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New Contax N bodies for 2003?

> Robert,

Recently, I shot on a trip to NYC about 250 shots with my ND. Your statement "The ND was fraught with problems" is simply inaccurate.

Out of the 250 shots, I had about a dozen "throwaways". Out of the 250 shots I selected over 100 for a NYC photo pictorial I am generating in both album form and for a website page.

The ND was never "fraught with problems" on my trip. The problem shots from the trip can all be blamed on this photographer. I also took my N1 and shot less than a dozen frames. They are still setting in the camera, waiting for me to finish out the roll.

I also disagree with you regarding and N-2. I think that an N-2 will probably be released in the next two years ... with some minor improvements over the N1. Kyocera is clearly trying to sell the "N" system as a complete system ... from 35 film to 645 to digital.

Michael.
 
Michael, Robert:

In a way you guys agree on the putative "N2" because I think at best we can expect minor improvements; the N1 camera is already quite capable, and simply a somewhat faster AF or more focus points are not worth an unknown wait. This was the original question in this thread. Now, there will be a new digiSLR of course, we all agree on that too, because Contax has to. In all fairness to Robert's remark, the ND was a disastrous product both in marketing, pricing and also performance RELATIVE to the competition. This does not mean that a competent photographer like Michael cannot take great pictures with it, but I think all ND users will have to admit that this product was not a successful launch. It certainly got discontinued in a hurry. I personally expect the next Contax foray into digiSLR to be much more competitive in pricing and performance, BUT - in my opinion - it will have to be a full size chip or they loose out big time to Canon and Nikon. There is no competition possible in the 1.5-1.6x size at all, I believe. We'll see. I'd love to go digital but not till they're in the 16 Mpixel range, and affordable.
 
Contax is/will never be cheap (although the NX really is with the rebate) but there is a difference between pricey, but delivering top notch (film) bodies (like an expensive car) and the ND, which was priced in the stratosphere for......I don't know!

So, the next digiSLR will be expensive, but not crazy priced like the ND.
 
Otola, good point. If there is a piece of equipment worth having for my needs and if it is really excellent, I will save my money (a little longer if it is really pricey) and go for it and not begrudge the maker their fees. As for the higher pricing on the first digital model they produced, I would imagine it wasn't that they were covering the actual physical costs of materials and construction and non-existant marketing expenses, but that they were trying to recoup the expenses that added up in research. Digital wasn't exactly their area of expertise. And also the floor did fall out from under the cost of digital by the time it made it to market too. Maybe if they had spread that research cost out over the entire (small) product line rather than their first attempt at a digital 35mm SLR it would have been easier to swallow, and less of failure even given it's usage situation, and made the Contax afficianados feel safer about the future of things. Just my opinion of course. -Lynn
 
I'm looking forward to some announcements, as well. Having recently purchased an N1, 50mm, and 85mm, i believe Contax owes us some glass on the wide end. It's inexcusable not to have, at least, 28 and 35mm primes for ANY 35mm camera system. This will become even more critical if a digital is released with a crop factor. At 1.5x, or whatever it's likely to be, we will require a 28 or 35mm prime just to give us something that approximates the 'normal/standard' 50mm focal length.

The gaps in this lens line are sufficient rationale for me to dump the N1 and just buy used manual focus Contax and/or Leica R lenses to mount via adapter on digital EOS bodies.

Contax has bitten off quite a bit, promising to support two different lens mounts, and they haven't yet lived up to the deal.

Loke, if i had it to do over again, i'd wait a bit, and see what happens this fall. If Contax doesn't announce a product lineup that will immediately meet my needs lens-wise, i'd go with a manual focus body. After all, the N1 autofocus isn't exactly stellar, and i too often have to focus manually anyway, when shooting people who aren't going to remain perfectly still for me.
 
I have this focusing problem with N1 too. Only the 24-85mm focuses well. My 50mm f1.4 and 17-35mm are ALWAYS focusing at a shorter distance than necessary. So, I have to manually shift the focusing distance a little to the right.

Very annoying. Should I repair it or is this an inherent problem?? Again.
 
I just received a new N1 w/24-85 (oh yea baby)but it did not come with an English manual. Serial # is in the 7xxx range. Did Contax make an error?
 
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