Clearly the fit and finish on this camera is excellent, well thought out controls, digital focusing aide a plus.

DFI is a little slow. Also, it could be a little more percise.

This is an excellent camera. My 167MTs were a little too over automated and too small. RX is just the right combination of automation and analog controls. Autobracketing and exposure compensation are excellent features that perform dead-on. Digital Focusing Index is a help in tough focusing situations notwithstanding the above stated weaknesses. Good solid feel to the body that balances well with heavy Zeiss lenses. I did my homework and have shot a couple of hundred rolls with this camera and can testify that this is an excellent camera that you could enjoy for many years to come.

Customer Service

Have had no need for it.

Similar Products Used:

Had two Contax 167MTs traded them for the RX. Have 35/2.8 and 85/2.8 Zeiss lenses. My brother, a professional, has the

Very user friendly camera layout.
Excellent build quality.
Almost all the useful features for a manual focus camera (except MLU .... )
And, yes, Digital Focusing Indicator !!!!! I really love it !

No MLU, but I suspect I might not need it because when I depress the shutter release button, I can not detect the mirror vibration like other cameras I have ever used.

All I can say is I love this camera. If you can afford RTS-III, buy it. Otherwise, RX is the camera for you.
However, I think you should consider what kind of lens you will want before buying a body. Zeiss lens is excellent if you want popular lens like 28, 50, 85, they are great and cheap!!! But if you want 15, 16, 21, macro lens or anything longer than 200, watch out your wallet ( well, but Leica is 2X........ )

At the end, I wholeheartedly recommend the RX !]

Jerry

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Yachica FX3-2000
Yachica FX-D
Canon Elan II QD

Elegant in its simplicity and quality.
Best unique feature is the digital depth of field/focus indicator. This allows precise manual focusing with attention to depth of field.

Lack of autofocus. Lack of mirror lock-up.
Expensive lenses.
Limited accessories in Contax line.

Excellent camera.

Customer Service

Unkown.

Similar Products Used:

Contax 167MT

DFI, rugged, take Carl Zeiss, Metering activated button. ABC bracketing

Expensive, no MLU, No matrix metering, no vertical grip

Great camera for the current price. I wish it would have MLU or vertical grip.

Customer Service

don't know yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F5, Nikon F100, Nikon N90, Nikon N70, Nikon FM2N, Nikon F3HP
Contax Aria, Contax S2, Contax ST, Contax RTSIII,

Durable, Beautifully crafted, Precise, Lenses are very sharp and have great color rendition, overall a fine crafted piece of art.

expensive (but not as bad as leica)

If you have the money, Contax gives you reason to spend it.

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

Nikon manual and AF, Canon FD and EOS, Minolta maxxum.

Feels really good in you hands. You can get to every control without moving your hands. Nice viewfinder. Generally sturdy.

Viewfinder too nice! It makes everything look like a great picture! It's also hard to find used (or new) accessories.

This camera is just amazing! The analog controls and the layout are very intuitive. You can figure out all the basic functions without the instruction manual. The digital focus indicator is great, too. My pictures are sharper than ever. Overall the camera feels and acts like a precision instrument, and you always know exactly what is going on.

Similar Products Used:

Yashica FX-3
Canon EOS

focus/depth of field indicator
accepts zeiss lenses
knobs vs button controls
price

None

The RX is a wonderful 35mm, especially for one who has need of sight assist w/o autofocus. The availability of focus/sharp focus area information in the viewfinder gives you an edge, especially in time sensitive shooting situations. The camera layout and functional access via knobs vs push buttons ( as in the lower priced Aria predecessor ) provides a very human "digital feel" for a hands on experience. Having started in 35mm with Yashica equipment, I also appreciate the ability to use my Yashica, Vivitar and Sigma lenses on both camera lines. The RX is a price competitive, economically valuable SLR, which I feel is loaded with functionality and versatility. I also own a Canon EOS Elan IIe, with eye controlled focus, but find myself constantly drawn to using the Contax for its features and field of focus depiction ability. A great camera for the intermediate to next step photographer.

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

None

Beautiful looking camera allowing access to Zeiss lenses which are without competition as far as skin tones are concerned. It's also pretty quiet for an SLR and has nice layout of controls.

I find this camera, along with an RTS3 I used to own really very difficult to focus in low light. I can't tell whether this is because of the focus screens contax use (which are much warmer than on eg. my Nikon's) or because of the very dreaminess which I so value in the c.z. lenses. I am surprised that no body else finds this a problem and I would very much appreciate comments/suggestions. (It's true that I hardly ever use flash and seem always to be working indoors). Oh, and the digital assist is almost laughably bad for people photography - it seems worse than the minolta 7000 to me

The best lenses I've ever used by a long way - nice camera, now, if only I could focus it...

Similar Products Used:

you name it, I've tried it - once you've got used to zeiss lenses it's hard to go back

Lots of dials!
Solid feel.
Bright viewfinder.
Digital Focus Indicator.

None

The RX is a dream for outdoor photography. Although it can be a bit "bulky" for traveling, everything about it wonderful. A real plus for anyone wanting to concentrate on their photos and not the camera.

Customer Service

Good customer service. While I have not had my RX serviced, I did send my 137MD to Yashica/Contax in Southern California to be re-gripped and cleaned. While I did have to call a couple of times to inquire on the status of the camera, it was returned in top condition at a reasonable cost.

Similar Products Used:

Contax 167
Contax 137MD Quartz

Great body, great craftmanship very stable and quiet. good feel. good
DFI feature.

Price, well, maybe not

This is a very well built camera, with plenty of features. functional knobs are easy to read. feel great in heads. Price is reasonable for this quality. Custom functions are good, but need the manual to decode. But, compare this custom functions feature to other high end high tech camera, it is probably better organized.

Customer Service

no idea

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NikonFM2, Pentax, Richol