The new 50MP Yashica City 300 Promises Improvements Over its Predecessors

Earlier this year, Yashica introduced its City 100 and City 200 compact cameras. And now the company is back with the City 300 — an affordable pocket camera with a 50MP sensor that looks to fix some of the flaws of its predecessors.

Yashica seems to be leaning into the current digicam revival, building point-and-shoots aimed squarely at younger photographers. The City 300 even sneaks in features you’d normally expect on pricier cameras.

So if you’re into street photography or like compact cameras in general, or looking to get into photography for the first time, it does make the City 300 an appealing option — though its 50MP sensor does not necessarily mean that it’s an alternative to other higher-end cameras from Sony, Panasonic, or Fujifilm.

The City 300 Brings a Few Smart Fixes to the City 100 and City 200

The City 300 is Yashica’s answer to the build and image quality complaints leveled at the City 100 and 200. It has a new 50MP Type 1/1.56 sensor with IBIS — still small by camera standards, but a big leap over the earlier 13MP chips.

Paired with a 24mm f/1.8 prime lens and handy digital crop modes (50mm and 60mm equivalents), it offers flexibility without losing resolution.

Another big improvement over the City 100 and 200 is the addition of RAW shooting. Those earlier models were limited to JPEGs only, which made editing more restrictive. The City 300, on the other hand, supports DNG (RAW) capture, giving photographers much more freedom to fine-tune their images afterward. That said, the relatively small sensor size still means there are limits if you plan on pushing files too far during post-processing.

Yashica has also tried to tackle another complaint raised with the earlier City models: the flash. Instead of the weak built-in option, the City 300 comes bundled with a new external unit, the QuickFlash Mini Camera Flash, which promises more usable power straight out of the box.

The camera keeps the familiar City-series look but with some refinements. The grip has been reworked for a better hold, and the whole package is still pocket-friendly. At just 183 grams (6.5 ounces), it’s almost 40 grams lighter than the City 100, making it even easier to slip into a pocket or bag.

On the video side, the camera now shoots 4K at 30p, along with 2.7K at 60p and Full HD at up to 120p.

Is Yashica Trying to Start the Megapixel Race Again?

The Yashica City 300 arrives with a 50-megapixel sensor, a significant jump from the 13-megapixel chips in the City 100 and 200. While the boost in resolution is designed to improve detail and cropping flexibility, it also raises familiar questions about whether more megapixels alone translate to better image quality.

The compact camera market has seen this trend before. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, manufacturers competed heavily on resolution, often overlooking factors like sensor size, optics, and processing power. The rise of smartphones with increasingly capable cameras eventually pushed compact point-and-shoots out of favor.

With the City 300, Yashica is aiming to avoid those pitfalls by combining higher resolution with RAW capture, in-body image stabilization, and a fast f/1.8 lens. These additions suggest the company is trying to deliver more than just pixel count, positioning the camera as both a creative tool for beginners and a nostalgic option for those who miss the compact era.

Anyhow, at this point, the City 300 looks more like a good entry point for anyone wanting to break into photography, rather than a one-size-fits-all camera. Can it carve out its place in a crowded market? Only time will tell!

Pricing and Availability

The Yashica City 300 is now available through Yashica’s official website for HK$3,280 (approximately $420 USD at current exchange rates).

Affiliate Disclaimer: We may earn a commission from purchases made through our links.