Contax RX

My last stop in film cameras. Have used different 35mm cameras since the 70's: Nikon, Canon, Konica, Minolta, Rolleiflex and Leica M. 2 Years ago I got a Contax G and was blown away by the quality of the camera and the Zeiss lenses...so much so I sold my Leica M outit as quality was comparible. I then got a 137MD cheap and again was blown away. I have put away my Maxxum outfit for good. I then got an RX used and some AE lenses (18/4, 28/2.8, 50/1.4, 85/2.8, 135/2.8 and 300/4). This outfit is so good, so well made, I don't mind going back to manual focus (my older eyes appreciate the focus confirmation in the RX). This is it; my wonderlust is over, no camera has ever impressed me as this one has.

Built like a tank: heavy but substantial
well designed
Leitz optics: no better made
Nice viewfinder
Focus confirmation
Durable and reliable

No autofocus
No longer supported

Nikon FTn, Nikkormat, Canon AE-1 Minolta SRTs, Maxxums, Konica autoreflex, Leica

No longer available, but never used..not needed

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