Yashica is a 75-year-old name in classic analog cameras that ceased production in 2005 and has since tried Kickstarter projects with ultimately mixed success. His latest venture into the crowdfunding platform is a departure from his analog roots; 4K night vision goggles.
Somewhat in the mold of the Sigweis Night Vision binoculars, Yashica Night Vision promises enhanced full-color 4K video and clear 58 MP photos even in complete darkness, thanks to 0.0037 lux sensitivity, 850 nm IR (infrared) illumination with 3 levels and f/1.0 aperture lens. In short, you can see in color in the dark, with clear vision up to 600 meters.
According to the Yashica Night Vision Kickstarter page launched in January 2024, color images show “more natural color reproduction and higher dynamic range” and are created by using AI to improve image signal processing.
There are a few sample videos on the page that give a taste of what’s possible, although the Yashica Night Vision video ad doesn’t show any actual footage captured with the product.
This is not the first night vision device with full-color and IR modes. The Sigweis model appears to have the same design and much of the same hardware; a 3x optical and 5x digital zoom, 4-inch TFT display with a 960×400 pixel screen, IP65 water and dust resistance, backlit buttons, compass and a battery life of up to 16 hours.
However, the Yashica Night Vision has superior specifications compared to existing binoculars: 4K video and 58 MP photos and an f/1.0 lens with a larger aperture should provide sharper images, while the makers claim a viewing distance of 600 meters is twice that of existing rivals.
It comes as something of a surprise, then, to see the Yashica Night Vision’s list price: just $252 (about £200 / AU$387). That seems a bit low for such an impressive-sounding nighttime device. Plus, at the time of writing, there’s an early bird Kickstarter price of just £139 (approximately £111 / AU$214).
Is the Yashica Night Vision too good to be true for nighttime wanderers? Dig a little deeper and some of those headlines unravel a bit. The GalaxyCore CMOS sensor has a Full HD 1080p resolution and not 4K – the higher resolution is achieved through upscaling.
That said, we’ll just have to wait and see how good the Yashica Night Vision is in real life, especially if Yashica uses AI to improve image quality.
Worldwide shipping is available at a cost calculated based on the post-campaign backer survey, with an estimated delivery in May 2024. As always with crowdfunding, supporting the project does not guarantee receipt of the product or the expected schedule.