ATG assisted in making one of the best cameras including the Rolleiflex 3000 & 3003 and Contax 645. You should do a review on ATG's Contax AX. I got this modified by ATG so it can accept Nikon AI lenses. A little history of Contax: These cameras didn't become better until after my Great Granduncle Katsuiko Sugaya and Uncle ATG applied electronic circuits. The first pro camera from Contax/Japan was the Contax RTS with lenses from Japan's Carl Zeiss lenses. And the body accepts two lenses brands, C/Y [Contax/Yashica (not to be confused with Contax 645) lenses. The world's first by ATG was the Contax AX (bared uncle's ATG Excellent or ATG is #10), AF camera body. The last made was the Contax RX II, serviced countries/photographers that are on limited budgets. RX = ATG's AF assist confirmation (great for macro & micro for medical/scientific/engineer fields) RX II = AF removed. Viewfinder is brighter with battery last much longer ATG/Nikon F3. ATG & Contax knew photographers buying or using Contax knew how to use the DOF's lens scales. So the AF circuit removed and saving company money & while making camera less failures & less drains. We have seen many coming in for repairs of the Contax RTS III [because we see many were pros using it (including Canon F-1 & Nikon F3 & Rolleiflex 3003). Since all four are heavy in electronic & many abused them. They don't take care of them well, like removing the battery out. And in the cold, one should not turn on or use the camera right away. The repairs were high. The Asian can make better lenses than the German. Many today AF lenses are Japan's Zeiss. They are not Germany Carl Zeiss. Hasselblad today is owned by Asian. And they use ATG/Fuji lenses.
Just went on an evening walk with the RX and my 35-70mm with a roll of HP5. Not sure if I did OK with the film but the camera felt like quality... Super nice to hold and really smooth to use.
It is difficult to totally cock up HP5 plus. it is DX coded so the camera should have set the film speed for you if it is set up for DX mode. Enjoy the camera
Hello Paul, I have recently purchased an RX a few months ago and I’m still getting the hang of it. I have a couple questions 1.) At 5:24 in what instance would I ever use the exposure compensation for? Would it be if I’m shooting on expired film or if the setting is too bright or dark? Also this next one may be a stupid question but I just want to be 100% clear on it but 2.) At 7:38 is multiple exposure mode how you would do a double exposure?
@@contaxpaulharrison942 ..as expected, Paul. I've yet seen only one (!) RTS III during the past 2 decades, which was fully working, but the owner was not selling it. The thing is, whileas Contax (Kyocera, the japanese ceramic giant) produced exquisite quality, nobody, noone thought about, using these SLRs some >30-40 years afterwards...that's the sad thing. I wanted the RTS III as a Teenager way bad, never could afford it. Bought 2 copies within the last 10 years, but both have issues, one as mentioned above, DOA, and the 2nd copy, won't turn on at all, i think the same DC/DC Board issue. Optically, both do look new, no scratches, dents, dings...at least 95% mint. very sad. I'm shooting contax & yashica since 89.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 That's great. So your RTS III is like i thought into the same condition, as the other 90-98% onto the planet - either way with color-bleeding blue LEDs display, or disfunctional OVF display.
Not particularly, I tend to prefer one over another for a certain type of work. Some are better suited for certain types of tasks than others, such as the Aria for slides because of the matrix metering.
I was in love with RX when my dear 139q seemed not repairable. Furtunatly I found an angel who gave me back 139q perfectly working. I just was concerned for hi level of 90's technology in RX that I fear it is hard to repair in case of damage. However RX is still a great camera.
I have had no problems with the RX other than mirror slip, which is repairable without spares. The technology of the 139 is quite a bit older. I was out shooting last week with a Yashica Fx-d Quartz, which is basically a budget version of the Contax 139, and that still works, or at least appears to, I have not got the film back yet.
Hi, have you guys experienced the following: the shutter fires properly when a lens is not attached but when a lens is attached, the light meter shows the correct value BUT the shutter takes like 1 or 2 seconds to complete its cycle. Thanks!
Try adjusting the lens focus away from infinity, and see if it still does it. If it doesn't the mirror may have slipped and be catching on the back of the lens.
Just found your channel and hope you keep producing videos on this camera line, along with impressions of Carl Zeiss optics. I'm looking for an RX currently and still have a 137MA, that I bought new and is close to mint, if not mint. My wife and I did use our cameras quite a bit, but I was always very careful with my cameras so you can keep these for long periods if you're good at making sure they are handled with a little TLC. Only thing I did to the 137 was to replace the covering with a factory replacement from Hugo's Studio here in the U.S. Keep the videos coming, new sub.
Hi Ken, what made you want to upgrade from the 137MA to the RX? I recently broke my beloved 137MA, and I'm now wondering whether I should use this opportunity to upgrade to an RX, or re-buy the cheaper 137MA.
@@Will-pk3rg Hi Will; I'm not really upgrading, but adding another camera body in the Contax line. The RX has gotten a few favorable reviews and I thought it would be a good complement to the 137MA I have which is still working fine. I also have a mint 159MM, but the shutter recently stopped working. I sent an email to Heidi-Photo in Munich to see if it potentially it might simply entail a replacement of the shutter button, which I doubt, or the electronics behind it, more likely. I know parts may be scarce so waiting for a reply. I believe the RX would be a good replacement for the 159MM since it is a feature laden model. The 137 was the first Contax I purchased and I love that camera.
ST or RX? :) and does it actually matter as the C/Y lenses can be adapted to EF and used on pretty much any camera? (I have a bunch of C/Y and love them all) 📸😁
The RX replaced the ST, it is newer has focus confirmation, but the two cameras are quite similar is usage and feel, The ST can support a higher maximum shutter speed in auto mode. They are handy if you want to shoot film, nailing focus on the Canon bodies can be problematic with manual focus lenses the viewfinders aren't as good as on the Contax film bodies by and large not as bright and they lack focussing aids.
If I get one, am I going to spend a fortune on repairs over time? (or is it just going to pack up because of all the electronics and be unrepairable?). Is the rts iii better built and better value? Thank you
There are no guarantees with second hand cameras, but my experience of the RX, is the only issue I have seen is mirror slip, which seems to happen with most of the Contax and Yashica SLR's, it is fixable with no spares required. My experience is that the RX is likely to be more reliable that an RTS 3, which is a model that is known to be prone to a number of issues, most noticeably the viewfinder display packing up. My RTS 3's have issues, my RX's do not. The RX is also a newer design.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 Thank you for sharing this info! I am about to pull the trigger on an RX in what seems to be a very good condition. I will be able to use my C/Y zeiss without the adapters 😉
@@jd5787 Yes, you do not need adapters as the Contax / Yashica lenses were designed for these cameras. The RX will use both the MM and AE lenses, you can only use the cameras TV and P modes with the MM lenses though. It is AE or manual only with the AE lenses.
@@quentincollas8582 I presume that are looking for TTL support, and so at a Contax flash, You would need a wide angle panel for the TLA 20 or TLA 30 with a 28mm lens. I suspect that the later ones would be ok as is. The TLA 280 and TLA 140 support 28mm and I suspect the TLA 360 does. You would not get the full functionality of the TLA 360 with the RX II but it would work in TTL mode. It might be worth considering what sort of distances you would be working at and what sort of film speed you would be using, and buying a flash with a compatible range of automatic operation for that film speed. Sometimes more powerful flashes cannot turn the flash of quickly enough to expose correctly at short subject distances, but lower powered flashes can.
From Ansel Adams The Camera Page 49, "if you reduce the focal length by one half, the depth of field increases by four times (depth of field is inversely proportional to the square of the focal length)."
@@contaxpaulharrison942 if you reduce the focal length, but... do what to the aperture? Do you keep the same entrance pupil diameter but change the f-stop, or change the entrance pupil diameter but keep the same f-stop? Which one is the camera using to calculate DoF, f-stop or entrance pupil diameter?
@@StephenStrangways The Contax / Yashica lens mount reports the f-stop via a mechanical linkage, the camera body does not know what focal length the lens is or the distance the lens is focussed at, as there is no means for the lens to communicate this to the body. I don't really see how it can use anything else. I still think it is basically a gimmick,, they needed something auto-focus as everyone else was doing it.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 I guess the other question is if the RX has a maximum aperture lever, near the top of the lens mount. I know the S2 and S2b don't.
@@StephenStrangways I don't know what you mean by a maximum aperture lever, both the RX and S2 have a depth of field preview button, that stops down the lens to the currently set aperture so that you can visually estimate the depth of field in the viewfinder. The depth of field preview button on the RX and S2 is at the bottom of the lens mount. The view through the viewfinder is with the lens aperture full open and at its brightest, when the depth of field preview button is not pressed down, that is most of the time.
@@pdiseris I can only find them from Ebay JP so I can't test them and need to trust the seller 😉. Any advice? I usually mount my C/Y zeiss on my other bodies via EF adapter (works like a charm). Will there be a big difference between an RX and say an Olympus OM-4? Thank you!
Hi! I got my delevoped film back from the lab. The bottom half of all my pictures is back... Anybody has experienced something similar? 2 photos here to illustrate. imgur.com/a/y9HHxPs thank you
That is an odd one, definitely not flash sync speed issue. Have you tried firing the camera for a second or so shutter speed, with the film back open and looking through the open shutter to check for something being in the way, such as the mirror.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 hi! Thanks for your reply. I did. I noticed the mirror slipped. I used the hairdryer hack to put it back in place. I am wondering if this will be enough to correct the issue or if there is more to it...
Shit camera ! It failed to advance the film on one professional job ! But it did show that the film was advancing ! Images are to soft even with the great Carl Zeiss Glass ! Don't depend on it !
ATG assisted in making one of the best cameras including the Rolleiflex 3000 & 3003 and Contax 645.
You should do a review on ATG's Contax AX. I got this modified by ATG so it can accept Nikon AI lenses.
A little history of Contax:
These cameras didn't become better until after my Great Granduncle Katsuiko Sugaya and Uncle ATG applied electronic circuits.
The first pro camera from Contax/Japan was the Contax RTS with lenses from Japan's Carl Zeiss lenses.
And the body accepts two lenses brands, C/Y [Contax/Yashica (not to be confused with Contax 645) lenses.
The world's first by ATG was the Contax AX (bared uncle's ATG Excellent or ATG is #10), AF camera body.
The last made was the Contax RX II, serviced countries/photographers that are on limited budgets.
RX = ATG's AF assist confirmation (great for macro & micro for medical/scientific/engineer fields)
RX II = AF removed. Viewfinder is brighter with battery last much longer ATG/Nikon F3.
ATG & Contax knew photographers buying or using Contax knew how to use the DOF's lens scales.
So the AF circuit removed and saving company money & while making camera less failures & less drains.
We have seen many coming in for repairs of the Contax RTS III [because we see many were pros using it (including Canon F-1 & Nikon F3 & Rolleiflex 3003).
Since all four are heavy in electronic & many abused them. They don't take care of them well, like removing the battery out. And in the cold, one should not turn on or use the camera right away. The repairs were high.
The Asian can make better lenses than the German.
Many today AF lenses are Japan's Zeiss. They are not Germany Carl Zeiss.
Hasselblad today is owned by Asian. And they use ATG/Fuji lenses.
Big fan of Contax cameras
New sub!
Thanks I have some other Contax camera videos online
Just went on an evening walk with the RX and my 35-70mm with a roll of HP5. Not sure if I did OK with the film but the camera felt like quality... Super nice to hold and really smooth to use.
It is difficult to totally cock up HP5 plus. it is DX coded so the camera should have set the film speed for you if it is set up for DX mode. Enjoy the camera
@@contaxpaulharrison942 well, I had to play with the settings a little bit 😁 I went for 800 😉. Hopefully the better worked well :)
@@jd5787 If you are developing it yourself don't forget to develop for longer. or tell the lab that you rated it at 800.
Hello Paul, I have recently purchased an RX a few months ago and I’m still getting the hang of it. I have a couple questions
1.) At 5:24 in what instance would I ever use the exposure compensation for? Would it be if I’m shooting on expired film or if the setting is too bright or dark?
Also this next one may be a stupid question but I just want to be 100% clear on it but
2.) At 7:38 is multiple exposure mode how you would do a double exposure?
Still have it, besides the 139Q, RTS I, II & III, ST, 159mm and 167mt. Sadly, the RTS III isn't working anymore.
I have the same problem. with the RTS III, Viewfinder failure I presume?
@@contaxpaulharrison942 ..as expected, Paul. I've yet seen only one (!) RTS III during the past 2 decades, which was fully working, but the owner was not selling it. The thing is, whileas Contax (Kyocera, the japanese ceramic giant) produced exquisite quality, nobody, noone thought about, using these SLRs some >30-40 years afterwards...that's the sad thing. I wanted the RTS III as a Teenager way bad, never could afford it. Bought 2 copies within the last 10 years, but both have issues, one as mentioned above, DOA, and the 2nd copy, won't turn on at all, i think the same DC/DC Board issue. Optically, both do look new, no scratches, dents, dings...at least 95% mint. very sad. I'm shooting contax & yashica since 89.
@@marcp.1752 My RTS III still works, it fires it is just that the viewfinder display does not work. The viewfinder worked when I bought it.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 That's great. So your RTS III is like i thought into the same condition, as the other 90-98% onto the planet - either way with color-bleeding blue LEDs display, or disfunctional OVF display.
Do you have a favorite Contax SLR Paul?
Not particularly, I tend to prefer one over another for a certain type of work. Some are better suited for certain types of tasks than others, such as the Aria for slides because of the matrix metering.
I was in love with RX when my dear 139q seemed not repairable. Furtunatly I found an angel who gave me back 139q perfectly working.
I just was concerned for hi level of 90's technology in RX that I fear it is hard to repair in case of damage. However RX is still a great camera.
I have had no problems with the RX other than mirror slip, which is repairable without spares. The technology of the 139 is quite a bit older. I was out shooting last week with a Yashica Fx-d Quartz, which is basically a budget version of the Contax 139, and that still works, or at least appears to, I have not got the film back yet.
Hi, have you guys experienced the following: the shutter fires properly when a lens is not attached but when a lens is attached, the light meter shows the correct value BUT the shutter takes like 1 or 2 seconds to complete its cycle. Thanks!
Try adjusting the lens focus away from infinity, and see if it still does it. If it doesn't the mirror may have slipped and be catching on the back of the lens.
Where in the UK can you get this model serviced please?
I got mine done at Cookson Dell in Liverpool, but I suspect most camera repairers would service it for you.
Just found your channel and hope you keep producing videos on this camera line, along with impressions of Carl Zeiss optics.
I'm looking for an RX currently and still have a 137MA, that I bought new and is close to mint, if not mint. My wife and I did use our cameras quite a bit, but I was always very careful with my cameras so you can keep these for long periods if you're good at making sure they are handled with a little TLC. Only thing I did to the 137 was to replace the covering with a factory replacement from Hugo's Studio here in the U.S.
Keep the videos coming, new sub.
Thanks, I still have my original 137 and it still works.
Hi Ken, what made you want to upgrade from the 137MA to the RX? I recently broke my beloved 137MA, and I'm now wondering whether I should use this opportunity to upgrade to an RX, or re-buy the cheaper 137MA.
@@Will-pk3rg Hi Will; I'm not really upgrading, but adding another camera body in the Contax line. The RX has gotten a few favorable reviews and I thought it would be a good complement to the 137MA I have which is still working fine. I also have a mint 159MM, but the shutter recently stopped working. I sent an email to Heidi-Photo in Munich to see if it potentially it might simply entail a replacement of the shutter button, which I doubt, or the electronics behind it, more likely. I know parts may be scarce so waiting for a reply. I believe the RX would be a good replacement for the 159MM since it is a feature laden model. The 137 was the first Contax I purchased and I love that camera.
ST or RX? :) and does it actually matter as the C/Y lenses can be adapted to EF and used on pretty much any camera? (I have a bunch of C/Y and love them all) 📸😁
The RX replaced the ST, it is newer has focus confirmation, but the two cameras are quite similar is usage and feel, The ST can support a higher maximum shutter speed in auto mode. They are handy if you want to shoot film, nailing focus on the Canon bodies can be problematic with manual focus lenses the viewfinders aren't as good as on the Contax film bodies by and large not as bright and they lack focussing aids.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 received my RX. Beautifully built...
@@jd5787 Enjoy
Good video in itself, but the audio is very weird
If I get one, am I going to spend a fortune on repairs over time? (or is it just going to pack up because of all the electronics and be unrepairable?). Is the rts iii better built and better value? Thank you
There are no guarantees with second hand cameras, but my experience of the RX, is the only issue I have seen is mirror slip, which seems to happen with most of the Contax and Yashica SLR's, it is fixable with no spares required. My experience is that the RX is likely to be more reliable that an RTS 3, which is a model that is known to be prone to a number of issues, most noticeably the viewfinder display packing up. My RTS 3's have issues, my RX's do not. The RX is also a newer design.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 Thank you for sharing this info! I am about to pull the trigger on an RX in what seems to be a very good condition. I will be able to use my C/Y zeiss without the adapters 😉
@@jd5787 Yes, you do not need adapters as the Contax / Yashica lenses were designed for these cameras. The RX will use both the MM and AE lenses, you can only use the cameras TV and P modes with the MM lenses though. It is AE or manual only with the AE lenses.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your vidéo.
I have a rxII and i want a flash with.
Which flash do you recommand to me ?
Thanks
And i Work with 28mm
@@quentincollas8582 I presume that are looking for TTL support, and so at a Contax flash, You would need a wide angle panel for the TLA 20 or TLA 30 with a 28mm lens. I suspect that the later ones would be ok as is. The TLA 280 and TLA 140 support 28mm and I suspect the TLA 360 does. You would not get the full functionality of the TLA 360 with the RX II but it would work in TTL mode. It might be worth considering what sort of distances you would be working at and what sort of film speed you would be using, and buying a flash with a compatible range of automatic operation for that film speed. Sometimes more powerful flashes cannot turn the flash of quickly enough to expose correctly at short subject distances, but lower powered flashes can.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 ok thanks a lot
The focal length of the lens isn't factored into the depth of field display because the focal length of a lens does not affect depth of field.
From Ansel Adams The Camera Page 49, "if you reduce the focal length by one half, the depth of field increases by four times (depth of field is inversely proportional to the square of the focal length)."
@@contaxpaulharrison942 if you reduce the focal length, but... do what to the aperture? Do you keep the same entrance pupil diameter but change the f-stop, or change the entrance pupil diameter but keep the same f-stop? Which one is the camera using to calculate DoF, f-stop or entrance pupil diameter?
@@StephenStrangways The Contax / Yashica lens mount reports the f-stop via a mechanical linkage, the camera body does not know what focal length the lens is or the distance the lens is focussed at, as there is no means for the lens to communicate this to the body. I don't really see how it can use anything else. I still think it is basically a gimmick,, they needed something auto-focus as everyone else was doing it.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 I guess the other question is if the RX has a maximum aperture lever, near the top of the lens mount. I know the S2 and S2b don't.
@@StephenStrangways I don't know what you mean by a maximum aperture lever, both the RX and S2 have a depth of field preview button, that stops down the lens to the currently set aperture so that you can visually estimate the depth of field in the viewfinder. The depth of field preview button on the RX and S2 is at the bottom of the lens mount. The view through the viewfinder is with the lens aperture full open and at its brightest, when the depth of field preview button is not pressed down, that is most of the time.
Shhhhh lets keep these a secret so they don't end up blowing up in price on eBay.
Too late...
@@jd5787 they’re still cheap
@@pdiseris I can only find them from Ebay JP so I can't test them and need to trust the seller 😉. Any advice? I usually mount my C/Y zeiss on my other bodies via EF adapter (works like a charm). Will there be a big difference between an RX and say an Olympus OM-4? Thank you!
Hi! I got my delevoped film back from the lab. The bottom half of all my pictures is back... Anybody has experienced something similar? 2 photos here to illustrate. imgur.com/a/y9HHxPs thank you
That is an odd one, definitely not flash sync speed issue. Have you tried firing the camera for a second or so shutter speed, with the film back open and looking through the open shutter to check for something being in the way, such as the mirror.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 hi! Thanks for your reply. I did. I noticed the mirror slipped. I used the hairdryer hack to put it back in place. I am wondering if this will be enough to correct the issue or if there is more to it...
@@jd5787 I had mine professionally repaired when mine did it.
Shit camera ! It failed to advance the film on one professional job ! But it did show that the film was advancing ! Images are to soft even with the great Carl Zeiss Glass ! Don't depend on it !