Contax T examples at f2.8 with b/w film

hi all,

 

so i am considering buying a contax t (original rangefinder version). i would like to hear from users and see

examples from this camera shot open at 2.8. i'm not expecting magic, i just want to have a clearer idea of the

results wide open since i will very likely be using this at 2.8 or 4 with b/w film at iso 800 or 1600 nearly all

of the time. the archives are full of descriptions like "superb" etc. i am sure it's amazing at f8 1/500 while

basking in the sunshine, but so is every other camera i own, even my 1938 645 folder and XA. i need something

very fast, quiet, small, etc, that i can rely on in difficult light for serious work (whatever serious means).

 

any help with be great.

 

best -- rj

Hi Robert,

 

you can buy the CONTAX T with any any doubts. This little ZEISS lens is better than any film available!

 

Cheers

try searching for Contax T on flickr.com - quite a few low light shots... impressed overall but it's tough to judge online...

If you can deal with something bigger, it sounds like the Hexar AF might be a better bet for you. It is essentially silent, the

lens is f/2 and great at f/2, and it just works flawlessly.

If its size is no impediment to you in the shooting situation, the Hexar AF will quite surely deliver better

results at 2.8 and less 1600 ISO developments can never hurt (f2 instead of 2.8).

Cheers, Pete

I agree with Stuart that the Hexar AF is a good choice; the lens is outstanding and approaches (if not equals)

the quality of a Leica 35mm Summicron. The performance at f/2 is especially good.

 

However, you won't get to use f/2 much in daylight because the fastest shutter speed is a very disappointing

1/250 sec. With ISO 100 film, a "Sunny f/16" exposure would be 1/250 at about f/11, which is obviously a very

long way from f/2.

 

Even with ISO 50 film, you would be around f/8. The light would need to be about four stops darker to enable f/2

to be used.

 

Ironically, I chose the Hexar RF over the Leica M7 because it has a fastest shutter speed of 1/4000 sec. against

the M7's 1/1000 sec. The extra two stops enables me to get better use of my Leica glass wide open.

 

The biggest mistake Konica made with the Hexar AF was to offer a poor shutter speed range. They did not make the

same mistake with the RF.

To be fair to the Hexar AF, it's top speed is limited because it is a leaf shutter. I am not sure why they couldn't get it to

1/500th like most other leaf shutter lenses, but anyway, the Hexar AF is not geared towards use outside in bright light. The

silent mode, infrared focusing (not dependent on ambient light levels) and the great f/2 lens make it more or less a

specialized low light camera. If you want to use it in daylight with wide apertures, you can pretty easily put a 3 or 4 stop

neutral density filter on it...

The Contax T ISO scale only goes up to 1000, it is aperture priority AE only and has a button for +1.5 exposure compensation only; i.e. you can't expose 1600 film at 1600. I've shot slides at 2.8 with very little vignetting, good saturation and adequate detail.

thanks for the info so far.

 

i have a good friend with a hexar af. this beast has been haunting me ever since i have seen what it can do. in fact i can say that this camera is what inspired me to start shooting small film again. but alas, the hexar is too big. i carry a hassy kit with big tripod, and 35mm is really a second priority. also, i have an ae-1 and eos both with 50/1.4 for when i need a reeeally fast lens. small/light matters. i need this camera in my pack pocket, and not around my shoulder... basically i like the XA but but can't use it wide open.

 

i have looked through the flickr groups but found very few specifications about fstops and, as you point out, these images are very poor lens tests as such. i will say, though, that a quick look through flickr is very promising in low light.

 

gary, thanks for pointing out the iso limitations. i read this in th specs but somehow overlooked it. do you have any scans of lens tests handy?

Here's one - I agree with Wolf - it's tough to beat that little Sonnar.

 

Reed<div></div>

Olympus Stylus Epic/Mju - nuff said.

I've owned both over the years and they served different purposes for me. The Contax rode in a belt pouch all the time, hence

the saying, the best camera you own is the one you have with you. It produced many, many superb grab shots under

circumstances under which I would not normally have had a camera with me. I only sold my last one to a forum member recently

when my vision declined to where I can't focus reliably any longer.

 

The Hexar is a very effective autofocus replacement for a Leica with 35 Summicron when autofocus becomes essential. I've

never been bothered by the 1/250th top shutter speed.

 

Gerry

Outdoors hold the camera upside down. The flat foldout piece acts a very good lens hood.