The 1970s probably won’t go down as the most stylish decade of all time. I’m thinking bellbottom trousers, platform shoes, high-waisted jeans and big hair. And yet there were some properly stylish cameras from the 70s, including the Yashica FX-3 which was launched in 1979. It was a highly popular and very attractive 35mm reflex film camera, fully mechanical with a reputation for being robust and durable. The new Yashica FX-D series of cameras take their styling cues from the FX-3 and bear more than a passing resemblance, at a cursory glance.
Under the skin, the 13-megapixel FX-D 100 and the 50-megapixel FX-D 300 and FX-D S300 are entirely different to the FX-3 in every way. For a start, the new digital cameras aren’t made by the Yashica of bygone times, but by a Hong Kong company that paid for the name. They’re also relatively plasticky and feel like some of the style points are just there for show. The FX-D cameras can’t compete with the best retro cameras on the market but aim to offer a viable alternative to some of the best cheap cameras out there. Let’s take a closer look.
