Film cameras, along with the companies producing them, are experiencing a resurgence. Yes!Star, a Chinese company recently selected by Fujifilm to ramp up film production in China, has introduced a new 35mm point-and-shoot film camera to the market.
While Yes!Star might not be widely recognized outside China, it has been manufacturing dental and medical film for Fujifilm for some time. Now the company is shifting its focus to the consumer market; in addition to producing Fujifilm's C200 and C400 stocks in China, Yes!Star has launched the S1 – the latest film camera to hit the market.
Unveiled on Weibo, the popular Chinese social media platform, the Yes!Star S1 is a straightforward design reminiscent of classic disposable cameras – but reusable.
Announced at a Shanghai event celebrating the "birth of a new film era", the S1 is crafted with a metal body, features a fixed lens, includes a built-in flash and weighs in at just about 280g.
The S1's lens is a fixed 31mm f/11 and doesn’t require a focusing system, aiming to keep everything in focus at all times due to its extensive depth of field. This design, however, means the camera could perform poorly in low-light conditions unless loading high ISO film. Despite this limitation, the camera's build quality – being made from metal – sets it apart from other similar models.
For instance, Ilford offers the Sprite 35-II, a reusable 35mm point-and-shoot film camera, or the new Pentax 17 half-frame camera, both of which feature plastic bodies and fixed lenses. The Yes!Star S1 distinguishes itself with its slightly higher-quality construction.
While pricing details for the Yes!Star S1 are not available at the time of writing, it is expected to be competitively priced, likely around the $40 / £30 / AU$60 mark, again similar to the Ilford 35-II.
This would position it well below the more premium models like the Pentax 17, or the upcoming Rollei 35AF. Despite these models also featuring metal components, the S1's lack of advanced controls, including focus adjustment, suggests it is targeting a casual consumer audience looking for an affordable, easy-to-use film camera that offers the full 35mm experience.
Still, for anyone doubting that film really is making a comeback, the fact that one of the largest markets on the planet has debuted its own film camera feels like a pretty huge development!
Make sure you're using the best 35mm film for your photography. And if you're an analog fan, you might also be interested in the best instant cameras – or of course, you could check out the best retro cameras that look old school on the outside but are cutting edge on the inside!
