very bright view finderand love the ability to have AF and MF-The Zeiss lenses are the best-even after using Nikon and Olympus Zuiko-not using a Hassy since I got the AX-it is a bit more manageable!

AF is a bit tricky- but is good

I love this camera- I love the ability to have a manual lens with an AF body-I use it with a Metz-40Zi -v.good combo! The meter is very accourate and is id with my Gossen!

Customer Service

OK-they exchanged it for me due to some mech problem! real nice people

Similar Products Used:

nothing came close to it
It is great to have a bright screen! I think that is why many say they have "old eyes" and cannot focus-well just try a AX or an Aria!In any event who knows where an AF focuses anyway!

Zeiss Lenses
Excellent Build Quality
Ergonomic Design
AF/MF Usability
Investment Quality

AF is very primitive and not usable in action photography.
Large size.
No vertical shutter release.

People purchase Contax for one reason, Carl Zeiss lenses. To be able to use the best optics in the world, you have to satisfy yourself that you will not be getting the most technologically advanced camera on the market.
But, that is not a bad thing. What you get in return is a camera that is built with incomparable quality and as is a work of art. Not some techo-plastic model from the other manufacturers that will be out of date in 8 months (The current RTS III has been unchanged for the last 13 years). In addition, I have never owned a Contax camera that did not increase in value (if held long enough).
The AX is no different than any other Contax camera. The build is fantastic, and despite the weight and size of the camera, the AX is easy to hold and comfortable in the hand.
All of the functions are electronic but are operated by easy to read knobs and levers. The viewfinder contains a multitude of information for the photographer.
So what of the Auto Focus? Well, it is marginal. It does not function well in low light and when it comes to action photography, forget it. I use mine in Manual Focus nearly all the time.
But, compared to the other professional cameras and other Contaxes, this camera stands on its own. It has Program, Aperture and Shutter priority exposure modes, Automatic Bracketing, Exposure Compensation, 5 frames per second motor drive, and automatic daylight fill flash with a Contax flash.
Oh, and one other thing, Zeiss Lenses! No other camera manufacturer can say that. If you consider yourself a true photographer, you want the best lenses you can afford on your camera and there is no better than Zeiss.
Do I love this camera? You bet. How much? I plan on buying a second AX within the next month.

Customer Service

Excellent! Nick Cheremsak in the Service Department was always willing to take the time to speak to me and answer any questions. When I had a problem that could not be resolved, Contax replaced the camera with a new one. Service is top notch!!

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RTS II

Build uality,
depth-of-field preview
exposure bracketing modes,
exposure compensation value displayed in view finder,
great handling

heavy,
AF not for fast action

Don't buy this body if you want fast and very accurate AF. If that's what you need look elsewhere. However in my opinion there are are no other drawbacks.

For me, the most awesome benefit of this body is the built in 10mm of extension due to its AF design. You can put on any lens and utilize the AF in combination with the lens focusing ring, and reduce the minimal focus distance of the lens. It turns any lens into a macro. Next is the exposure compensation. You can select +/- one-third stop, and it has +/- one-half and whole stop auto exposure bracketing. This makes for easy bracketing that covers a wide range of exposures. Best yet, is the exposure compensation value is displayed in the viewfinder.

Ratings are subjective. If I needed fast tracking accurate AF I would purchase another camera. To evaluate the body for the features I want it's a great piece of equipment.

Customer Service

Good

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F100, N9os, 6006

Ability to use non-auto Focus Zeiss lenses
5 FPS
Wide Variety of lenses

Price is appropriate for a Pro level Camera

Takes a while to get use to it.
Meter gets fooled sometimes.

One of the Best cameras to have and use. So easy to use even a beginner can take razor sharp professional looking picures with this camera.
In comparison to the Nikon f5...the f5 is much quicker on auto focus and the metering is better. But the sharpness of the photos is higher in the Contax AX
For sports shots take the F5 for everythings else the Contax produces better photos.
In terms of Olympus and Minolta they do not even come close to this camera.
The Zeiss telefoto lenses are sharper than the primes for other brands.
Although the on camera metering system tends to get fooled more times than the F5 most pictures come out perfect. For professional use, you should be using a light meter anyways. I would definitely recommend buying this camera. I own two of them.

Customer Service

Not Needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon
Minolta
Olympus
Contax
Leica

MF Zeiss lenses including those discontinued models; extra macro function;

quiet AF but not fast when low light or slow lenses (especially tele zooms)

1. this is not for fast AF photography.
2. use fast lenses e.g. f/2.8
3. try to avoid tele side of zoom lenses. e.g. for 100-300/4.5-5.6 , avoid using AF for 300mm

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all nikon bodies; G1 & G2

AF to supplement existing Zeiss lenses, solid, sturdy, great AF-MF integration

a little bulky

I generally don't need extremely fast or quite AF, and hence the AF on the AX is sufficient for all my needs. Reasonably fast and very usable. You also get excellent MF, which on most other AF cameras is a compromised afterthought. AF-MF integraion is the best I've seen, on par with Canon lenses that offer fulltime manual focus.

Viewfinder is excellent, as well as the build quality. Almost as sturdy and as solid as Contax RTS--which is the best I've seen in this regard.

If you have Zeiss lenses (or want to get into Zeiss lenses) but also need AF, this is the only and a very good SLR of choice. The AX is also very suitable for those who don't need AF all the time, but would like to have it just in case. Highyly recommend.

Similar Products Used:

Contax RTS III
Contax RX
Leica R8
Canon EOS-10s
Canon EOS-A2E