I’ve been intrigued by Contax SLRs for a while so I eventually caved and got an RTSii and I’m blown away. It’s beautiful. a Porsche designed solid hunk of metal with a luxurious feel. Black leather grips, a red led digital viewfinder readout and a minimalist design. All that’s missing is the Knight rider theme tune and the smell of Drakkar Noir. It’s a high quality piece of kit and I’m surprised that they don’t cost more on the ‘bay.
These things feel Porsche designed (in a good way- the Porsche design brand has been added to some real crap over the years – I have a “pointlessly” Porsche designed Lacie hard drive- not one of their proudest moments). The camera is smooth to use. Feels great in the hand with a reassuring density. The shutter click feels slightly damped in some way, I like the separate exposure check button and the Aperture priority works as it should. I love the way that the film is loaded in such a way that doesn’t make it reverse back on itself. Rewinding a finished roll feels so smooth it’s almost as if the film isn’t there. The camera feels like an unashamedly “modern” slr and must have had quite an impact in design terms when it was launched- but seemingly not enough to make it as revered as other SLRs (which makes it cheaper to buy. bonus.)
The camera is a CY (Contax / Yashica) mount and there’s a whole bunch of really decent priced Carl Zeiss glass out there for it. I ended up going for the 50mm f1.4 which renders beautifully. This camera is a joy to use, staying out of your way when shooting. The shots here are taken with various films, as I messed about to see what the camera could do. I’m looking forward to using this more, as much for its looks and ergonomics as its results.
Anil Mistry is a creative director and photographer. You can find him here:
Website: www.Anilmistryphoto.com
Instagram: @anilmistryphoto
Twitter: @anilmistry
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Art Tafil on 5 Frames with The Contax RTSii – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
I too have been bitten by the Contax bug.
I loved my RTSII especially with the 25mm f/2.8 lens.
My only remaining Contax's now are two N-1's.
One has the 24~85 Vario, battery grip and FX-3 Grid Screen.
The other N-1 also has a grid screen and P9 battery grip, but this one has the 70~300 lens on it.
My thinking was to have two cameras with the most used lenses that I didn't have to constantly change lenses on.
Of course this is a luxury that many Contax users cannot afford.
I doubt that I'll ever unload my contax's since I also have numerous N-series accessories as well including two 360 flashes, again one for each body.
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
Chris Pattison on 5 Frames with The Contax RTSii – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
jeremy on 5 Frames with The Contax RTSii – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
I remember the RTS when it first appeared. It was lustworthy. As I couldn't afford one I had to settle for the Yashica FR which was the same but without the aperture priority auto or the lovely Porsche design. Eventually many years later and thanks to ebay, I bought an RTS and Distagon 35/2.8. After that the floodgates opened. Even the little 139 is a lovely camera. However, as you said apart from the amazing build quality and feel of these Contax cameras, the glory of them is the Zeiss optics, though I don't agree with you when you say they are cheap! Good value yes but not cheap.
Now you've been bitten by the Contax / Zeiss bug, you have to try the G2 and the awesome 645.
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
Simon Forster on 5 Frames with The Contax RTSii – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
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karellen on 5 Frames with The Contax RTSii – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
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Martin south of France on 5 Frames with The Contax RTSii – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
Comment posted: 04/04/2018
Yashica FX-D review - Kosmo Foto on 5 Frames with The Contax RTSii – by Anil Mistry
Comment posted: 02/04/2019