5 Frames in Greece with the Contax T3

First: WOW. What a privilege to even type the title of this one. Me? Jetting off to Greece? For 10 days? With a Contax T3?! Yeah, that happened. I stuffed my essentials in a single carry-on suitcase and threw this baby in my backpack with some Portra 400, Fuji C200, Fuji Superia (old) 400, and Kodak Gold 200.

The itinerary included multiple destinations around the country, complete with several flights and numerous security checkpoints. While some airports were kind enough to hand-check my film, others were not (*cough* Copenhagen *cough*). Thankfully, all the frames came out mostly okay. There were some weird streaks in a few of my landscape shots, but it didn’t seem to affect the whole roll.

The first stop was Athens, and my hotel room had a stunning view of the Acropolis. Even on an overcast day, it was a sight to behold. Fun fact from my cab driver: within the city limits, buildings cannot be constructed over a certain height. This is to ensure that no matter where you reside, you’ll always have a view of the Acropolis.

After a full day of exploring the mainland, I continued onto the Corfu leg of the trip.

This island is brimming with lush landscapes, rich greenery, and vibrant Bougainvillea. The blooms sprinkle the streets like a dessert topping. I spent most of my stay in a smaller, quieter neighborhood along the north coast, but the historic Old Town district in the center of the island was equally charming. You can definitely see the Italian influences in the buildings, and even the smaller alleyways were stuffed with shops and restaurants.

Santorini was the grand finale.

This volcanic island is home to the architecture I was most excited to photograph, and it fully lived up to my expectations. The views felt utterly celestial. It’s truly a photographer’s dream destination.

At one point, I asked a staff member at the hotel if she ever gets tired of the view. She answered: “No, never.”

The Contax T3 metered this sunset above perfectly. Every snap from my evening cruise along the Aegean captured the views exactly as I remembered. Throughout the trip, I chose to shoot in full auto. There have been plenty of vacations where I was shooting in full manual and tinkering with a camera instead of enjoying the moment, and I didn’t want to miss a single bit of the fun. It’s nice to have a tool that lets you snap the shutter without a second thought, knowing it will produce beautiful images (as long as they’re well-composed).

By now, it may be obvious that I’m a loud and proud Contax fan. When they consistently produce such sweet photos, can you really even blame me? The G1 is still my favorite, but it’s a brick, and I wanted something light and unassuming for this holiday. The T3 fit the bill. Unfortunately, on my return flight home, the camera’s lens housing and focus motor were damaged. Thankfully, Nippon Photo Clinic in NYC was able to handle the repair – albeit, for a pretty penny.

Here’s a link to see more snaps from all the rolls I shot.

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