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it's a "hello" from the folks at Kyocera, in Japan. purchased the Contax name and proceded to build a line of cameras with zeiss optics that were revolutionary. the ST is a brick. copper silium casing, completely weather sealed, perfect for inclement weather or industrial environments where dirt, dust, sand, anything, would defeat another maker's camera. metering is spot on, shutter speeds perfect and quartz timed, via 4 AAA lithium batterys in the camera base. please note base goes on and off much like leica m bodies. great ergonomics, great zeiss lens selection and less than $200.00 on the secondary markets in excellent condition. when new it was $750.00. so you are looking at a bargain, here.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Camera has several good points: 1. Bright finder with data info on the finder. 2. 6000th sec shutter 3. Uses easy to find AAA batteries 4. 3 frames per sec mode 5. Uses quality built Carl Zeiss optics 6. TTL flash, program and manual modes 7. 200 sec flash sync. 8. Auto load, unload of film 9. Heavy quality built camera with micro touch release. 10. The camera is easy to understand and to use. The above list are features that make this manual focus camera better than other offerings. It is not just a list of camera features.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
very good!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Like many an old film buff I sometimes wish to return to the days when you thought about your shot, for like a bullet each exposure had to count. Nowadays, in this age of digital photography, folk get used to snapping away like hungry frogs in a field of butterflies: as many of their results would show. So before film becomes truly a thing of the past (and I hope not totally) it isn't a bad idea to get yourself a film camera to go back to where it all began. I bought the Contax ST partly because having the Contax Yashica mount gave me access to a range of very fine Carl Zeiss lenses: And by the by, Yashica ML lenses also have lovely, sharp, lenses with marvelous contrast but that's not all. The Contax ST is a Beautiful camera, with professional build quality, a sophisticated film mechanism with a ceramic plate to ensure the film stays flat during transport and exposure, and like all but one model, it is a manual focus camera, which I like. The ST is like holding a piece of precision machinery that at the same time is solid as a tank. Porsche designed, the Contax bodies feel like they belonged in your hand and had always been there. Their solid weight is their asset, giving your hand a steadiness even at the slower shutter speeds. The ST is totally functional: Every control is one you'll recognise and the film take up is smooth and precise. The viewfinder is bright and easy to focus with and contains the exposure data illuminated in red to the right of the image. Mine has a central split image, surrounded by a concentric prism with a matte screen for the background. This allows for both a pin sharp precision focus in the center or a sport or landscape focus using the matte. The Modes (Top left) differ according to the type of lens used, but briefly they are AV (Aperture)TV (Shutter) Program, Manual and B (Bulb). Letters in green (TV, P) mean you can only use these modes with MM type lenses, with non MM lenses you can use them fully manually, or in the AV mode. Above the mode lever you have the shutter speed dial and on the far right, the on and off switches, the metering modes Centre weighted Average and spot, and the exposure compensation and bracketing knob. LCD shows drive, exposures left and ISO. BEST of all, it has a switch that lights up the knobs and dials at night so you can set up your night shot! What do I dislike about my ST (or RX which I also have)? NOTHING. I hesitate to compare the ST Contax with anything else, as each camera brand and model has its fans and detractors (and opinions are subjective): but I like the ST because it is quality, feels like quality, takes quality Zeiss glass, is intuitive to use and takes AAA batteries. Some say it is heavy, I say it isn't. Yes many companies make fine lenses, but IMHO Carl Zeiss glass has a unique colour, mood, and contrast rendition (like old Nikon glass) or maybe it is my imagination. Now with so many fine Carl Zeiss lenses for sale (some on Ebay) and adapters so that you can use them on your Canon, or Nikon, what have you, often at less than a third of the price you pay for your camera's proprietary lenses: you might be tempted to just go straight to the adapters. But me? I also like to use Contz and Zeiss on film and Lomo is not for me (nor a Morris Minor when I can have a Porsche.)Read full review
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