Before the dawn of the digital age, camera manufacturers produced some of their most technologically advanced 35mm SLR film cameras to date. Sophisticated autofocus systems, auto exposure, eye-control, and zone-assist focusing to name just a few features. The Canon EOS-1N (1994), the Nikon F4 (1988) which was Nikons first professional camera with autofocus, the F5 (1996), and the Contax RX (1994), AX (1996) which had a basic autofocus system and later, the N1 (2000) a true autofocus camera with a new line of Zeiss lenses.
My Contax RX set. The lens was initially sold separately.The RX’s ‘highlight’ was the Digital Focus Indicator (DFI) function—not quite autofocus, but close.It’s a handsome SLR with a timeless, classic look that, in my opinion, modern Fujifilm mirrorless cameras emulate.The list price of JPY 160,000 was about USD 1,600 in 1994.Contax RX brochure. Shoots at up to 3 frames per second.Canon EOS-1N RS (a film eater with autofocus). It’s capable of shooting 10 frames per second! Uses Canon EF lenses.Canon EOS-1N brochure – 1994.Nikon F5 1996. It’s capable of shooting 8 frames per second.Nikon F5 brochure.The Contax RX. The data back only indicates the year up to 2019. Thirty years on, it’s stuck in the 1990s. The data is printed between the frames on the film, not in the image.Contax craziness!
More soon. Thanks for stopping by, Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
The Contax 50th Anniversary Edition 137 MD Quartz 35mm SLR film camera.
The ’50 Years’ model had a unique leatherette and a gold Contax ‘button’ on the flash sync terminal.I don’t usually chase anniversary models, but this one struck me as pure in the early 1980s.
Contax celebrated fifty years, 1932-1982.
One of two standard lenses is shown here.Contax numbered their cameras, consequently. As far as I am aware, no date code is hidden in the serial numbers.It’s a simple manual focus aperture priority camera first released in 1980. Notice the location of the tripod socket. The entire baseplate is removable to be able to install the four AA batteries needed to power the meter and motor drive.Advertisement from early 1980.I believe the red sticker indicates that the color of the body is ‘fin’ or ‘wine.’ The Google Translate app isn’t apparent.There aren’t many of these models still available, but they are well worth being chased.
This particular camera was sold in Japan, and unfortunately, I don’t have the original paperwork or Japanese instruction booklet. I’d love to find the correct strap, too. The proper case is a bit of a mystery, but I believe it should have been C-004, according to my friend Graham in the UK. By the way, the period correct flash units made for the 137 MD is the Contax TLA20 and TLA30 Auto Flash units for true TTL flash metering. There is also a 137 Data Back and a 137 Grip Adapter. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit my camera shop (hosted by Etsy) at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Dated October 1986.The brochure features some of the more hard-to-find (now) cases.Lens Hoods – they’re always a difficult item to match with their proper lens.Wouldn’t it be nice to own these now?
I have many Nikon brochures in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (hosted by Etsy). I ship nearly Worldwide. Thanks for stopping by, Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Here is another super nice digital camera from Panasonic – the Lumix DMC-FZ28.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28. A 10-megapixel bridge camera with an 18x optical zoom lens from Leica.It is fun to use a digicam with a sharp CCD sensor for film-like images.It has excellent macro capabilities.The Leica lens has a zoom range of 27 to 486mm (35mm equivalent).Super telephoto image at 486mm.Wide-angle at 27mm.Complete image stabilization in addition to the 18x zoom.
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Regular readers know I love using (on occasion) simple ‘low’ resolution digicams. It’s fun to remember how special these early digital cameras were and to revisit the images they produced.
My Canon PowerShot A530 is a perfect example of the type of camera we used in the early 2000s. With 5 megapixels and a CCD sensor, it’s quite capable of producing film-like pictures that stand up against today’s high-resolution cousins.
Canon PowerShot A530 has a sharp (and fast) Canon 4x optical zoom lens with excellent macro abilities (as close as 1.97 inches from the lens). The CCD sensor creates film-like images.Azalea blossom captured in simple point-and-shoot macro mode.A classic from Canon.It’s been my camera of choice for grabbing quick garden pics over the years.It fits easily in a pocket, and although the LCD screen is not large by today’s standards, it’s plenty bright enough for composing your shots.Florida redbud blossoms.It’s available in my Etsy camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com.
Thanks for stopping by, Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
I took some images while testing my Yashica ML 50mm f1.7 Contax/Yashica lens from the late 1970s.
Fujifilm X-T2Fujifilm X-T2
I used a K&F Concept adapter (C/Y to FX) to shoot with my Yashica lens. I’m pretty pleased with the results. The Yashica ML lenses are cousins of the much more expensive Carl Zeiss T* that were likely made in the same factory and facilities.
Thanks for stopping by, Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Nikon F Nikkor-H Auto 2.8cm f3.5 pre-Ai Nippon Kogaku Tokyo 1964 (late) body and Nippon Kogaku K.K. lens from around 1961 or 1962. The body was modified to accept the Photomic-T finder. Classic Nikon at its best. I enjoy using this focal length over 24mm or 35mm, and with modern fast films, the f3.5 aperture is not an issue. On my Fujifilm X-T2 (APS-C Sensor), the lens has an effective focal length of 42mm.
A nearly perfect combination.The lens is from around late 1961 or 1962. The first lens in this style and focal length was serial number 301xxx, released in early 1960.A classic, straightforward design.Nikkor-H Auto.2.8 cm lens, f3.5 wide-angle lens.Mostly Nippon Kogaku caps. The Nikkor front cap is 52mm and is a bit newer style for this lens.
Thanks for stopping by, Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.
Scientific/Medical ‘Sci-Med’ camera with a Real Time Winder both are from around 1977 or early 1978. No official documentation exists on this variant of the Contax-Yashica RTS (first model) released in 1975. It’s been referred to as the RTS ‘Fundus,’ but again, there needs to be a mention of why it was produced and for what purpose beyond the Sci-Med community to be able to accept that designation, in my opinion. Slight enhancements include a small raised collar around the sensitive magnetic shutter release button and a shutter speed lock button on the right side of the camera’s top plate (as viewed from the front). The shutter speed dial locks in the 1/60 position (electronic flash sync speed), and the button needs to be depressed to select another speed. The Real Time Winder was mated with this camera as they shared the curious ‘Registered Number U.S.A.’ sticker. Many unknowns exist about this limited production camera, and much misinformation is floating around. I hope to uncover some truths or, at the very least, present only factual info. If you have documentation concerning this Scientific/Medical version, please share it with me – advertisements, brochures, or mentions in the photographic press back in the day.
Most RTS cameras have degraded or peeled leatherette coverings as the adhesives and the slightly softer leather haven’t held up over the decades. This one has, for the most part. The RTS line (RTS, RTS II Quartz, and RTS III) all use lenses with the Contax/Yashica (C/Y) mount.The Real Time Winder can shoot up to 2 frames per second (2 fps). Higher-speed motor drives and winders with speeds up to 5 fps were also available.The JCII ‘Passed’ sticker is in a different position from where these stickers were usually placed on the RTS, which would be on the left side of the prism. I guess it was put here on the Sci-Med version because the ‘Registered’ sticker was placed on the prism (by the factory or the distributor?).The baseplate is marked ‘Scientific / Medical’; otherwise, it’s not different from a standard RTS.The registration numbers are different, but the winder and the camera body were together as a set when I purchased them.Early magazine advertisement. Here, it incorrectly indicates that the Real Time Winder is capable of 2 1/2 fps. The manual has it at 2 fps.1976 magazine ad.Beautifully designed and highly functional.
The Contax-Yashica RTS, Real Time System, was jointly developed by Yashica and Carl Zeiss, with the design originating from Porsche. The camera features fully automatic through-the-lens electronic exposure control; select the proper film speed (ASA, ISO) and the desired aperture (f-stop), and the camera selects the appropriate shutter speed. It’s also a fully manual camera, with the user setting the shutter and aperture values. It was a camera I was initially interested in when I was looking to replace my first SLR, the Yashica TL Electro-X, in 1978 when I was stationed in the Navy in Japan. If I remember correctly, the Navy Exchange stores didn’t have a large selection of Contax cameras, so my choice quickly became the Canon F-1 over the Nikon F-2.
Here is my first Contax RTS, which isn’t the Sci-Med version.
I chose the Yashica ML 50mm f1.7 lens over the more expensive Zeiss T-Star (T*) lens.
Thanks for stopping by, Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.
In the Contax RTS instruction booklet, the baseplate pictured either has a “real” serial number or one “made up” by the marketing department. RTS models out in the wild don’t have a serial number that is easy to decode (date manufactured), but this one does, at least if you know how to read Yashica serial numbers. I interpret this SN as February 1975 (502), and its number is 166.
The original instruction booklet (dated 06/76) has an 8-digit SN.My RTS baseplate has serial number 087024, which looks nothing like the serial number in the instructions.Here is a baseplate from an RTS-Fundus Scientific / Medical camera. I see 091238. I don’t see a date code in there – do you?
Anyway, this is just a quick post to gather my thoughts. Do you own a Contax RTS first model? I’d like to see more serial numbers as a pattern may appear. Thanks for stopping by, Chris
Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai
Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 