Contax RX

I have an old 139 fully manual CONTAX camera and i like it loads but since digital has been around i have been playing with a MINOLTA dimage7 UG. YUCK!!! I hear you cry... I agree, but its very handy still. I was / am a very casual photographer and it brings me peace of mind, but I am also a very fussy person when it comes to quality. I saw this CONTAX RX sitting nicely in a secondhand camera shop next to an array of CARL ZEISS lenses, my mistake was to pick it up and play with it.. love at first touch.. it felt so good to have a REAL machine in my hands again and the old feelings came flooding back, I havn't had time to really check it out fully yet and I am trying to download the manual in english for it too but in saying that this baby slotted into my hand as if it were made for it. I was impressed, my second mistake was to attach the 80-200mm ZEISS lens to it and start to zoom around the room, clearity is an understatement. Next mistake was to check my wallet to find i could afford the camera AND the lens so now it belongs to me...muahahaha. It's a beast of a camera, I dont need to worry about the picture quality, CARL ZEISS, say no more. Being a casual photographer I will need to study the manual to get to grips with it but it does seem to be fairly simple to use. I am going on a shoot to KYOTO next week and i will be taking her with me for a test run, my old CONTAX camera is getting a bit tatty now but still takes wonderfull shots (a good eye helps). Its a bit early really for me to talk but i am so excited by this camera i had to tell someone.

Very well built. CARL ZEISS, CARL ZEISS. viewfinder is very cool, weight is well balenced even with a long 80-200mm attatched

are you kidding?.. the only thing that is frightening is the price of new lenses but you get what you pay for.

I have an old 139 but not really similar, I had a 136 too but my friend has it on a permenant borrow, its a semi-auto with a YASHICA lens at 55mm.

doubt i will ever need it, i haven't so far with any of my CONTAX machines

This is the finest camera I have ever owned. The RX is a beautiful machine that I fell in love with as soon as I held it in my hands. It is user friendly and its heft is so well balenced that you don't really notice it.

DFI, well built &solid. Contoured perfectly for my hand. Takes Zeiss lenses. It is user friendly.

none

RTS,167MT,137 md, Aria,Yashica fx2000

Never used

For those of us who choose to work with manual focusing equipment, the Contax RX ia unique instrument. The digital focus indicator takes some getting use to, but does fill a niche in certain areas. For me it is in the area of macro work. I do believe that the RTS III is the absolute best camera that Contax has to offer, but the RX is the one that houses my 60 2.8 macro (AE model, but Japanese built). Anyone who is serious about macro work will tell you that regardless of camera, manual focusing will give finer results when macr shooting. The DFI feature along with an absolutely exquisite Zeiss macro optic will give you mind boggling results. Anyone knocking Zeiss optics simply cannot be taken seriously. It is not a matter of snobbery but rather a superb end product.

excellent optics sturdy build DF Indicator, especially for macro use

Manual focus cameras are not for the instant gratification generation, thus we are seeing fewer new models on the scene. What I would give to see an RTS IV!!!!!

RTS III Leica M6TTL Leica M7

Not needed for over 11 years!!!

Very good camera, more solid build then Aria (at least from the feeling). All features you might want to have included, except matrix metering. Look for more infos at: www.contaxinfo.com. This is the ultimate source for every Contax user. For every Contax-system!

handling, build quality feeling

(if that would be one)no matrix metering

almost all Contax cameras

The RX represents one of Contax''s approaches to integrating autofocus technology into a camera while retaining the use of the exceptional Zeiss manual focus lenses. What Contax has done is build in all of the electronics of an AF system into the camera without the motors to move the lens. That job is left to the photographer. In fact, the RX is always used as a manual focus camera and the Digital Focus Indicator is only used as another confirmation of correct focus in addition to the standard focusing screens. The DFI also provides a digital representation of Depth of Field in the viewfinder.

Exceptionally well built and of the highest quality. Takes absolutely fantastic Zeiss manual focus lenses. Built-in date-back is standard and imprints the date/time between frames. Built-in diopter and viewfinder shutter Controls are logically placed and although they appear to be standard dials they are actually microswitches that coimmunicate to the camera electronics. It is quite easy to change settings without having to take your eye from the viewfinder. There are 9 custom functions and Contax includes a sticker sheet for the bottom of the camera to summarize the functions. The camera does NOT have mirror lock-up. I have NOT included this as a weakness however because the camera is so well damped that it doesn''t need one. The camera is incredibly quiet for a 3fps motor drive SLR. In all it is a wonderful camera to use.

Like any camera that is not made of plastic, the RX is heavy. The DFI focus does not lock when you press the shutter button and, if you expect it to operate like a standard AF camera you might be mislead. Once you remember that this is a manual focus camera with a secondary confirmation you will not expect the DFI to lock. Focus isn''t really changing since you have to move the focus ring.

Yashica 108MP, Contax 167MT

Top of the line. Never any difficulties with getting parts or accessories and the camera has no defects in manufacturing or any other problems.