Contax T2/T3 prices

[Aristophanes]

All of these were great in the 90s, but are a bit long in the tooth these days. However, nobody has made anything like these for film in at least 10 years, so you have no choice. I guess the Fuji Natura or Klausse series is the last I can remember regarding a serious film P&S with AF.

I had a Natura. It was ......acceptable. No longer made. They were really the last of the compact film cameras. Probably very cheap to tae who you think about it, but pretty much zero demand. They are also stupid expensive, about US$300.

 

[Archlich]

All "luxury" point & shoots (the GR1 being an exception) are experiencing price hikes. Second to the Contaxes are the Fuji Klasses - not only the newer S and W models, but also the very budget friendly original Klasse - their price had been doubled.

 

[Contarama]

Same experience here. My mechanical Ms spent more time in repair than in hard use (I sold them in the end due to unreliability). Also my M7 and Bessas - all failures were mechanical. The Contax T3 I use in rough conditions since years and has not failed (except the tooth in the winding spool - a 15min self-fix job) - same for the G2, which I found more robust than the M6. I have no idea who services Contax, never needed it. Who services Leica I know pretty well.

I forgot what my T3 cost me, and its irrelevant, it has served me more than expected and if it would fail I would probably buy one again. They are that good.
Yes, the used prices are sky-high, but there is a good chance they will serve longer than most other cameras at the same price.

As I recall you paid $200 maybe $300 for yours. You were hung up deciding between the 2 or 3 and went for the 3...black as I recall. You wanted it for mountain climbing because of its size.

You, Brian, and the Professor were the first camera folks I met online when I first got into film cameras. That was over at the ZF place. You three, Tom, Joe, Keith, Roger, oftheherd, and Stewart are like gods in my eyes. 😀 (To this day I think wow what a damn illustrious group of fellows to discover right off the bat.)

I never forget people who help me along when I come to a hobby for the first time. I think you would be proud of me if you knew how far I have come along on this deal since those days.

 

[infrequent]

The Contax T2 price was a bit too much to stomach and why I picked up the Konica Big Mini 201 instead. I am annoyed that it always turns on the flash but now I just keep the camera switched on between shots. Apart from that I don't mind the lack of settings, although manual setting of ISO would have been nice. Hoping the electronics on this thing are more robust than the reputation of the Contax.