Which Contax System suits best to your needs

[Guest]

Robert,

I photograph landscapes with an RTS III and Distagon 21mm. This is a killer combo where vibration is moot -- unless your tripod REALLY sucks. Of somewhat greater utility is the RTV (RealTime Vacuum) back.

If you plan to shoot telephoto then, yes, the RTS III has two helpful features: real mirror lockup, and a two-second timer. The RX II (but not RX) claims an equivalent feature, namely a two-second timer with mirror pre-release.

As for RTS III abandonment, it's my suspicion that all C/Y development is kaput. DSLRs are eating the dinner of pro film SLRs: RTS III, Nikon F5, Canon 1V -- all toast. But even if III production is ended, stocks will remain for some time. I bought a new III last month.

Tales of woe aside, I highly recommend the RTS III. It's fairly heavy, note. Here's a test scene with the 21mm, 1/1000 hand-held, f/5.6, ISO 100, 4000dpi negative scan:

http://patternassociates.com/rico/contax/misc/d21s&le.jpg

WARNING! This JPEG is 22MB, or over a hour on fast dial-up. Except for white/black points, and setting color balance, this image is unadjusted. Even the original dust and scratches are retained!

CZ 50/1.4 s&le available on request.

 

[Guest]

a small correction:

the 2 second self timer on the RX II has *NO* mirror pre-release. It works exactly the same way than the 10 sec timer.

Mike

 

[Guest]

There seems to be an opposite answer in the RXII thread for the function of new RXII 2nd self timer. Can anyone with hands-on experience confirm whether it has or does not have the mirror pre-release? Thanks.

 

[sensei]

Greetings fellow G2 users. Can anyone tell me if I can use another flash unit with my G2. The flash unit that comes with my G2 seems to produce too much glare on my photos. Suggestions anyone? Thanks.

 

[finnegans]

Eric -

I've been using a Vivitar flash (5200, discontinued) with their C/Y module and it talks to my G2 well enough (though it causes the display to surge a bit, unusually) -- it tells the camera when it's charging, and when it's charged it sets the shutter speed (though to 1/60th, not the sync speed of 1/200th, which is fine for me, I usually do slower sync anyway). It also has a bunch of handy-dandy compensation controls and manual settings. Check out any third-party (yashica, even) flash with a contax/yashica module. Or if you're really serious about this stuff and price/size are no object, get the TLA 360, you'll thank yourself down the road.

 

[brandonjscott]

I have a Contax G2 with the 35/2 and 90/2.8 lenses. After using the G2 for over two months, I have come to the realization that I am getting better black and white negatives with it than with any other system I own (Nikon AF/Bronica ETRSi). This is a subjective thing, so I hesitate to ask, but... Does all Zeiss Glass produce images with the same characteristics? I would like to use an SLR system along with the G2, and I am curious if the C/Y mount lenses would produce similar negatives. Thank you for any input.

Brandon

 

[robgo2]

Eric,

I have both the TLA 140 and 360 for my G2. The flash system on this camera is not very sophisticated, and I have also noted a tendency for overexposed, hot pictures, especially when the subject is close. The simple solution is to set the exposure compensation at negative 1-2 stops when using a flash. This will reduce output from the flash. A bit of experimentation may be needed to find the proper adjustment, but once you have done this, you should be much happier with your flash photos.

Rob

 

[7130]

I'm in the Uk, and thinking of buying an Contax RXII new from the US - New York, in particular. Could anyone recommend good dealers to buy from?

Thanks,
Marc.

 

[pkipnis]

either Adorama or B&H are honest. you will get the amount of customers service commensurate with what you pay though.

 

[John_bird]

Hi Marc if you are in the U.K contact me for some interesting facts on delivery that may help before ordering. john.bird467@ntlworld.com. promise this is not a sales pitch