Contax C/Y is dead?

[jim_rais]

I think I know what Chris Chow meant by <A

HREF="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?

msg_id=00AOD4">"Contax C/Y is dead"</A><BR>

 

<BR>As very much alive on 35mm FILM camera sector as it is, as dead

as it is on the digital sector. There are certain advantages of

having BOTH systems; film as well as digital. Photographers like us

all who are very picky and choosy about the quality of our prints

(<I>especially me</I> :-)) do our own darkroom job instead of going

to the printing shops. But there is a time when darkroom activities

do not appeal anymore for whatever reason (<I>in my case allergy to

chemical substantions which develops when I grow older,

sigh</I> ..), it is pleasant to have something to choose within the

own Contax C/Y system one already have and go further with digital

photography - as the latter is much cleaner: just a computer to

process the image, a good photo printer and that's all. Of course

you can convert the negatives/positives into digital files with a

good 35mm film scanner, but still it takes more actions and time.<BR>

 

<BR>Contax seems to have made a misstep by introducing the newer N-

mount they hoped to be the horse to pull the carriage into the

digital era. The N-system does not sell at all, or at least not as

much as the regular C/Y system we own today, the Contax N digital

camera flopped (it surely costs them a huge financial loss), there

is no plan in developing digital SLR with C/Y mount and there is no

sign towards the digital back as a solution for C/Y system like the

one Leica now is developing. In this case you might indeed say that

the Contax C/Y is dead because it's vulnerable as a system to just

clinging onto only 35mm film, as no one knows for how long this

might survive. Just like the email I received today from a big photo

company here in The Netherlands which said "sorry, we will not trade

your Contax system with a digital system as there is no interest in

Contax anymore."<BR>

 

<BR>Should I display all the magnificent 18mm to 200mm Carl Zeiss

lenses I own in a cupboard as museum pieces? I don't think so. I

want to continue working with these superb lenses, and yet I want to

be able to choose between analogue and digital according to the

needs of my clients and of myself. And I believe there are thousands

of Contax C/Y owners out there who are "trapped" in the same

situation. But at the same time I'm not convinced yet that the

Contax C/Y system is dead. Let's say it is temporarily passed out.

Only time will tell whether Chris Chow is right in his sentence. I

hope not.<P>

 

<LI><A

HREF="http://www.jimraisphotography.com/">jimraisphotography</A></LI>

[barefoot]

Get a canon 10D/20D/300D/1Ds/1D and contax -> eos adapter from cameraquest.com

[ccrevasse]

What funtions are lost (besides autofocus) with the Contax-EOS adapter?

[bill_muth]

<i>What funtions are lost (besides autofocus) with the Contax-EOS adapter?</i>

<p>

Here are a couple I can think of:

 

<ul>

<li>You loose most automated exposure modes (on most bodies, only Av, M and P are available.)

 

<li>Aperture must be set manually (using a procedure called "stop-down metering".) The normal sequence is 1) (manually) open the lens to the widest aperture, 2) focus, 3) (manually) stop the lens down to the desired aperture, 4) click!.

 

<li>Focusing can be tricky since there are no optical focusing aids in the viewfinder (like the split prism found in many manual-focus cameras.) A magnifier attachment (like Canon's Magnifier C) helps.

 

<li>There are adapters for C/Y lenses and Zeiss Jana lenses (that use the 42mm universal screwmount); I haven't seen any for Contax G or N lenses.

 

<li>Automatic (ETTL) flash metering doesn't work. You can either use a flash in manual mode (like the 550EX), or a 3rd party self-metering flash (I use a Vivitar 285HV with my Contax lenses.)

 

<li>Some of the adapters require you to carry around a small hex wrench to install and remove the adapter from the lens.

 

</ul>

 

<p>See <a href=http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-manual-lenses>http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-manual-lenses/</a> for more information about using manual lenses on Canon camera.

 

Bill

[bill_muth]

Small correction in my last post - "Magnifier C" should read "Angle Finder C".

 

Bill

[marbing]

Does that mean I can't take pictures with my RX or 167MT anymore? I guess I'll have to put them away as you suggest...I mean if they have stopped functioning...what would be the point in using them at all?

 

Hold on a minute! I have Classic Zeiss Ikon cameras that are over 50 years old. Many people have cameras much older as well! They still work!

 

What do you know! Even after the old Contaflex Pro-Tessar mount has been 'dead and buried' for the past 40 years...it STILL works.

 

Well, that makes me feel much better. I can continue to use my exceptional Zeiss C/Y mount lenses on my excelllent Contax SLRs until I die and then pass them on to my grandkids. I bet they will work for them too!

 

But, there is one thing that REALLY has me worried. Here in Canada, KrispyKreme has announced the closing of over 30% of their outlets...I guess the next thread we see will be "The Donut is DEAD!!"

Now, THAT is a crisis!

 

Seriously, the something is only truly 'dead' when people stop using it and, history has shown, that a viable technology NEVER completely dies out. There are still people who collect and play vinyl records in spite of CDs. There are still people who paint and draw in spite of photography.

 

This is like the story of the ant and the centipede.

 

One day the ant met the centipede on the road.

 

"Wow!", the ant said, "Look at all those legs! How do you know which one to move when you walk?"

 

"That's a good question!" Said the centipede, "I never thought of it before!"

 

So he sat down to think about the problem...and never moved again!

 

The moreal is that if we waste our time worrying about dire predictions of doom we will never get out there and take pictures!

[brien_m]

The Contax C/Y system fits my needs perfectly and I will not part with it any time soon. With its demise, the one thing I've been waiting for, hasn't happened yet - an overall drop in lens prices. I've noticed some of the standard f2.8 primes and normal lenses can still be purchased for relative bargins, but there are a few others I've been wanting that seem to be going up and up. Too bad. I guess Contax has a small but dedicated market that I suspect will keep it alive for a while.

[vdp]

This is the only system I use, so for me it is very much alive. From the looks of it, used bodies and lenses will be around for a while. I suspect film will continue (at least 400 ASA color and B&W) and I guess there will always be a lab somewhere to do processing. If film and labs disappear altogether I might be too old to even care.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Clearly this is not the system to buy if you want a DSLR. But to say it is dead is silly. You can still get great results with film. Or you can get great results with a DSLR. Just know what you want when you buy into a system.

 

Robert

[trojan_horse]

It probably doesn't help to repeat the tiresome words "C/Y is dead". Is it normal for you and other people to go around proclaiming "things are dead?" How odd.......

 

Like most Contax users, we choose to use Carl Zeiss lenses and Contax bodies - nor are we 'trapped'. Feeling 'trapped' is an obsession with keeping up with the latest fad on the market. You might look to the new Zeiss Ikon camera and wonder why Carl Zeiss, Leica and Voigtlander all support 35mm.

 

If you mean that the Contax-Yashica system isn't being actively marketed, I'd go along with that.

 

Enjoy making photographs!

[andrew robertson]

Guess what...

 

Nikon manual focus is dead

 

Canon manual focus is dead

 

Olympus OM is dead

 

Contax / Yashica is dead

 

Zeiss Contarex is dead

 

Exakta is dead

 

Argus is dead

 

Minolta MF is dead

 

However, they all take great photos to this day. Maybe the CY - EOS adapter is in your

future.

[jsbc]

Even the SWC is DEAD!

[peter_langfelder]

Perhaps Cosina will persuade Kyocera that it's worth to put the Sony sensor into one of the newer Contax manual focus bodies. Shouldn't be so much of a problem, especially since they managed to make a digital rangefinder already.

[jsbc]

What would be best: Like the RD1, Cosina can design a manual focus body with Epson. A sort of reverse adaptall mount / or similar to the Olympus 4/3rd system. Then it is just a matter of switching the front end to use your FD, AIS, CY, M42, Pentax K lenses.

 

They can even cooperate with Sigma which has the Foveon sensor.

[Richard Williams]

'Hold on a minute! I have Classic Zeiss Ikon cameras that are over 50 years old. Many people have cameras much older as well! They still work!'

 

I imagine it will be possible to get fine mechanical cameras serviced for as long as film is available (some of the more sophisticated repairers even fabricate components that can no longer be obtained as spares). I suspect this may not be the case for electronic cameras, like most of the C/Y range (once supplies of a custom electronic component are exhausted it probably won't be feasible to make a replacement for a reasonable price). It's already uneconomical to get many electronic cameras from the 70s, 80s and even 90s fixed, but a Contax II or (especially) a Leica from the 30s can still be serviced for a reasonable price. Of course this is no reason to stop using the excellent C/Y cameras any time soon (especially as working s/h equipment will be available for years to come), but if you want to hand on the gear to your grandchildren it might be worth investing in an S2 or FX-3, and encourage the kids' interest in Antique Chemical Photography!

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Sorry Richard, they are all dead. Mail all of your working Contax cameras, Zeiss lenses, and accessories to me so that I can dispose of them properly. I won't even make you pay the normal disposal fees.

 

Robert

 

P.S - Enjoy your cameras. I know I really enjoy my Contax IIIa, even if I can't buy a digital back for it.

[phil_wilson]

Another post on this one? WHOZ DOING THE TROLLING??

Its pretty clear that Contax is not going to go away. especially if they are still bringing out cameras , both digital and film-based (RXII). There are quite a few rich american photographers who I am sure are encouraged to post these "demise of contax" posts in order to gain from them (either from selling adapters or greater access to field-testable equipment) I am sure every camera maker watchs the 'market' closely to see where they should invest/build ... BUT surely it is obvious NO manufacturer is going to throw all eggs into one basket?? Digital is still very much IN THE EARLY STAGES and there a still big issues when it comes to quality and usability.

Yes the big DSLRs are very attractive ... but for the price of them... They seem to be about as accessable to the small-time photographer as expensive digital backs were a few years ago. Film won't die in the foreseeable future.... There are just too many art applications, personal preferances for it and unique uses for it. The only sphere digital is making serious headway is consumer/family point and shoots. EVEN APS ISN'T DEAD YET!-

[jim_rais]

After reading all of the responses I come to the conclusion that I have learned a lot from Stuart K. and Bill Muth. It is very much in line with the answer from Contax-Kyocera's side. Thanks to you two and to all a merry Christmas and a happy Zeiss/Contax shooting year 2005 (and don't forget to share the results with all of us).

 

Jim

[leon_jeter]

Hi, Jim,

 

As you know, there are many posts here and at Contaxinfo.com about EOS-Contax adapters.

 

Here is one:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00A64s

 

Also see:

http://www.bobshell.com/adapter.html

 

Before you invest much in Canon, I recommend that you compare that company's quality control with that of others.

 

The idea of your scanning negatives that a pro lab developed is nice, but perhaps only if you have plenty of time and money to devote to producing prints yourself in that way.

 

Best wishes!

[jim_rais]

Hi Leon,<P>

 

This is one article one can learn much about indeed, especially after learning Contax Kyocera's <A HREF="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00AYPA"><U>email</U></A> earlier. Thanks a lot.<P>

 

Jim<P>