What are the differences between the Yashica T4 super, and the Contax T2

Im debating getting either one. I've done some research on it and these are the choices Ive

come up with. Anyone care to take a stab at assimilating the differences? pro's con's?

 

Much appreciated.

 

Love life. Live Love.

One's plastic, one's metal. One has a faster lens, one is slower. One can set the aperture, the other decides on the aperture for you. One's not water resistant, the other has a water resistant version. One's heavier, one's lighter. Etc.

 

FWIW, it's prob better to get a T3. They're going for peanuts now.

 

Wai Leong

Yashica T4 super has a Tessar f3.5 lens, Contax T2 has a Sonnar f2.8 lens. T2 body is titanium, T4 plastic

Get the T2. The lens is better and it is a joy to use and will hold its resale better.

 

The Yashica T5 (the JP/Euro version of the T4 Super) has a cute little viewfinder on top of the body facing up as well as the conventional v/f. This can be fun for taking pics from waist level / pet pics etc.

 

The T2 is better in so many ways. (I have owned and enjoyed two of them in the past and both sold for decent money)

The T4/T5 is a great camera, when it was still in production it was better than anything else in its category (inexpensive, plastic, automatic P&Ss). However the T2 will be better in every way. A decent used T4 will cost around US$150. You could find a used T2 for only US$250 - a much better value IMHO.

 

However, if you are looking for an inexpensive camera, and unless you see a specific application for the "super-scope" on the T4s/T5, a new Stylus Epic is the best bet for <US$90. I like the T5 better than the Epic, but I would rather get a new (and cheaper) Epic, than a used T5.

I do a lot of mountain climbing and am very, very rough on gear. I started with A Ricoh GR1-not very sturdy. The T4 and T5 have been superb. I would have gone for the T3 but for the cost.

I have had both. The T4 while a decent p&s it was nothing spectacular, Its images I would rate along with those from a cheap consumer zoom lens. I still have my T2 and its a beautifull camera in every way, Its titanium body is indestructable, the lens is sharp, and focus is reliable. Ive made countless 8x10's from it. IMO the t4 is a gimmick, a toy. The contax T2 is the real deal. Spend the money you won't regret it.

Sam - maybe you had a bad camera. I had the T4, and I use the T3 original T, minilux and GR1. In certain circumstances, the T4 is capable of images which are as good as the others. Sorry but the T4 is know toy.

I disagree with Sam as well. The lens in The T4 is as good as the other just not as fast as some. Someone posted a link to a site that did a lens comparison withe the Titinium T2 and Nikon 35 and the lens in the T4 top scored the others in one of the measurements. Its not a Toy but it does lack any control. But I wouldnt want to take a T2 to the beach like I do my T5 (T$ super in the USA) which is sealed against sand and water.

We still have two Yashica T5s (my two daughters both use one) and one of the T5s was mine for a while. As I said, no comparison to the T2. The T2 lens is much better. The T5/T4s ARE good cameras NOT toys and are weather resistant and quite tough but the sensible comparisons have to end there. You want to go out and do photography with a high quality, compact, fixed lens camera with sensible manual options (flash/aperture/assisted MF/compensation etc) then you should be looking at a Minilux/CM/T2/GR1/Hexar/T3 type of camera.

Well I guess my sample was a dog. I was VERY unimpressed with it. I do however love my T2. All I'm saying is that if image quality is paramount the Contax T2 is a great camera.

To be devil's advocate: T2's highest shutter speed 1/500; T4's 1/700. T2

focuses only down to two feet; T3 focuses closer and is elegant looking but

too small and the controls are annoying; also less sturdy than the T2 (I've

heard a lot of complaints from people dropping theirs; if you drop a T2 it's your

big toe that suffers). (Read the review here on photo.net--it's true.) T2

annoying with 400 speed film outdoors if you want to control depth of field--it's

almost impossible to do a close-up and throw the background out of focus

because of this tiny quirk: you can't always shoot at 2.8, because when you

set the lens at that it goes into program mode and will only use 2.8 under low

light conditions. I had a T4 and sold it (regrettably), but personally I think what

people ask for them now is way overpriced. If you want to go in that direction,

get an Olympus Stylus Epic. The lens isn't Zeiss but it's very good--and a stop

faster. Good luck.

One other glitch with the T2: I found that shooting outdoors with it in cold

weather, something froze and all I got was a blinking "500" in the viewfinder.

The shutter still fired but I'm not sure the metering was correct.