We Have Questions About Yashica’s New Cheap ‘City’ Compact Cameras

Jan 27, 2025

Jaron Schneider

A hand holding a white digital camera outdoors. The camera has the brand name "VASTfca" and model "City100" printed on it. The lens details include "F1.6-2.8/3.5-10.35mm." A blurred walkway is visible in the background.

Earlier this month, Yashica was reportedly set to release a pair of point-and-shoot cameras called the City 100 and City 200. The company has finally confirmed US pricing and availability and the full specifications have been published — but they raise more questions than they provide answers.

Very little about these cameras was known when the news first broke about them on January 6 and now, even after receiving official press materials from Yashica today, questions remain.

The two models offer two focal lengths: the City 100 features a 3.45-10.5mm f/1.6-2.8 lens while the City 200 sports a 4.9-49mm f/2.0-3.1. The company translates that to mean “3x zoom” and “10x zoom” but doesn’t provide any focal length equivalents to 35mm full-frame, which is what most people base zoom ranges on. The original report stated that the sensors are a small Type 1/3.06 chip similar to those in many older mid-range smartphones, so some not-so-quick math means the City 100 has an equivalent 25.5-77.7mm lens while the City 200 has an equivalent 36.3-362.6mm.

A black Yashica City100 digital camera is shown from the front. The lens is prominently displayed, with specifications written on it. The camera features a flash and a textured casing, giving it a sleek and compact design. — Yashica City 100

Speaking of that sensor, while it is small, it isn’t short on promised resolution. “Promised” is key here, since an Irish photo store listed the camera and confirmed our findings that the sensor is the Sony IMX458 (Yashica does not state the sensor on its website or in its press materials, only calling it a “CMOS sensor”). That is a 13-megapixel sensor. The supposed 72MP images would have to come from some kind of stitched or upscaled photo mode, but Yashica did not elaborate.

The image shows the back view of a digital camera with a black screen. It has several buttons, including an "OK" button, directional arrows, and menu controls on the right side of the screen. The camera body is black. — Yashica City 100

With that in mind, Yashica says both cameras will feature the ability to capture up to 72-megapixel photos along with settings to also shoot at 64, 48, 36, 24, 13, 8, and 5 megapixels. PetaPixel does find it strange that Yashica would offer eight different photo resolutions. The IMX458 is, again, only 13-megapixels.

That leads directly to the next specification: the claim is that these cameras can shoot 5K video (5,210 x 2,880 pixels) at up to 30 frames per second. A 13-megapixel sensor wouldn’t have the width to cover that video resolution. Yashica claims it can also shoot 4K at up to 60p, 2.7K at up to 60p, and 1080 Full HD at up to 120p.

Luckily, Yashica provided full-resolution photo samples supposedly captured with the new cameras. Below are a few taken with the City 100 (click to view at full resolution):

Eagle-eyed readers will see that the resolution of these photos is 3,168 x 4,224 pixels, which is 13.38 megapixels — right on target for the IMX458, although admittedly slightly taller than expected.

Close-up side view of a black camera featuring a lens with a manual and auto focus switch. The body includes various ports such as a USB-C and an audio input, with textured detailing on the grip area. — Yashica City 200

PetaPixel is not sure what is going on with the specifications provided on these cameras. Assuming the sensor information the Irish photo store published is correct, and there is no reason to doubt it, then the City series cameras simply cannot do native 5K let alone 4K at 60p. Either it is doing some kind of up-scaling in-camera (which would require some serious processing to handle 30 frames per second video) or Yashica is playing a bit fast and loose with these numbers.

Top view of a digital camera with a black lens. The camera features a textured black finish, buttons for mode and power, and a shutter release. There's a red record button and a hot shoe mount on the upper section. — Yashica City 200

A close-up side view of a black digital camera showing a large lens on the left and various input ports, including microphone and USB slots, on the right side. — Yashica City 100

Moving on, Yashica says that the cameras both support autofocus with “subject detection” as well as manual focus. It did not elaborate on “subject detection.” The City 100 and City 200 also promise built-in scene modes including Beauty Mode and Fish Eye Effect along with 15 filters, including Retro, Vintage, and Monotone. The cameras also have seven white balance settings, but the company did not state if it could be manually adjusted in Kelvin nor if one of those was automatic. Yashica says it has “crystal clear audio” thanks to built-in microphones and speakers, which provide “seamless sound recording.”

A black digital camera with a large lens and an adjustable flip-out screen is shown. The screen is tilted outward to the right, and the camera features multiple buttons on top. — Yashica City 100

A black camera viewed from the top, showing its lens and control buttons. The buttons include power, menu, camera mode, and a red record button. A zoom lever labeled with 'W' and 'T' is also visible on the lens. — Yashica City 100

The side of the camera features a USB-C port (to charge the integrated battery) and a microphone jack. The rear features a 2.8-inch flip-up screen with 180-degree rotation in a 4:3 aspect ratio (although it says 16:9 is also supported). The two cameras also have a hot shoe mount and built-in WiFi for connection to the Yashica App.

Both the cameras will be available in either black or white. The City 100 will be available for purchase starting in February 2025 for $209. The City 200 will arrive in March and will be priced at $249.

Image credits: Yashica