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Contax T2 manual

T2

With regards to Diane's request for info about the T2. I purchased mine back in 1995 when it had not been on the market long. Its a good little camera which works well and has survived a major drop with only a slight dent!

However, I have never been 100% happy about the lens used in either aperture priority or auto mode there is often noticeable vignetting. Perhaps mine was a pup and I should have done something about it? I had at the time considered a TVS but I recall reading in a review that vignetting was a problem with the zoom so steered clear of it.

Presumably the T3 is much better in this respect. No adverse comment in a recent Amateur Photographer mag in the UK which listed the T3 as the best camera in the top compacts category a month or so ago.

John
 
I am confused by the exposure modes on the T2. I dont have a manual so I cant check this. I understand that it is aperture priority- I set any of the available apertures and the camera sets the shutter speeds. But why is the f2.8 green? Is that a programme mode? If I set it to f2.8 does the camera control everything?
I find that the shutter speed readout is very limiting and fluctuates in a strange way- often blinking to show a meter reading that I presume is out of range. All of this uncertainty has led to a lack of trust in a little camera that I otherwise love.
 
For Stephen re exposure modes:check out www.dentontaylor.com/contax for his review. This may help. I also purchased a used T2 and need a manual. This site is great but so far I can only download a German version. Any help is appreciated-Leopoldo in Spain?
 
HI all, I am new to this forum and have a question about my t2, every once in a while when I turn the camera on the lens doesn't come out all the way then when I turn it off it does't go all the way back in. The only way to fix it is to take out the batery and reinsert it, please help.

Louis
 
Stephen,
Setting the aperture to 2.8 would set the cmera into the program mode and the camera controls everything. (use the full range of aperture from 2.8 - 16 and full range of shutter speed). Otherwise the top speed would be limited to 1/200 and aperture to f4 only. I have got a manual though I bought my T2 used. The shutter speed readout is limited in the viewfinder. If the number 500 is flashing, it means over exposure and if the LT is flashing, one definitely needs to turn on the flash.
One word of warning - the interval between the 2 flashes for red eye reduction is very long. Be sure that you and the one being photoed are keeping still until the 2nd flash fired.
Peter
 
I just purchased a T2 in black at a reduced price although it is brand new w/3 year warranty. Is this stupid and should I return it for a T3. I have read some T3 reviews where the user liked the T2 better but...? They had no T3 to look at and, to me, the T2 appeared a better camera than the Leica Minilux. Any comments would be appreciated as I'm just geting back into photography after MANY years.

Also, any way to attach filters and a lens hood for B&W? Yes, I know the T3 accepts them!

thanks!
 
Hi Stephen,

I think also the T2 is a very good camera. The lens design of the T3 is newer, the lens of the T2 is the same as from the T which is from the 90ies. There is of course a difference, but depending on your shooting style (handheld etc.), you will probably not see it so much. What I heard from others is more the difference in AF between the T3 and the T2 to which you have to get used too.

In the T3 review on this forum you will find a detailed explaination between the two AF system of the T2 and T3. This should be in your mind if you try a t3 out in a store some day.

I am currently "renovating" the manual/brochures sections of Contaxinfo. Once this section is online again, you will can see some japanese T3 broshures where test pictures between the T2 and T3 are made incl. MTF differences. For the MTF differences you can also look alraedy now in the download section in this forum.

hope that helps

Dirk
 
> The T3 has a slghtly wider lens. It has a wider range of slow and fast shutter sppeds, which may or may not be important to you. It has a most sophisticated AF system than the T2, which again may or may not be important for you. The T3 lacks the manual focus override with rangefinder system which is uniquie to the T2 upon PnS cameras.

If you just want to point and shoot, then the T3 is a more flexible camera. If you like to assert manual control for creative purposes, the T2 seems more practical. The manual override functions of the T3 are less useful and not too practical in real-world use.

As to lens comparison, I would expect the T3 to be better because uit's newer, but from what little I've seen on the subject, the T2 may be a better all-around performer in regular use, having a very consistent performance across the image frame and at various aperatures. Unhappily, the lens comparison republished in PDF on this site was done at such low resolution that it's unreadable.

Randy Stewart
 
> The T2 has no provision for filters or lens hoods. In my experience the T2 is a superb camera - very intuitive in use, a straightforward > and highly accurate active autofocus system and with a lens capable of producing photos worthy of the Carl Zeiss label - extremely sharp, > contrasty and with very saturated colour. I have been comparing colour prints made with the T2's Sonnar 2.8/38 and the G Planar 2/35 - the > T2 gives results equally as good as the G1. The only limitation of the T2 is the relatively limited shutter speed range of 1/200 when the > camera is used in aperture priority mode. With anything other than film rated 100 ASA or less, you often get the flashing signal in the > viewfinder warning of overexposure. The solution is to keep the camera in Program mode when the shutter speed range increases to 1/500.
 
Roger Wong notes a good point about the T2 - the lens barrel is not treaded to accept filters. I overcame this limitation by getting an old lens adapter from my local dealer [junk bin] which has an inner diameter somewhat larger than the outer diamter of the T2 lens. I mounted soft foam around the inside of the adapter, the type of foam used to replace camera light seals. The adapter will press fit over the front of the lens barrel snugly enough to stay put under normal use. Filters or lens shade fit the adapter.

I suspect Contax didn't thread the lens barrel to avoid damage if someone shut the camera off - auto retracting the lens and deploying the lens cover- before removing a hard threaded filter or hood. My jury-rig adapter is fitted lightly enough so that in the event of such mistake, it just pops off the lens as the lens retracts into the body.

Having gone to some time and trouble to do, this I find that I do not use the adapter much. If I plan to get into photos which seriously benefit from filters and such, I use a regular system-type camera, not a casual PnS like the T2/T3.
 
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