dennis_pereira Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Sorry if this is a bit off topic but the equipment forum doesn't allow photos and at least it's about a German lens :) As I read multiple posts in the various forums about exotic lens designs, contrast, bokeh, and resolution, I'm constantly amazed at the quality of the little Tessar lens in my Yashica T4. Here's a shot from Christmas eve in NYC with a crop from a section in the background. Are other people seeing this level of quality in their point and shoots?<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis_pereira Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Here's the crop from the background<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew1 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I am impressed with this camera and lens, too. I bought one for my girlfriend last year, and she's become quite a good shooter. The pics this cheap little combo produce are fantastic. I'm thinking of getting one for my mother too, since she's off to Russia for a look round in March. The Zeiss lens in the Yashica T4 is wonderful, and the handling of the camera is nice for "serious" photographers and non- photographers alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas k. Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 It's hard to judge from 'net pix, but the T4 is a dandy camera - I've had one for years, bought one for my Mother, and have always been impressed by the results. As long as the light's bright (the lens goes to f3.5) or you use flash, the results look as good as from most other 35's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rab_l Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 They have a bit of a cult following, I noticed Martin Parr holding one in a recent documentry. I have the T5,[ same lens, cosmetic changes to the body] which is used by my family, including my nine year old, and the quality always surprises me, and not just the lens, it copes very well with varied exposure levels too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart d Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 My T4 goes with me when I'm skiing, camping, mountain biking and the like. Nice optics, but you have to learn to deal with the considerable shutter lag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostly sports Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I've always considered this the greatest price/performance ratio in photography. Like instead of buying all of my present photo equipment, I should have stopped with the T4, and then just bought plane tickets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_cuttler Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I purchased a T4 for my wife many years ago when it first came out. It was a replacment for the T2 which was lost. I also have a Yashica T; the first in the series. I picked it up at a local flea market for $10.00. They all share the same fantastic lens. David Cuttler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorn ake Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 There is a shelf of lightly used T4/T5 cameras at my favorite camera store here in Prague, just in case anyone is looking for an excuse to travel. "I'll be back in a bit dear. Just popping around to the camera store to pick up a few things...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h._p. Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I've often heard how good the T4 is, this is the first time anyone's actually backed the claim up with a statement. Very nice shot, Dennis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h._p. Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Er, for 'statement' read 'image'... Mind not entirely in gear I'm afraid. <grin> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_forrey Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 As long as we're off-topic... Anyone here have the Yashica T3? I've been tempted by a few on ebay as the lens is a bit faster (2.8, I think). I can't find any info on this model anywhere... Aside from the lens speed, I'm wondering about other functional differences between it and the T4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbob Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I'd heard of the T4 but didn't know much about it. I learned from the Adorama site that the lens is a zoom, which makes me all the more impressed with the sharpness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis_pereira Posted January 17, 2004 Author Share Posted January 17, 2004 The original T4 (which I used) has a 3.5 fixed 35mm lens. They don't make that version any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostly sports Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 For what it's worth, the story for years was that Zeiss didn't feel that any point and shoot zooms could deliver "Zeiss" quality, so their name didn't appear on any point and shoots except on the Tessar in the T4. Now the T4 Zoom has a Carl Zeiss lens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 I am convinced that the Zeiss Tessar 35/3.5 of the T4 or T5 is the best fixed focal lens of all cheap point and shoots that were ever made. I love the T5 I have given to my wife, because I know the results of the lens are as stunning as the results of my Leica Minilux that is far more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grepmat Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 I also have an original T4, though it's more than 10 years old and quite beat up by now. I've taken many of my favorite pictures with it, it's climbed mountains with me, and so on. It's now my backup to my Contax T3, which was more than 3 times the price but worth it, in my opinion. It has a faster and better lens that is the equal of my old Zeiss Distagon, proper aperture priority, essentially no mechanical vignetting, and so on. But I have a warm spot in my heart for the battle-scarred Yashica. I wish I had bought a second one when they were discontinued, as the T4-Zoom is not interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob haight Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 And a really nice shot too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTC Photography Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 That is why Carl Zeiss once marketed Tessar lens as Alderaugen-- Eagle's Eye<p> <p><center> <img src="http://www.zeiss.de/C12567A8003B8B6F/GraphikTitelIntern/Adlerauge/$File/Adlerauge.jpg"><P> </center> All Tessar lens on old Zeiss Ikon cameras such as Contaflex Super ( Tessar 50/2.8), Contessa etc are very sharp.<p> However, Carl Zeiss Sonnar 38mm/2.8 on Contax T2 and Sonnar 35mm/2.8 on Contax T3 are better.<p> Yashica T4 has a very nice feature: waist level finder, that makes this camera a very nice candid camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTC Photography Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 The following are some measurement from your pictures:<P> Width of the sign board is about 2mm <p> Width of full frame =128mm<p> Assuming your full frame was posted without cropping, then the width of the sign board is about 2 x 24/128 = 0.375 mm<p> On the sign board, the longest word STANDING, is eight characters long, plus a blank makes 9 characters<p> That is on that pictures, the lens on T4 resolves about 9/0.375 = 24 characters per mm<p> The sharpest Tessar type lens is the one on Minox B camera, it resolves about 66 characters in 1 mm of film, nearly three times as much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_kinghorn Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 T4 not bad but not that good. I have a t4 which I bought a few years ago and loved it for a little while. Soon found the auto focus confirmation impossible to see though the viewfinder, so many out of focus shots. The viewfinder too small to use in party or low light situations. Trigger button too sensitive to focus and recompose reliably. I bought my dad a Konica big mini f which was much cheaper and slimmer and is noticeably sharper.Two of my pro friends have gotten rid of their t4's on ebay because they have found exactly the same thing. I now use the waterproof canon A-1 which is bigger but really rugged , I'm looking to replace my T4 with a konica. rk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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