Contax- ST over Aria, RX?

[celluloidprop]

I'm thinking of getting a small Contax setup - body, 25mm and 50/1.4 - for my SLR needs. I'm probably most easily swayed by VF quality.

No way I can handle locally, so I'm trying to decide which to look for at KEH.
Aria - lightest, but that's not a big selling point for me. Matrix metering would be nice.
RX - I understand the the VF is darker than the other two options and I don't see the focus confirmation being very useful for me.

ST - seems less popular than the other two, but I don't know why. It looks to combine the nice size of the RX with a brighter viewfinder.

 

[JeffL]

If it were me it'd be the ST.
I use Contax myself and couldn't be happier.
I assume you're in the States. I used Tocad for a service/repair and found them to be professional and quicker than expected - a just incase FYI

 

[iskraII]

ST is slim down version of RTS3. RX is newer and smaller, less will built as ST but with few newer functionalities.

 

[bwcolor]

My Aria died shortly after buying it on EBay. Not made to same build quality as RTS and RTSIII... the only other Contax SLRs that I own.

 

[splitimageview]

I have an ST and an Aria. I like them both...the viewfinders are very close but I prefer the aria if I had to pick just one. I don't think there is an incorrect choice here...

I had an RX, heavy and solid but VF was darker and I didn't use the DOF indicator so there was no point to it.

I am not sure the RX is smaller than ST...I recall it being bigger/heavier and my ST has a battery grip too.

 

[Archlich]

I own an Aria and do not like it. It's small, indeed, but fat and plasticy. The viewfinder is fine, but the worse part in me keep comparing it to the ones on my OMs. Functionally the Aria leaves little to be desired.

From what I've heard the Aria is a fairly reliable body in the Contax lineup, the only known (and rare) problem being mirror slaps.

Kyocera is not Nikon, after all.

 

[ReeRay]

I went through this criteria last year and decided on the RX specifically for focus confirmation. Here's a bit of camera porn to whet your appetite:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/f4foto_grafs/5733555022/in/set-72157626624528207

 

[Rico]

No ST or RX here, but I have several other models to include RTSIII and Aria. I understand the ST has a relatively buzzy advance, while the RX is unusually quiet. Kyocera's final model (RX2) had a limited release in Asia and is noiser, but dumps DFI for a brighter view. I generally recommend the Aria for its great VF, meter display and low weight. The plastic covers are really solid but, if you want more meat on the bone, any one of ST/RX/RX2 should make you happy.

For a quite different experience, consider the manual advance models: 139Q, 159MM, or the manual-exposure S2/S2b.

 

[Dirk]

I had an Aria and sold it to buy a RX. The RX is quieter and the viewfinder is easier to focus, even without DFI. It's also more solid. The ST is supposedly louder than the RX.

 

[celluloidprop]

Went ahead and ordered a ST and 50/1.7 from KEH - after looking at opinions on the f/1.4 and f/1.7 online, I decided I didn't really need the half-stop (this will be a daytime camera for the most part - hard to beat digital when the sun goes down). Hopefully the combo will arrive on Friday...

 

[kdemas]

Went ahead and ordered a ST and 50/1.7 from KEH - after looking at opinions on the f/1.4 and f/1.7 online, I decided I didn't really need the half-stop (this will be a daytime camera for the most part - hard to beat digital when the sun goes down). Hopefully the combo will arrive on Friday...

I've had the ST & RX, still have the Aria. The ST is by far the best built of the three. It's known as the RTS IIIs "little brother". Ceramic pressure plate, more durable shutter, large oversized and lit control knobs. Terrific viewfinder as well, equal or better than the Aria which for me was far superior to the RX. Shutter sound high pitched but not loud.

Great camera and a nice match with the 1.7. You're going to love it, congrats!!

 

[Joe Vitessa]

Went ahead and ordered a ST and 50/1.7 from KEH - after looking at opinions on the f/1.4 and f/1.7 online, I decided I didn't really need the half-stop (this will be a daytime camera for the most part - hard to beat digital when the sun goes down). Hopefully the combo will arrive on Friday...

Congrats. I've been pondering the same question. I almost pulled the trigger on a BGN grade Aria from KEH for a mere $179 but someone else got there first. Now you've snatched up the ST! Oh, well. I'm sure it's gone to a good home. Enjoy!

Joe

 

[celluloidprop]

I can't believe how much more Contax bodies go for on Ebay than at KEH.

 

[JeffL]

I'm sure you'll love your new ST.
I have the 25mm and really like it- one of my favourite lenses along with the 100 f2. Some of the opinions and reviews on the 25 aren't so great, but they can't be talking about mine!

 

[splitimageview]

I really liked the 100/2 but sold it in favor of the much smaller 85/2.8. I also have the 100/3.5 and will be keeping only one....might be a tough call 🙂

Haven't tried the 25 but would like to...

 

[shadowfox]

Got mine from Keh also.
Best Contax body I've ever used.

Did you get the vertical grip also?

 

[celluloidprop]

I didn't. I almost never shoot vertical with 3:2, it's very unnatural to me.

 

[JeffL]

I really liked the 100/2 but sold it in favor of the much smaller 85/2.8. I also have the 100/3.5 and will be keeping only one....might be a tough call 🙂

Haven't tried the 25 but would like to...

Along the way I ended up with the 85 f2.8 as well. That lens is amazing too.
The only Contax Zeiss that I didn't like was the TT 300 f4. I tried the 3 versions and found them to be too soft. I ended up with the VS 100-300 and it blows the TT 300 out of the water. Fantastic lens.

 

[mathomas]

Along the way I ended up with the 85 f2.8 as well. That lens is amazing too.
The only Contax Zeiss that I didn't like was the TT 300 f4. I tried the 3 versions and found them to be too soft. I ended up with the VS 100-300 and it blows the TT 300 out of the water. Fantastic lens.

I know it's too late, but maybe someone else will find this thread and find my comments useful:

I have both an RX and an ST and if I had to sell one it would be the ST. I actually like the focus confirmation in the RX, and the viewfinder isn't that much darker than the ST (I just now switched back and forth between them and could barely tell the difference). The RX is ultra-smooth. I find the build quality to be exactly the same between the RX and ST. The cameras are essentially the same size and with almost exactly the same control layout. IMO it comes down to what features mean more to you (I must admit the backlit controls on the ST are pretty sexy).

It's kind of funny these two models exist as two models. If Contax had combined their best features it would have been some kind of super-camera.


PS: I have to add that I got the ST (with a 500mm mirror lens) for $120 off eBay. It had the infamous Contax "mirror slip" issue, which I fixed with a heat gun (to soften the old glue so I could move the mirror) and some aquarium sealant (to secure the bottom edge of the mirror into position). Here's a video where I talk about that operation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz1P2AiYwPc

 

[splitimageview]

My ST seems to have been put back together wrong. I had sent it to KEH after I first got it, as the mode selector was messed up. It looks like they put the shutter dial on wrong...the speed in the finder doesn't match the speed on the dial. But it works in A mode.