I took my Contax RTSII out and about

[Range-rover]

Hi all,

I took my Contax RTSII out this past weekend in 20 degree New
York weather and got to say I haven't used such a great feeling SLR
in along time. The weight, size, smoothness and all metal body was
great, I wish some DSLR's were built like this, and oh did I say it was
a film camera. Is there any Contax SLR Love out there let's start here.

Range

 

[nongfuspring]

I've never used an RTSII but out of all the Contax SLRs it's the one that I'm most interested in. Seems to have a really nice size and a great build quality even amongst the other Contaxes.

I have an RX which is really fantastic if a tad on the large side. As I mentioned in other threads it is super quiet and a very stable camera.

But honestly Contax SLRs in general don't fill me with that much confidence, and I find reliability to be really important to me. The cameras built later than 1990 seem to have much more reliable electronics than earlier models but should anything go wrong they're no doubt tricky/expensive/impossible to repair. I guess the lack of longevity is partially because Kyocera were just so progressive with putting new features into cameras - nearly every SLR they made had some sort of market leading new feature, but unfortunately it seems to come at the expense of longevity that tends to come with more conservative camera design. It's a bit of a pity since the lenses are really nice and the cameras are so excessively well made.

 

[oftheherd]

Never used the RTS of any flavor. I did at one time have a Contax 139Q that I really enjoyed using. I used it for myself and for crime scenes. The TLA 20 and 30 are incredible flashes, and the otf in the 139Q and the current 167mt work incredibly well. Actually, the Yashica flashes work as well.

I now have a Contax 167mt. It isn't as heavy as one might think, relatively quiet even with its winder, and fits my hand like it was made for it. The only Contax lenses I have are two 50mm f/1.4 lenses. Unbelievably sharp! I also have zooms from 18mm to 150mm. The controls are surprisingly easy to master as well.

 

[Huss]

I'm impressed that your RTSII is still working. I had two, they both suffered the typical Contax electronic melt down and I gave up on the brand.

 

[Range-rover]

Wow that's to bad, I guess I was just lucky with the two I got. The RTS I received first
off ebay by itself works great just a little cleaning of the magnet on the bottom and
the shutter speeds work great now, the RTSII two which came to me jammed I fixed
one moved one of the lever's on the bottom and it released and works now. the other
RTSII has a jammed shutter and mirror and will most likely be a parts camera.

Range

 

[Dirk]

I tremendously enjoyed my RX, which fit me like a glove, even though it was a tad large and heavy. Still miss that camera. One of the quietest, if not the quietest SLR I ever used.

 

[Range-rover]

Those were great cameras, they really refined the art of camera making with those.

Range

 

[Michael Markey]

I use a 139Q and its Yashica variant the FXD.
I bought the 139Q off Peter Robinson and had him refurb the Yashica.
Nice cameras but they do have their problems.
I use a Zeiss 50/1.4 ,Zeiss 85/1.4 and a Yashica 28/2.8 ML.

http://www.contax139.info/

PS ..just noticed that he`s still showing the 139 which he sold to me ...re skinned .

 

[Range-rover]

Thanks for that info, so far it's working good.

Range

 

[bwcolor]

My RTS III had the typical mirror issue. I sent it back to Japan and for little money they fixed the mirror and other issue that I was unaware of. Very nice camera, as is the RX, but my Aria died after a couple of rolls. I prefer larger bricks and the RTS III fills the bill.

 

[skopar steve]

Had an RTSII and 3 Zeiss primes for a number of years. Got a good deal on the body and a 50mm 1.4. Liked the handling and images it produced so I added a 28mm 2.8 and the 60mm makro S.

Lot of folks told me the body was going to have problems, but it worked flawlessly. The only thing I did not like about it was trying to activate the meter button with the winder attached.

Enjoy your RTSII. It is on the short list of camera's I regret selling.