Which Contax Point and Shoot?

[ajedwardsjr]

I would love to pick up a used Contax Point and Shoot on the used market, and I see that there are quite a few on e-Bay.

I've been doing some price shopping, and here are the average prices that I've seen these go for (about a months worth of data, by the way).

T-3 $639.50
TVS-III $404.07
T-2 $371.27
T $299.04
TVS-II $264.14
TVS-D $250.83
TVS $141.32

Is the T-3 really head and shoulders above the others, as the prices suggest? What is about this camera that sets it apart? Is the TVS really such a loser, or is this just a screaming good deal?

Thanks for you input!

By the way, this is a pretty fair sample size, over 100 cameras.

 

[dirk]

Hi ajedwardsjr,

welcome to our Contax Community Forum!

Yes, there are significant differences in image quality between those cameras. The T3 has a fixed lens with the newest lens design. It is significantly better than the T2 or T. The image quality of the T3 is even better than the Zeiss 35/2.8 with C/Y mount.

The TVSIII is a zoom lens. So you can not compare it to the T3. Lovely camera. I really liked it. But the T3 was IMHO the perfect P&S at that time. Maybe a little bit too light compared to a Minilux, but the size, viewfinder and handling is state of the art.

If you can live with a fixed focal lens, then go for the T3. If you are more the zoom type user, then pick the TVSIII. Be aware that you need higher ISO films for the TVS III.

For details, you can look at the scanned manuals and broshures of these cameras within this forum or read my old review about the T3 here in the older threads.

Best wishes