Yashica T4 Super D

Yashica T4 Super D Overview

The Yashica T4 Super D is one of the last models of the T* series of compact cameras made by Kyocera (who owned Yashica at the time) in partnership with renowned German lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss AG. All cameras in this series used high quality Carl Zeiss Tessar lenses with the legendary T* coating which meant superb image quality in a small package. The Yashica T4 and its variants were also sold as the Yashica T5 and the Kyocera T Proof.

Like its older brother, the Yashica T AF-D, the T4 Super D has an automatically controlled Carl Zeiss Tessar 35mm f/3.5 T* lens which is protected by a dark translucent cover that slides back when the camera is turned on via the switch above the grip. The T4 Super D boasts both automatic exposure and focus, a shutter speed range of 1 to 1/700 seconds, compatibility with ISO 50 to 3200 film and as the “D” in its name suggests, a data back for time stamps.

One of the most interesting features on the T4 Super D is a waist-level viewfinder dubbed the “Super Scope.” The finder is located next to the LCD display on the top plate between the shutter button and the flash and time buttons and allows photographers to shoot from the hip without doing it blindly. This camera is also weatherproof which is a very nice touch.

Like many cameras in my collection, I found the Yashica T4 Super D at a thrift store mixed in with a dozen or so worthless point-and-shoots. It’s got some scuffs on it and the data back seems to think that it’s still 1994 but is otherwise in pretty good condition. The only complaint I’ve got about this is the battery door which, in the interest of weatherproofing, is deliberately and incredibly difficult to open.