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on Nov 28, 2015 2:24:20 GMT
Posted: Nov 28, 2015 2:24:20 GMT
Those three photos are excellent - plenty of contrast, sharp and lots of detail. I've not come across that Vivitar lens - it seems interesting, if a little oily....and missing infinity. I'm sure a CLA will sort out those problems.
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on Nov 28, 2015 15:03:35 GMT
Last Edit: Nov 28, 2015 16:43:20 GMT by Deleted
Thanks for your appreciation, Graham! Easier said than done, I'm afraid. Given my limited skills as a repairman, disassembling such an air-pump zoom may turn out to be quite a challenge... The color versions of the three shots are also online now. To be honest, I'm quite undecided which ones I prefer, except that this one... link...is clearly my favourite.
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on Nov 29, 2015 2:34:09 GMT
Posted: Nov 29, 2015 2:34:09 GMT
The color version gave the one of the stern flag what it really needed. All good shots, Michael, color or b&w.
PF
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on Nov 29, 2015 3:55:14 GMT
Posted: Nov 29, 2015 3:55:14 GMT
Superb colour rendition - it's surely only a matter of time before you get appointed as official photographer to the Karlsruhe tourist authority...
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on Nov 29, 2015 14:59:09 GMT
Posted: Nov 29, 2015 14:59:09 GMT
Superb colour rendition - it's surely only a matter of time before you get appointed as official photographer to the Karlsruhe tourist authority... "O that men's ears should be To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!"
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on Jul 21, 2016 21:24:30 GMT
Posted: Jul 21, 2016 21:24:30 GMT
Ohhh...the mighty Contax RX...like the S2 or AX...i never could afford it, back into it's heyday...and so it was with the Aria back into the late 90's...afaik 1998.
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on Sept 2, 2021 6:36:00 GMT
Posted: Sept 2, 2021 6:36:00 GMT
I bought the RX recently after considerable hesitation. Too big and heavy was my assessment prior to actually handling one. I’ve been using an 139q since 1983 until adding an Aria in 2019. An RTSII in 2020 provoked instant love. It’s handling was just like the 139q and much more to my liking than the Aria. Roll forward to a couple of months ago and I picked up an RX from Ffordes for a decent price.
It turns out that the RX is a delight to handle, vastly better than the Aria. Clearly heavier than the RTSII but with more ergonomic grip etc . Consider me an RX fan
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on Sept 29, 2021 18:04:07 GMT
Posted: Sept 29, 2021 18:04:07 GMT
I bought the RX recently after considerable hesitation. Too big and heavy was my assessment prior to actually handling one. I’ve been using an 139q since 1983 until adding an Aria in 2019. An RTSII in 2020 provoked instant love. It’s handling was just like the 139q and much more to my liking than the Aria. Roll forward to a couple of months ago and I picked up an RX from Ffordes for a decent price. It turns out that the RX is a delight to handle, vastly better than the Aria. Clearly heavier than the RTSII but with more ergonomic grip etc . Consider me an RX fan Excellent - another convert to the RX community! This just arrived from Japan today - I wasn't sure whether to place it in the lenses or SLR threads as each item is equally special but my Contax allegiance always gets the better of me... Contax RX_Yashica ML 28-50 f3.5This RX is a back-up to my back-up as my original back-up was bought last week from Harrison Cameras and although working perfectly, it suffered a bang right on the on/off switch which has pushed the top plate back making it an effort to turn on the camera. I'm keeping it because it works but this new one is perfect and has me smiling again. It came with the outstanding ML 28-50mm zoom - a lens which received one of the highest ratings from Amateur Photographer back in the late 1970s. I'm reminded of @gentlegiant and his comments a while back on working with his RX and Zeiss 28-85 which he said felt 'just right' and I can echo that feeling with the RX and ML 28-50. It's a lovely combination and not one I'd tried before.
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on Sept 30, 2021 10:15:20 GMT
Posted: Sept 30, 2021 10:15:20 GMT
I know I've been extolling the pleasure of working with the RX and it is enjoyable to use. BUT I had forgotten one thing that annoyed me when the camera was introduced back in 1994: a removable back but no alternative was made available.
Unlike the 167MT and its superb D-7 back, which not only records dates and data but also acts as a sophisticated intervalometer, no such back was produced for the RX - one had merely the ability to print a date. The beautiful Contax ST was able to shed its back and substitute the D-7 to add extra versatility to its operation. Why the RX was not designed to accommodate that Data-Back we'll never know; one has to assume that an alternative back for the camera was planned as why else would you bother to make it removable in the first place‽
Whether it could have been a new Data-Back (as opposed to its mere date-back) or a 250 Back, one can only assume Kyocera's dreaded bean-counters intervened and stopped development; just as they did later with the RTSIII. That said, perhaps as with the RTSIII (and RTS, RTS Fundus and RTSII) it might have been to allow companies like NPC Forscher to make a Polaroid back for it but that seems unlikely as Contax was still selling its Preview models.
To have had a full data imprinting capability as well as a programmable intervalometer would have made the RX (and RTSIII) the peerless cameras Contax claimed them to be. Please don't get me wrong, they are very fine cameras - but they could have been so much more...
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on Sept 30, 2021 13:56:00 GMT
Posted: Sept 30, 2021 13:56:00 GMT
I was reading about the CONTAX AX last night, and it sure seems that Kyocera really messed a lot of things up for the CONTAX line-up -- and Yashica, too! And Zeiss didn't help things either!
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on Sept 30, 2021 21:55:25 GMT
Posted: Sept 30, 2021 21:55:25 GMT
I was reading about the CONTAX AX last night, and it sure seems that Kyocera really messed a lot of things up for the CONTAX line-up -- and Yashica, too! And Zeiss didn't help things either! You are quite right about some of the false steps taken by all the parties concerned. I wish it was possible to know what was the strategic reason for Kyocera taking over Yashica; their first action was to cancel two major projects: the development by Zeiss (at long last) of AF gear for Contax (check out the lovely 137AF), and the use of the Honeywell focusing confirmation system for Yashica SLRs as seen on the FX-A. That 137AF was a superb camera and the three Zeiss prototype lenses worked flawlessly (I saw them being demonstrated at Photokina along with the FX-A) - and some very smart and lucky guy has been using it with the Zeiss 50mm AF lens on YouTube recently. Even after nearly 40 years, its working perfectly. At least we got to see a few FX-As appear before Kyocera pulled that plug too. I love the Contax AX - it's big, bold and beautifully engineered. As Kyocera had cancelled the project with Zeiss for developing a Contax AF range that was compatible with the C/Y mount, Zeiss worked with them instead to develop a camera that would allow all C/Y glass to operate in effect as an AF lens. And the AX was the result. What I love about the camera is that it not only works as a decent AF camera (though good light is needed for fast AF performance) but it also turns every lens into a Macro lens. Genius. If you have small hands though, the AX could be a problem but its ergonomics work for me. When Kyocera eventually recognised that AF was the way forwards for SLRs, it was too little too late as the market was already maturing. So we ended up with new mounts for both Contax and Yashica that were incompatible with their established ones. For Contax users, after spending a fortune on Zeiss glass, they were expected to junk it all and buy into a completely new system...it was a marketing cluster*uck. Although the Yashica AF and Contax N series SLRs and their lenses were largely well regarded, there simply weren't enough new adopters to make either system successful. Despite missing the boat with the AF SLR gear, I have to give credit to Kyocera for producing the Contax 645 and, although it was ultimately unsuccessful, trying to introduce the world's first full-frame digital SLR.
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on Dec 12, 2021 20:57:53 GMT
Posted: Dec 12, 2021 20:57:53 GMT
I dislike that the RX get hyped so much here, and into the End, prices are being pushed up, again. SCNR. I am using it since ca. 96, but i like much to have my manual film advance lever. Because the RX couldn't being repaired anymore - like the RTS III, Spare Parts are 2021 no more being avialable from Kyocera. No offense.
A greeting.
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on Dec 13, 2021 17:44:42 GMT
Posted: Dec 13, 2021 17:44:42 GMT
I dislike that the RX get hyped so much here, and into the End, prices are being pushed up, again. SCNR. I am using it since ca. 96, but i like much to have my manual film advance lever. Because the RX couldn't being repaired anymore - like the RTS III, Spare Parts are 2021 no more being avialable from Kyocera. No offense. A greeting. Hi lenslover No offence taken. Like you I enjoy the security and feel of a wind-on lever but of course if you need fast frame rates, a motor is always needed. In the early days, the motors were in the form of attachment drives which still allowed you to use a lever-wind when fast shooting was not necessary. After the Contax 159MM, the only Contax cameras with wind-on levers were the S2/S2b and the Preview II. And you are absolutely right - if the drive of the camera fails, spares are almost impossible to find (Mark Hama's company might be able to help) so you are left trying to find donor cameras and a talented repairer... It is deeply frustrating to lose the use of a camera for a minor fault that could have been easily resolved just a few years ago...
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on Dec 13, 2021 21:04:29 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 14, 2021 14:32:32 GMT by lumiworx
I'm guessing the auto-focus confirmation has quite a bit to do with their popularity, and I'd also agree on the motor aspect too. Combining those two things with the expanded shutter speeds probably keeps the demand (and prices) up. Having said that, there are likely to be some deals to be had. It's been a couple of years since I bought the last one, but the 2nd one turned out to be a parts camera after purchase so I got a heavy 90% discount to keep it instead of returning it. Unfortunately there seem to be many people who don't have any idea what fully working means with bodies like the RX, AX, 167MT, and the 159MM's, so I have to assume there will be more of them that are actually badly tested. It might be worth the time to ask any prospective seller about what specific functions they've checked, and then re-evaluate their price based on more thorough findings. I don't assume that complex cameras like these are working unless the seller assures me they've been fully film tested, so I always ask before bidding or buying. If they aren't willing to guarantee the working condition as 100%, then I'll request a complete refund (shipping included), or a considerable amount off for a partial refund. Another possibility is to locate a parts camera via Yahoo Japan including the term "junk" that they use for parts or repair type gear. Using the search box to enter ジャンク contax will spit out a results page like this. It might be possible to get something cheap enough to offset the cost of the exporting service to buy and ship it to you, if it's in the right shape you need. If @peterr doesn't fix the RX , there might be other repair shops in the EU to help get one working again. Slowly some repair services are starting to pop up again, so a search might result in finding someone nearby. The used department at Rogers Camera ( usedphotopro.com) in the US, carries a lot of inoperable bodies, winders, and other gear, so it's a good idea to pop in and see what they have from time to time... or maybe contact them and have them keep an eye out for whatever you might be looking for.
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on Dec 14, 2021 9:01:27 GMT
Posted: Dec 14, 2021 9:01:27 GMT
I dislike that the RX get hyped so much here, and into the End, prices are being pushed up, again. SCNR. I am using it since ca. 96, but i like much to have my manual film advance lever. Because the RX couldn't being repaired anymore - like the RTS III, Spare Parts are 2021 no more being avialable from Kyocera. No offense. A greeting. I don’t believe this site has any impact on prices. At all. The audience is too small and many other sites (dpreview, pets pixel, mf|lenses forum, emulsive, 35mmc…) will typically appear much earlier in searches unless they are very specific.
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