Contax RX, Aria

[Athos6]

I've been looking at the Contax line of cameras, specifically the RX, ST and the Aria, and maybe the AX. I like the focus confirmation and DOF preview of the RX but also the no frills, and small, Aria. Does anybody thing picking one of these bodies up along with a 1.7 planar or the 45 tessar would be worth it vs. say a 85mm 1.4 or a Zeiss 25mm ZF for my Nikon F3 and D200?

 

[naren]

That's kind of a question only you could answer... but if you can shoot ZF lenses on a D200 and you do intend to do that... how can you compare?

 

[le vrai rdu]

I would stay on Nikon. I had a contax 159 with 50 1,7 ,excellent camera and lens, but if you have a nikon, stay with nikon and buy a new lense rather than buying a new system 😉

 

[noimmunity]

I can't help you with your question. But I can say that the Aria is a fantastic body to use with the smaller Zeiss lenses. The 50/1.4 Planar has incredible bokeh. The 1.7 version is probably just as good or better. The Tessar 45/2.8 makes a really small package for an SLR, and that lens is easy to use on hyperfocal.

 

[Athos6]

Yeah! I know, GAS is bad... And I don't really need a new system.

 

[fuwen]

Contax system is dead (at least for the time being) whereas Nikon is still on going.

Other than that, Aria is probably the most reliable body Contax ever built. Small and nice, the only complaints for me are it is too light and the shutter lag is quite apparent although u should have no problem up to 3 fps. It has the most metering mode including centre average, spot and matrix. I am using it with a data back which can print all f-stop/shutter speed data on the film but the back is very expensive.

 

[fuwen]

Oh, as for the lenses, 50/1.4 is a nice all rounder, 50/1.7 appears sharper to me and the built quality not as good but certainly a nice lens at a very good price. 45/2.8 Tessar is a sweet compact lens that has a very unique character which I like very much.

 

[Athos6]

I was packing for a graduation and it came to me, I'm nuts 🙂 . Bag one: Nikon d200 and an F3hp w/ 28mm f3.5 and f2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm f2 and f1.8, and a 75mm f2.5. Bag two: M2 w/ 35mm f1.7 and a Bessa R w/ 50mm f1.5, Summitar, J8 and J12. AND I think I need a new Contax.... What I might need is some more film....

On the good side the bessa is sold once this roll is done, and I was going to sell the F3hp but have you seen the F3 prices now days? Cheap Cheap, you can get a F3hp, md-4, and mf-18 back for less then what their selling Fm3a's for, its crazy.

But that Aria and 45mm tessar looks like a nice little rig for kicking around.

 

[fuwen]

Aria and a 45 Tessar will really be a very compact package, almost as small as a Berra R2 kit and could be lighter!

But an Aria with 50/1.4 will be an all rounder package which is light weight enough and still can manage when lights are low ............

 

[Socke]

I have a Yashica FX-D, my first SLR bought 1982, a Conatx RTS and a 167MT, both bought in the late 90s. I have a Distagon 35/2.8, a Planar 50/1,7 and a Sonnar 135/2.8.

The last time I used the 167 with these lenses was September 2004 for a photo competition. A 12 hour marathon with 24 tasks which had to be shot on a supplied 24exp film.

Nowadays I pick my Contax Gs when I want to shoot film and the dSLR when I want a SLR. The 167 and the lenses are on an indefinite loan to a friend who studies arts.

 

[joachim]

But that Aria and 45mm tessar looks like a nice little rig for kicking around.

Nikon did a small 45 for the FM3a. Even if that is dearer then the Tessar, this might make more sense (and you save buying the Aria). You might want to hunt one of the Nikons down.

See http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/46-...-nikkor-ai-p-45mm-f28-review--lab-test-report for a review of the Nikon lens

 

[Freakscene]

The Kyocera designed and manufactured Contax SLRs are my favourite SLRs in terms of design philosophy, handling and controls. The Aria is my favourite compact 35mm SLR ever. The ST is a magnificent luxury SLR, the RX is also excellent. The AX always seemed like a huge, awkward solution to a problem that had already been solved.

The Zeiss 50/1.7 for the Contax SLRs has the consistently worst out-of-focus rendition of any comparable lens I have used (probably 30+ 50mm SLR lenses in the f1.4-2.8 range). Its on-axis performance is very good.

Marty

 

[jaap]

The quality difference between a Aria and RX is huge. So I would go for the RX. In my opinion the best slr Contax has ever build. Oh that viewfinder is so nice !

 

[rover]

i have always been attracted to the Aria. But I too don't need another camera system.

Of course there is the ZF and ZK mount lenses which make using Zeiss glass on Nikon and Pentax systems has made the need to go Contax less. Keep in mind too that Cosina is offering their SLII AIS and KA mount lenses for Nikon and Pentax too, so there are high quality choice lenses in addition to those offered by Nikon and Pentax for their systems, film or digital.

 

[oftheherd]

I don't follow Nikon so I don't know what the prices are. The Contax cameras and lenses certainly continue to hold their value. In other words, they are costly. They do tend to be good equipment however. An alternative, as mentioned by Socke, is the Yashica FX line of cameras. They tend to be pretty good, and accept all the T* lenses. That won't make the lenses any cheaper, but will cut down on the overall cost of acquiring Contax T* lenses to use. It's what I did when my Contax 139Q died. I never went beyond the 50mm F/1.4, and that is a superb lens. The Contax off the film plane auto flash was unbelievably good. The best I ever used.

I know it's heresy, but just how good does a lens have to be? Careful work with lesser lenses will still get good photos.

 

[Ming The Merciless]

I own and use both the RX and Aria and both the 50 1.7 and 45 2.8Tessar. The RX is higher quality than the Aria but it weighs more. The Aria has a brighter viewfinder. The Zeiss lenses are great. Lately (becuase of the hot weather) I've been using the 45 tessar on my Aria and on my RX. But, as was mentioned above, this is a dead system. I've owned these cameras and lenses for years and until I got into rangefinders, this was the only system I used. They are great cameras and they are a major reason why I haven't gotten into digital photography too deeply.

 

[fuwen]

The other thing about Aria is it uses 2 CR2 batteries. If u are getting the lithum type can be expensive.

What I heard about the reliability of Aria is the mirror slip problem was finally solved. I own RTS, RTS II, RTS III, 159MM and Aria and so far has not use enough to see the mirror slip problem but from Hong Kong Contax internet club the mirror slip seems to be a common problem even for RTS III.

However, I have seen many cases of mirror slip for Yashica FX, FX-2000 and FX-7, a very real and frequent problem.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

I have an RX. Used to have a 159mm. My only (current) Contax SLR lens is the 50mm/1.4 Planar.

I also have an EOS3 and a Nikon F80, after 'experimenting' with an F100 and F4.

I had been planning to sell the RX, as i have the F80 to serve as a small SLR. But, after taking the RX out of the closet last weekend, i was quickly reminded what a fantastic camera it is. It just feels/looks so good.... The mirror return and drive are incredibly smooth.... The 50/1.4 is probably the best 50mm lens i've ever owned, save the M-50 Summilux-ASPH. I haven't tried the 50/1.7, but as mentioned above, i've never liked the bokeh rendering in images i've seen from it.

I have recently been considering the Aria, as well. Just to get the size+weight factor down. If it's true that the Aria's viewfinder is even brighter than the RX's, well, that sounds mighty nice. I just wish this series had AF — that's probably the only reason why i like the F80 in this context. But, the RX's viewfinder is so good, it's easy to focus manually.

I used to have a Contax N1, with 85/1.4 and 50/1.4. That 85mm lens was wonderful. I've never tried the manual focus version, though. I imagine it's very much the same. If i didn't have the Canon 85/1.2L, i'd be in the market for the Contax....

 

[jaap]

I have an RX. Used to have a 159mm. My only (current) Contax SLR lens is the 50mm/1.4 Planar.

I also have an EOS3 and a Nikon F80, after 'experimenting' with an F100 and F4.

I had been planning to sell the RX, as i have the F80 to serve as a small SLR. But, after taking the RX out of the closet last weekend, i was quickly reminded what a fantastic camera it is. It just feels/looks so good.... The mirror return and drive are incredibly smooth.... The 50/1.4 is probably the best 50mm lens i've ever owned, save the M-50 Summilux-ASPH. I haven't tried the 50/1.7, but as mentioned above, i've never liked the bokeh rendering in images i've seen from it.

I have recently been considering the Aria, as well. Just to get the size+weight factor down. If it's true that the Aria's viewfinder is even brighter than the RX's, well, that sounds mighty nice. I just wish this series had AF — that's probably the only reason why i like the F80 in this context.

The aria's viewfinder is certanly not so bright as that of the RX. Besides that the quality of the image is far far better than that of the aria especally at the edge of the image you can easliy focus withe RX. That's impossible to do with an aria.

 

[Rico]

I have the Contax 139Q, three RTS III, and an Aria. The RTS III has great ergonomics (analog controls can be sensed by touch), and the ultimate view for prism heads, but is simply too heavy for walkabout. Consequently, I carry the Aria most times, with a street kit of D28/2.8 and P50/1.4. Except for the incrementally larger lenses, the Aria handles like my Leica M. The VF is remarkably bright and effective for manual focus. The meter display is much more intuitive than the other models in the RTS line.