contax T3

[Archiver]

If you can get a mint black T3 with case and strap for USD$500, you buy it and chortle all the way to the lab. I paid close to USD$1000 for mine (crappy Australian exchange rate back in 2006) but it has been worth it like you wouldn't believe.

Loaded with Pro400H it took photos at my best friend's wedding that the hired pro thought were great. Even now mine is loaded with XTRA400 and waiting for a special evening out at the opera.

 

[nighstar]

Pin sharp lens. Very natural contrast. Has perfect round iris for the most amazing bokeh. aperture and shutter speed in the viewfinder. Smaller than any other high end compact. Ergonomics are incredilbly intuitive. Spot metering. Really, it's just a minature SLR. The specs are impressive and so is the lens, but the usability is it's crowning glory.
http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/MinoltaTC1.html

Paul

...GAH! now you've made me want this camera even though i've just bought a Ricoh GRD4. :bang:

the Contax T line of cameras seems great, but that kind of money is money that i don't have/have already spent elsewhere.

 

[sepiareverb]

The T3 is the best of the prime lens point & shoots that I've shot- with the Ricoh GR1, the Nikon Ti28 and Contax T2 close behind. The lens is stunning for starters, and the camera is eminently pocketable. The smooth metal body adds to this pocket-ability where the GR1 bodies grippy surface hinders it. The Nikon and the T2 are just too big- and the CM and Minilux are huge by comparison. The T3 is the size of a pack of cigarettes- the CM nearly (well, closer anyway) the size of a pound of butter. The T3 is quiet, fast and easy to carry. Mine has some Neopan 1600 in it right now.

 

[David Hughes]

Hmmm, dare I add a note of caution? I don't think any of these cameras is available brand new and so we are talking about what I call "second-hand" - 'though no one else in the world uses the expression nowadays.

So there's a risk with any purchase. What I do is check cameras and then buy them if cheap enough to factor in a complete overhaul, repair or CLA. But you have to be aware that some cameras break and then die because no one in the repair trade will touch them. Especially electronic ones. They tell me that things move on quickly and so repairs are just not possible after a while. Leica are an exception but they wanted over UKP950 to repair my R5. And my beautiful Contax is dead and likely to remain so forever and a day.

The only solution, imo, is to look for a "cult" camera that has specialised repairers. Or else buy cheaply and throw away or buy at top prices and be prepared for a little heart break now and then.

Regards, David

PS I don't think cameras have to be top of the range and so on to give good results. A lot depends on the photographer. Most cameras are under utilised, imo.

 

[kzphoto]

so, in the first paragraph, which one has problem w/ focusing? did you mean t3 or klasse?

nice info on the vf, noted.

I meant on the Klasse (original) the focus has trouble indoors and in low-light. I have used the camera extensively in moderate / outside lighting and it does a fantastic job.

My two gripes with the Klasse --

1) There's a mirror in the VF system so that if your eye isn't dead center, there's finder black out.

2) No information in the VF window. Shutter, aperture and focus marks would be really nice.

The VF on the T3 has shutter information and frameline indicators. They're a bit hard to see in full daylight, but at any other time they're fantastic. Very easy to use and understand.

I'd still grab the Klasse over the T3. The T3 handles well, but I wasn't impressed with the lens performance enough to justify the huge increase in price over the Klasse (at least in the US.)

Seriously though, any of the cameras you're considering will make fantastic photographs. You just need to learn their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[perudo]

just my 2 words to the subject😉 :

I owned a gr1: loved its compact size, mine was not very sharp, and much too noisy

I have a yashica T5: very sharp, easy to use... the fact that it is made of plastic and is already totaly scratched ( the body of course, not the lens), makes it a true pocketable camera for me. I take it everywhere, do not think about it being more scratched, etc....

I also have a T3. It was somehow always a dream camera for me.
The lens is also very sharp, focus is great etc... But, this camera is so beautiful, that I am really afraid to take it in a jeans pocket or in my daily bag without protection.... but this is just me

Anyway, if you are a fan of Anders Petersen, the T3 is his main camera. He does 60x90 cm prints out of it....

http://www.utata.org/salon/20695.php

 

[Archlich]

Recently reacquired a T3 after three years. Some thoughts:


pros: a great lens; a pocketable and stylized body; fast focus in most situations... at this point I feel rather unnecessary to list all the strengths that good cameras share. It's one of them, that is.

But there are still two major pros that set the T3 apart: the astonishing 1/1250s top shutter speed; the pretty useful manual focus setting (it pre-protrudes the lens barrel to selected distance setting unlike many P&Ss with "manual focusing", completely getting rid of auto-focus lag, and is with little shutter lag).



cons (big and small):
kinda prone-to-scratch surface; hard-to-grip shape; smallish adjustment wheel; dim, un-lit framelines (or more precisely, corners); single tooth on take up spool that will eventually wear out; pretty weak lens motor mechanism, reports of lens failing to retract (or lens lid not closing properly) are not uncommon; It doesn't have custom ISO setting, which could be annoying to push lovers.

For the class and price, the build quality is just okay. It feels plasticish comparing to the Nikon 35ti, or the similar sized Minolta TC-1.

You will often find T3s with scratches and (more likely) dings. That makes me hesitate to put it into heavy use as with cameras like the Ricoh GR1.


-

All in all, a positive experience - specs and image quality make up for all. Will recommend it highly should the price be a little lower..or you can find a bargain one.