RX or

[pallavidino]

Hello,

I decide to start in the Contax family and my first guess was for RX, but 167ST, Aria and ST seems to be good for me too. Since here in Brazil there is no official dealer I will never see one before importing so I need a help from you guys.

The directives are:

1) Not too heavy but dont need to be light
2) Strengh and reliable, very good moisure and dust resistance. (most important to me)
3) Bright, contrasty and big viewfinder and precise spot metering.
4) Film winder but dont need for a 5fps motor drive
5) No need for autofocus
6) Option for a baterry pack with 2nd shutter release will be great
7) MLU or at least a good mirror d&ing
8) Multiple exposures is not important to me

Hope this can narrow the thing down and I will be very happy with your comments.

Thank you

Ricardo

 

[bobbl46]

It's a very high number of features you are asking for, Ricardo. I think the RTS III or ST maybe your answer to most.

I am surprised that there are no official Agents in Brazil considering that Yashica have their South American HQ in Sorocaba, a large manufacturing plant too!

Their

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will point you to the FAQ section where there appears to be dealers listed. They may be able to advise you.

Forgive me if I send you on a wild goose chase .... my Brazilian is a little rusty

Cheers, Kyocera Kid

 

[pallavidino]

Thank you Bob. ST really makes my mind too.

Do you believe ST has better sealing and impact resistance than RX?

Unfortunately Contax brand is almost unknown here. There is 2 used Contax G2 for sale in the pro photografic area downtown, where you can find (almost) everything, but I NEVER saw one Contax SLR in my life. You can easly find Leica to buy, used and new.

Maybe Kyocera is not evaluating brazilian market correctly...

Thank you

Ricardo

 

[rfranca]

Olá Ricardo,
Tenho usado a Rx desde 1998 e estou muito satisfeito... Antes fotografava com a 167mt, que embora uma boa maquina não tem uma boa ergonomia.
Penso que a Rx seria perfeita para você se aceitasse um battery pack mas o pack desta maquina está ligado por fio eléctrico e tem de ser transportado no bolso. No entanto já me foi muito util nas montanhas em dias de muito frio quando a bateria da camera deixou de funcionar. De qualquer forma, os pack da Contax (exceptuando o da NDigital) não funcionam como os das outras marcas (Nikon, Canon, etc.), não dá para disparar na vertical.
A vantagem da Rx em relação à ST é que permite fazer o lock da exposição com a pressão do botão do obturador ou de um outro botão especialmente desenhado na frente da camera, pode ser personalizavel com bons resultados e é mais moderna.
O visor é muito bom, e a pega também.
Se estiver mais inclinado para uma rangefinder, aconselho a Leica M6TTL ou M7 (se quiser fotografar em prioridade à abertura) pois o visor das G é muito pequeno, a maquina é comparavelmente ruidosa e não tem tanta variedade de lentes.
Boas compras,
Ricardo

 

[jsmisc]

Hello,
I hope I am posting this in the right place.
I wonder if anyone has any suggestions as to why the data back battery on my RX expires after only a few months even if the camera is not being used. The manual says that it should last 3 or 4 years but it definitely doesn't on mine. Apart from that, the camera works fine.
Cheers to everyone,
John

 

[wang]

Hi John,

The batteries of my data back in my RX has been running for several years. Your data drains battery too quickly.

Joseph

 

[jsmisc]

Thanks Joseph,

It does seem that there is something wrong then. I suppose I will have to get it checked. I will ask a local camera repairer that I know.

Cheers,
John

 

[wang]

Hey, John,

What do you think of Mamiya gear ? I just committed myself to Contax 645 by buying apo 120 4.0. I am thinking about buying Mamiya 7 on top of my C645. What do you think ?

Joseph

 

[jsmisc]

Hi Joseph,

I think that would be a great camera to have. Although I have no actual experience of the 7 (or 7II), I have two Mamiya 6MF bodies which I have had for years but don't use as much as I ought because of the difficulty of scanning 6x6 and the restriction of only 12 on a roll now that 220 seems to have gone the journey. I hope to remedy the scanning matter by possibly buying the new Epson Vsomething flatbed which I have read is pretty good.

I also have the three lenses which go with the 6 plus the close up device which is difficult to frame accurately but a beautiful piece of equipment. I also have the panoramic mask which is why I did not too desparately need to buy a Hasselblad Xpan which otherwise I would have sorely wanted despite, once again the scanning difficulties.

I have found the lenses to be very sharp and clear and the camera is very quiet and easy to handle, if a little large but it is not as large as a modern top DSLR. There again I like the 6x6 format.I was mortified when Mamiya discontinued it in favour of 6x7. The rangefinder square is very clear and easy to focus and I find the meter pretty accurate although not ttl.

It is avery sold and comforting feeling camera. It's a bit like a big Leica M.

I have noticed that very few 6's come up for sale second hand and I guess that people just keep them as I have with mine.

I do wish the lenses were faster but that is about my only complaint. Oh yes, the display can be a bit hard to see sometimes although this may be something to do with me as it is in red and I have a colour problem with red.

I like the 50mm wide angle the best and find this gives lovely pictures, I was reading in AP this week Roger Hicks talking about "magic" lenses and I reckon that the 50 is one of those. There is a wider still option for the 7, I believe.

No doubt the 7 differs in some ways apart from format But I would expect and hope that it has been improved being a newer model.

The battery only powers the meter and it lasts for years and years.

I like simple, straight forward cameras where I don't have to worry about menus and loads of modes and this suits me.

It's a big shame that Mamiya has given up but I hope that the legacy wll continue through Cosmos.

Cheers,
John

 

[wang]

I need a medium format scanner too. Last couple of days the ebay has ran out of the minolta multi Pro. Where did you read about the Epson Vsomething flatbed ?

Another option is Holga. Is Holga any good ?

 

[snikolaev]

Hi, it's here:

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I'm still waiting for mine. Duh...

 

[fotografz]

Some info Joseph:

I used a Mamiya 7 for years. Huge 6X7 negs out of a quite small camera. Lenses are also comparatively small. There are 2 versions of the camera body: the 7 and the 7II ... the basic difference is that the viewfinder in the 7II is brighter and easier to focus. The camera comes in 2 colors: Ch&agne Silver and Black. Both versions accept the optional 35mm film panoramic accessory.

Lenses range from the super wide 37mm with aux. viewfinder to 210mm. The 210 is not rangefinder coupled and was designed primarily for ariel and longer distance infinity focus type work. The 37mm is probably the best lens on that camera followed by the 50.
If you shoot transparency film, you'll need the expensive center filter with the 37mm.

Practical considerations:

The meter is not TTL, so if you use filters like a Polarizer, you'll need to compensate for the filter factor. The meter is finicky and not designed for rugged knock-about work. Loading film in the camera is a process of specific steps that have to be done in proper order which once learned is not to bad.

Like any MF camera, shutter speeds need to be kept high to avoid shake, and apertures kept in mind due to shallower DOF than what we are used to with 35mm. While the shooting experience is similar to a Leica, nothing else is. Mamiya 7 MF rangefinder work is very demanding of the shooter because all of the lenses are relatively slow and often require faster ISO films.

Good camera but a dead end because it will never be a digital camera ... and now Mamiya is basically going the way of the Dodo bird.

The Holga is a fun camera, but basically a toy. Many famous photographers and photo students have made interesting images with one because they are so bad optically. Often prone to light leaks, many sport duct tape all over them to fix the problem : -)

 

[wang]

Marc, thank you for all these informations.

I will definitely go for Hasselblad SWC 'cause it is able to focus close distance. I need another camera to cover 50-60mm, I think Mamiya 7II and Bronica RF are good choices.

Medium format film cameras have at least a few years to go for us but not the Pros. The medium format digital back is still beyond the reach of us. Film still has a dominant role in image quality.

Has anyone tried the Fuji 120mm f4 Macro for Hasselblad H series ? Is it better or worse than the Contax Zeiss apo 120mm f4 for C645 ?

 

[jsmisc]

Thanks Sergei,
That's a very interesting review. There was a positive test of the V700 in a recent AP (Amateur Photographer) and they are waiting for the V750 to be able to test it. I'm waiting for that review too.

Marc,
I don't really agree that the Mamiya 7 is a dead end because 120 film abounds at present and with a scanner it can be used digitally, albeit without instant results. 120 quality is excellent.

Joseph,
Have you thought about a Yashica 124G to get a feel for medium format. It is 6x6 but comparatively inexpensive and capable of great results. It's also quite pleasant to use once you get the hang of it.

Cheers,
John

 

[fotografz]

Didn't say it was dead, I said it was a dead end ... when that will be who knows.

I agree about film availability. I just bought 50 rolls of Fuji 220. The area of concern is the availability of labs themselves. But that's off in the future also.

I also agree about quality of MF films ... or I should say "qualities" ... it exhibits qualities that digital doesn't.

Joseph, my HC 120/4 will arrive soon. I used the Contax version for many years and will be able to report back soon. One thing I do know is that when HC lenses are used with an Imacon digital back the software has a feature that eliminates color fringing by telling the Flexcolor program what lens was used at what distance. It actually works.

 

[wang]

Marc, it sounds cool.

Concerning these Epson Flatbeds, they have excellent vital statistics. The Epson V700 has 6400x9600 dpi, 48 bits colour depth and it is about the same price as my Minolta 5400 and it can scan medium format too.

Perhaps it is time for me to sell my 5400.

 

[wang]

Hey, Marc, if that particular software can eliminate colour fringing, there will be a time in the future that other softwares could do the same for other cameras too.

 

[jsmisc]

220 can be hard to find here now. I shall probably continue with 6x6 until the end appears.

 

[didzis]

Joseph!

Not so fast with ditching your Minolta 5400! Be careful with those numbers in V700 or V750 specs. It is NOT a 4800 dpi or let alone 6400 dpi scanner. They achieve these figures through something called micro step drive technology. The real physical resolution of Epson flatbed CCD is reported to be much lower. However this micro step drive technology DOES achieve wonders - BUT the consensus seems to be that for 35 mm work flatbed scanners are still not sufficient. The other part of consensus seems to be that for medium format they are "adequate".

And be careful with the review at i-photo. There are two potential problems there - 1) Vincent has claimed that earlier Epson flatbed scanners (like 4990) are "almost there" with dedicated film scanners even for 35 mm work. However the practical experience of many users has proven that these scanners are substandard for critical 35 mm work. 2) Vincent uses "non-standard" test targets or in other words - we do not know how sharp or unsharp those slides are. If your source is not critically sharp then, of course, there would not be any difference between a scan on a flatbed and a dedicated films scanner.

I am not saying that Epson V700/V750 are poor scanners, but some of those dpi specs are overoptimistic. Also dpi is not alpha and omega of scanners.

 

[jsmisc]

Thanks Didzis,

Those are very revealing comments. I love my 5400 but cannot afford a proper medium format film scanner. Perhaps a second hand one is the way to go. I have read positive comments for the late Minolta one.