Contax RTF540 - beware of this unknown version...
Aug 22, 2022 15:16:04 GMT
on Aug 22, 2022 15:16:04 GMT
Posted: Aug 22, 2022 15:16:04 GMT
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about the Contax Real Time System, you get a major reality check...
These two images I found today on a Japanese auction site and they came as a complete surprise: it's a hitherto unrecognised version of the Contax RTF540 flash head.
100v AC RTF540
What is so unusual about this model, apart from never appearing in any Contax literature, is that it's a studio-only version, presumably designed for the Japanese market as the label under the flash-head shows it to operate via a 100v AC power source.
It is obviously a late production model as the label bears the letter T in a circle which shows it has been adapted for TTL flash-metering, something not possible with the Contax RTS when it was first introduced.
So, if you are planning to add an additional flash head to your RTF540 set-up, you will need to ensure that this is not the one you are buying - unless perhaps you live in Japan. The problem is that there is no sign of the Japanese AC Power Unit required to operate it.
If you can't see the serial number's label, a further, more visible clue can be found on top of the flash head: that GN label. It is not present on any other versions of the RTF540, at least none that I have seen in the USA or Europe. Under the Accessories section you will find a photo of the PS-130 Power Unit for the big Contax TLA480 flash - again exclusive to the Japanese market but again, references to it appear to be non-existent. Unquestionably, a similar unit must have been developed for the RTF540 in the very early 1980s but you won't be surprised to know that the connector for the TLA480 is incompatible with that for the RTF540.
These two images I found today on a Japanese auction site and they came as a complete surprise: it's a hitherto unrecognised version of the Contax RTF540 flash head.
100v AC RTF540
What is so unusual about this model, apart from never appearing in any Contax literature, is that it's a studio-only version, presumably designed for the Japanese market as the label under the flash-head shows it to operate via a 100v AC power source.
It is obviously a late production model as the label bears the letter T in a circle which shows it has been adapted for TTL flash-metering, something not possible with the Contax RTS when it was first introduced.
So, if you are planning to add an additional flash head to your RTF540 set-up, you will need to ensure that this is not the one you are buying - unless perhaps you live in Japan. The problem is that there is no sign of the Japanese AC Power Unit required to operate it.
If you can't see the serial number's label, a further, more visible clue can be found on top of the flash head: that GN label. It is not present on any other versions of the RTF540, at least none that I have seen in the USA or Europe. Under the Accessories section you will find a photo of the PS-130 Power Unit for the big Contax TLA480 flash - again exclusive to the Japanese market but again, references to it appear to be non-existent. Unquestionably, a similar unit must have been developed for the RTF540 in the very early 1980s but you won't be surprised to know that the connector for the TLA480 is incompatible with that for the RTF540.
