What happened with that contax full frame DSLR?

I thought it was released last year sometime,i even recall reading a

review (at lone star digital??).Has it been released or not?

Are you talking about CONTAX N Digital ? The one with 6M pixel and based on the Contax N1 ? It had been released in Hong Kong and I know a friend brought is last year.

It was released and quickly discontinued.

Yes, my understanding is that it has been discontinued although there still may be some existing stock out there.

 

Reviews were disappointing and the image quality left something to be desired. Digital users are very concerned with noise levels at higher ISO settings and the N Digital was poor in that area as well.

 

Similar poor reviews have haunted the Contax TVS Digital point and shoot. Image quality and cost (a simple 'bang for the buck' assessment) were the negative factors for both.

 

Those who want Zeiss optics on a digital camera would be wise to look at the Sony Cybershots (F717 or the V1 among others).

Contax decided to officially discontinue it last month.<P>The following is <a href =

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/index.asp> Rob Galbraith's</a> synopsis of

Contax's press release:<P><I>Contax N Digital SLR discontinued<P>  

 

Thursday, June 5, 2003 | by Rob Galbraith<P>A spokesperson for Contax in the US

has confirmed that the N Digital SLR camera is no longer being manufactured. While

there may still be stock at dealers or in the distribution chain, no new shipments are

expected from parent company Kyocera in Japan. <P>

 

 

 

The 6 MP Contax N Digital was the first digital SLR to ship with a sensor about the

same size as a 35mm film frame, and emerged on store shelves about a year ago.

The Contax N Digital remains listed for sale at reputable dealers in the US for about

US$6800-7000, or about the same price that it shipped at originally in 2002.<P>

 

 

 

References to The N Digital as a current product will soon be removed from the

Contax web site. The spokesperson said that while new products are always being

developed, a possible replacement for the N Digital is not being announced at this

time."</I></P>

A useful equation to explain the status of camera:

 

Contax DSLR = Doornail

Man they must be hoping poeple like me don't keep asking...LOL

You got that right Ron! :)

contax are shit anyway though surely?

The last person used the word "shit" to beguile Contax, but not so fast my friend. The digital Contax N was not as bad as people said; some folks overexaggerated too quickly and easily. Yes, the camera was too expensive, but at low ISO settings, this camera can perform extremnely well, just like the Kodak 14N, which has also been plagued by bad press. Too much nosie at high ISO is basically the only complaint. Not everyone shoots at high ISO's. When I use slide film outdoors, I never use anything faster than 100! So what's the issue? Kodak has new software and the camera does much better than before, like it is alltogether new camera, but did the press cover this? No-o. Once the bad hype is out, it seems that redemption becomes impossible.

 

Contax knew they had a problem with the Digital N and did not allow reviewers to have a sample in hand to test. That was just as bad PR as the review had been. The reviews woudl have probably have done less damage than the rumors. But then hindsight is always 20-20.

 

Anyway, Contax film cmaeras are exclelent. I have a G1 still and it does great. Had an RTS before that, but sold it. It was a very good camera as well.

 

The Contax 645 is a great camera with great Zeiss lenses. Hasselblad seems to have elft Zeiss with their Digital and have gone to Fuji,. who made lenses for the Xpan.

 

Let's stop BS-ing Contax. They were the first to try full frame digital 35mm, and they will come back with a killer digital one day soon, I predict.

 

My 2 cents worth.

Yeh, but I'll bet they still won't sell any!

If it was discontinued, why does Contax's US website still advertise it?

"If it was discontinued, why does Contax's US website still advertise it?"

 

Because, like all businesses, Contax is at the mercy of the "ponytails" who maintain websites. Telling your web dude that information needs to be taken down and getting that to happen are two different things. ;-)

LOL

<br>I thought they may just have a few left and the USA is indeed their richest market.If someone wanted one still it would be the best place to sell

I wouldn't put that passed Contax either.

In risk of starting a rumor, i have no reason to assume this, is it possible that kyocera is in a rush to beat Leica to the punch for the first 35mm digital back?

 

It's been proven that Kyocera relies on being the first at things as it's marketting for Contax, and Kyocera is a HUGE semiconductor and ceramics company with the ability to produce new technology far faster than Hermes would... Perhaps this is why it was discontinued, to focus on something new and groundbreaking?

i have a fresh(may 20-04) information from a friend who has seen an information about a digital(full frame?) back for contax rx or/and rts III. it the only way to save contax' future. he cannot locate the website anymore. i have found a website listing/showing new zeiss-lenses for ae/mm-cameras: http://www.geocities.com/ilprode/TestZ.htm

25/2.8 pc-apo-distagon is the most interesting although i would rather buy a hartblei 45mm pc(shift) or pc/tilt(shift/tilt)and a 645-camera to have a bigger image for that similar wideangle.

Found this thread and have a question to Contax users...

Excuse me guys, but lately I just feel like Contax is in complete

vacuum. Cameras discontinued, no professional lineup of

digital SLRs using new N and old T mount lenses. If any of you

know what is going on or has some rumors please share.

 

NB: Even Leica now looks much more confident on the market; and

I'm sure that many of us who use RTS, Aria, ST etc. want to know

if we will have a digital body for our T mount lenses in the

future. To my understanding if you cannot produce pro

quality digital bodies youself, you simply outsource it or

partner with somebody to make it happen; neither can be seen

from Contax...

t-mount-lenses will also work on contax/yashica-cameras. but then you will need a t-mount-c/y-adapter.....

you mean contax/yashica(C/Y)-mount. i am also waiting for the dream-camera with digital back. one camera has been withdrawn at the press conference at the last moment but the why has been kept secret until now. lets wait and be patient until it will work and ready for buying.

Just thougth I would add that I have sent at least a half dozen emails to CY japan, US and UK and have yet to receive a response for anyone of them. If one steps back and looks at the situation, incredible rebates over Christmas 2004 to clear out stock, no new lens or cameras in the pipeline and "silence" from the distributors and manufacture, a not so pretty picture is appearing. I personally hope, Contax can find a way to stay in business, because while they have not always batted a home run, the contax T, RTSII, G and N1 I have used are great cameras with great lens.

 

Lets all hope for good news in the future, but do not be disappointed if they fold up and get out of the camera business. This will be a sad day if it happens.

 

Richard

<p>4 years later from richards post. no substantial news or rumours. he accurately predicted kyoceras exit from camera-making - it happened in spring 05. having used film g2 millenium outfit and tvs digital, all teriffic with great lenses. this is a sad loss. apparently carl ziess foundation will regain the contax name. when the agreement between the two companies expires-maybe a few years. the tooling, technology for kyocera contaxes belong to kyocera, including, presumably the intellectual property rights. cz will one day turn its attention to this impasse, hopefully before contax fades totally from the memory of present-day photographers.<br>

unlike some others, i think kyocera was very good at building cameras. the n digital failure could have happened to any tech company pushing ahead the boundaries etc.<br>

having been involved in brand marketing, here is my view: cameras today are CE products except for professional or specialist units. the cost of creating and sustaining a major brand name would be prohibitive for contax as a brand. the future must be as a special division in an already established entity like sony or panasonic. the latter is involved with leitz, so the former seems more likely, as sony already trade with cz, for lenses. fuji is an outside possibility <br>

the contax line up should prioritize the 645 professional system,an upmarket dslr and G3 digital, and finally, an excellent compact; tvsII digital. frankly, other legacy models/lensmounts are finished, with too small a future potential market under any brand.so 3 cameras/bodies, making the best use of what has gone before.<br>

sony has absorbed konica minolta and should be able to make a deal with cz for the name and kyocera for the tooling etc. even so, sony generally prefers to use the global brand of sony-but in this case, it could see the sense of making use of a edigree brand. the idea of cosina cobling something rogether is unlikely to work well, they are not big enough. sony has csensor technology taped. if the foveon chip had been more successful, sigma might have been in the running, in a 3-way deal, but now unlikely. Hasselblad too small. slets see in another 4 years= 2013, what happened!in the meantime lets keep enjoying our contaxes! the worst that can happen is that we shall all own some interesting antique equipment. Allan</p>

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