameras excel at. That little P-n-S also gives you wicked glass and "full frame" in a tiny package at a fraction of the cost of the expensive "full frame" digital monstrosities.

 

[fotomeow]

Cool thread.......Ive kept on eye on Terry R. for some time, he's interesting due to his countercoulture approach (though a bit aggrandized) of equipment use (cheap canon/nikon slr kits, now the P&S) and subject matter (porn, tattoos, etc). I have a T4 zoom which, though slow at F4+, can work wonders with 400-1600 ISO. If I use fast film, I just do a +EV1.5, then can have it pulled one stop in development (better shadow detail, tonal range, and not blown out). I took this camera around Asia for 3 months along with an M6 and 4 lenses, and captured pretty much everything I wanted. Light and small with great lens and built-in flash options to optimize light. Like many others have pointed out, if you know how to optimize the use of the tool, you can get incredible results. And those of use camera geeks who study fotography can see the difference b/w a tourist shot and a fotog shot based on other elements such as composition, texture, "moments", etc.

well put, NickTrop, he wants that kind of a P&S look, thats par of his signature, and what he was able to get with the cheap nikon slr kits (eg, very UNmanicured lighting without massive set-up and manipulation.) Lighting assistant? who needs one?
I think he's also trying to say, digital Hassy users, eat your hearts out.......

 

[nonot]

I think true professionals in any field are the ones who choose their equipment based on their needs, not what's the most complicated, flashy or accepted. Cameras are just a tool, people take photos.