Contax T3 Show & Tell

[Calzone]

sweet photos both sets!
i want to get one, but the price is a bit rich

I found my T3 (silver) while walking around an abandoned part of the city where I lived. Almost stepped on it. Came with the leather case. Paid $15.00 for a manual from Contax.

Crazy thing is that the current BIN on Ebay was the selling price new at B&H.

Cal

 

[morback]

Yes, I cannot say it vignettes a lot, only under certain conditions. I actually use the flash to reinforce that vignetting sometimes. I think it just compliments the lens' character (signature?).

I don't think a T3 is equivalent to a G2. I have a T3 and a ZI and one would not replace the other. The only reason I got the Zeiss Ikon is because the T3 does not have a true (twist the lense) manual focus...

Now if it had that, I'd be all set, and the happiest man on earth.

 

[snausages]

BTW, I believe the Terry Richardson ad in question is for Belvedere Vodka.

 

[raid]

Contax T2

Contax T2

Here is an image by my T2.

 

[fbf]

T3 is great, but it is not 700$ worth.
T2 is better (imho), but it is a little bulky as pocket camera.

Buy both if you have the money. 😀

 

[rlouzan]

Anders Petersen:

http://www.lensculture.com/petersen.html

 

[MartinP]

Sighhhhh, I still regret the death of the ribbon cable on my Konica Big-Mini. The quality and tiny size were remarkable. Makes the T's here seem huge. Oh well....

 

[morback]

Anders Petersen:

http://www.lensculture.com/petersen.html

Awesome link! Thanks for sharing, that's exactly what I always have in mind with the T3:

From the article:

It is practically impossible to separate the man from his photography. He carries his small Contax T3 always, and captures beauty in some of the most unlikely places. With his camera, he records an intensely curious and personal diary.

Imagine a happy zen monk with a small camera in his hands and a twinkle in his eye — that is Anders Petersen.

But I lack the social confidence to confront strangers with the T3...Maybe one day...

 

[steamer]

Sighhhhh, I still regret the death of the ribbon cable on my Konica Big-Mini. The quality and tiny size were remarkable. Makes the T's here seem huge. Oh well....

That ribbon is a crying shame, the fatal flaw of a tragic hero. I found a new mini (40 dollars) that works for the time being, but I don't use it much because I have 2 T's and a T2.

 

[Rico]

I would love one but the prices are so insane that it's hard not to think you could get a G2 and a lens or two for the same price.

Yup, eBay prices are now higher than the old Contax Days at B&H. A low-cost alternative P&S is the Yashica T4 Zoom, a late film entrant with CZ Vario-Tessar 28-70 zoom. It's less elegant a package and somewhat bigger than a Contax T3, but the lens is modern and blisteringly sharp (equal to the CZ Sonnar 35). The T4 Zoom ended at $160 street before Kyocera torched their photo biz.

 

[Rico]

.. I have a T3 and a ZI and one would not replace the other. The only reason I got the Zeiss Ikon is because the T3 does not have a true (twist the lense) manual focus...

Now if it had that, I'd be all set, and the happiest man on earth.

Consider the original T with its manual focus action. You also get an optical RF! It's bigger than a T3, but still dainty versus a ZI or Contax G.

 

[valdas]

I bought T2 recently from KEH. Paid 230$. One of my best purchases ever...

 

[morback]

Consider the original T with its manual focus action. You also get an optical RF! It's bigger than a T3, but still dainty versus a ZI or Contax G.

I've been checking the original T lately...It's quite tempting, but along with manual focus, I like the parallax correction and brightness of the ZI. I'm a bit sloppy with my T3 and I wanted to get something that brings me back to the roots of photography...It also looks like the T has too much electronics going on...

My Olympus RD was close to perfect. All it needed was a better lightmeter and better viewfinder...and a Sonnar lens...ah well, maybe it wasn't that close after all...

The poster in Lafayette is too grainy for me to recognize what Terry is holding, but it looks too wide for a T3. So maybe Yashica T4 or a T2?

 

[nightfly]

Coupla things:

1) The original T is a lot more of a traditional camera than the T2 and T3. It's very similar to some of the Minox models as well. To me the barn door lens cover is the killer. It's just awkward but the camera feels more analog.

2) Terry is pretty well known for using Yashica T4's. I will check out the poster when I'm in the area next but it's sort of his calling card.

3) If you're getting rid of your T3 and aren't trying to get ebay like prices, let me know.

I've been checking the original T lately...It's quite tempting, but along with manual focus, I like the parallax correction and brightness of the ZI. I'm a bit sloppy with my T3 and I wanted to get something that brings me back to the roots of photography...It also looks like the T has too much electronics going on...

The poster in Lafayette is too grainy for me to recognize what Terry is holding, but it looks too wide for a T3. So maybe Yashica T4 or a T2?

 

[morback]

3) If you're getting rid of your T3 and aren't trying to get ebay like prices, let me know.

Nice try! You're gonna have to pry that T3 from my cold dead hands and stab me through the heart to avoid me haunting you in the afterlife...

If you don't want to pay the hefty price for the T3 (it went way up since I got mine!) I discovered the Konica Hexar AF today...Looks like a pretty sweet camera, but a lot more bulky and no Sonnar look. It does have a few extra features (parallax correction, dof indicator, silent mode (not that the T3 maes a lot of noise!), etc...) and it seems to go at almost half the price of a T3...

I feel exactly the same about the barn door on the original T...It's just so weird...And the short baselength has me worried especially if the viewfinder is dark...Anyways, between the T3's 35mm Sonnar and the ZI's 50/1.5 Sonnar, I think I'm covered for now. It's not exactly the right time to be spending anyways...

I hope you'll find your T3 though.

 

[snausages]

Here is Terry Richardson and his camera in the previously mentioned Belvedere Vodka print ad in NYC. It appears to be his trademark Yashica T4: