New camellia leaves will normally look bronze for a while because they are adapting to the sun for the first time. To complicate matters a bit, some deciduous trees/shrubs that normally provide your camellias with shade may not have fully leafed out yet; this could temporarily expose the new camellia leaves to too much sun. Luckily, the problem goes away once the trees leaf out.
These new leaves should not feel crisp though. Crisp brown leaves could indicate lack of moisture during winter if you notice that the edges brown out first.
Regarding yellow leaves.... most evergreen leaves will stay on for more than one year; two years at the longest. Between Springtime and early summer, camellias will shed the older leaves. My sasanquas do that sparingly now; then around June-July, I notice more shedding of leaves.
Feel free to do minor trimming between now and mid-summer. That is when they begin to develop new
flower buds. If you need to do major trimming, wait until the plant goes dormant in fall and winter.
Luis