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A bargain and a folly
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:23 am    Post subject: A bargain and a folly Reply with quote
I just made a bargain and a folly Rolling Eyes

The bargain:
I ordered from a local shop a Flektogon 2.8/20mm in good condition for 99 Euros Very Happy
Unbelievable price, eh? Wink If it's really in A/B condition as they say, I think I will resell it for EUR 300.

The folly:
I spent a lot of money on a film camera. Silly eh? I'm saying that to myself also Sad But I really wanted this one. And since the other day I learned that I can pay my taxes split in 2 or 3 parts, I went on and got the camera, because there are not many of these sold, and even less come in mint condition and with a 6 month full guarantee,
So I got myself a Contax RX.
I have chosen this model because of the all-metal construction:
http://www.contaxinfo.com/broshures/RX/pages/page08.htm
the built-in data back, which is useful to record the time of the day (for both sequence reconstruction and lens change log),
and especially for the focus confirmation system, which has a special feature, it works at the same time with a graphical DOF indicator, which can tell you if the subject you are pointing at, is out of focus but within the DOF:
http://www.contaxinfo.com/broshures/RX/pages/page07.htm
of course you can do this optically by pressing the DOF control button, but it will be fun to try it. Too bad that Contax did not implement this in the G2, as it would be very useful in a rangefinder.
I can't wait to use my contax lenses on this camera. It will be a bit heavy I think, but probably a real joy to use.

If you want to read the whole brochure, here's the index frame page:
http://www.contaxinfo.com/broshures/RX/FrameSet.htm


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
congrats! a flek 2.8 for 99 euros Shocked

you forget to tell us how much you pay the folly
I wanted also a Rx or Ax but a friend told me to take the RTSIII


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:35 am    Post subject: No folly! Reply with quote
Hi.. just bought two Contaxes myself!

Though if your data back is like mine it wouldn't support dates after 2000? Mine was not Y2K compliant Sad

Oh well! I have 4 lenses and the adapter to allow all my (now many!) Tamron Adaptall SP lenses too!

We'll have to compare notes!

Doug.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:06 am    Post subject: Re: A bargain and a folly Reply with quote
Orio wrote:

The bargain:
I ordered from a local shop a Flektogon 2.8/20mm in good condition for 99 Euros Very Happy


I'm dieing by envy right now Evil or Very Mad The Flek 20 is one of the few Jena lenses still missing in my collection.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
poilu wrote:

you forget to tell us how much you pay the folly


400 Euros incl. shipping.

poilu wrote:
I wanted also a Rx or Ax but a friend told me to take the RTSIII


The RTSIII is considered a better camera, especially for the vacuum film sucker which ensure perfect planarity of the film. This can be important also because it reduces the chances of focus shift when changing aperture.
My preference fell on the RX instead because I like much the idea to have the focus confirmation system: it will make life easier especially with wide angle lenses. Unfortunately, the RTSIII does not have the focus confirmation.

A second factor, for me, was that I had this opportunity of a camera with 6 months guarantee. I think it is very important.

Here is the camera that I bought:
Click here to see on Ebay

The seller is a physical shop, he put address and phone number, and I can take the VAT off from my next taxes. The shop is in Turin so chances are good, although you never know.

And here's why the 6 months guarantee is important:
Last camera I bought (a second 167MT ) was a broken one, the electronics worked badly. I had a bit of fight with the seller and surely he would have not accepted to send me the refund if the Ebay rules haven't changed. With the new rules, he couldn't give me a negative so he had to accept to refund. He was angry about that and said "with these new rules, people like you (!) can blackmail me". So I replied: "Sorry, but let's see it this way: next time, you will think twice before selling as "perfect condition" a broken camera that is good for the trash bin".
I bought safe from this guy because he was based in Pisa and I know how the people are there. Unfortunately, when we spoke at the phone it was clear he lived in Pisa but he was NOT from Pisa... if I knew that in advance, I would have avoided like the pest, based on my past experiences with sellers from that region. A few days ago I thought to check about his feedbacks and a new negative appeared, from a date after my purchase, where he gets a hard negative because he sold a broken camera and refused refund.... so evidently this guy, much like Attila's scanner seller, has decided to clear his stock of broken cameras hoping to find idiots that get along with them...
The seller ebay name is LEICAMAT - so you are warned to avoid him.
-


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:11 am    Post subject: Re: No folly! Reply with quote
nemesis101 wrote:
Hi.. just bought two Contaxes myself!
Though if your data back is like mine it wouldn't support dates after 2000? Mine was not Y2K compliant Sad


I did not think about this possibility of year 2000, but it will not be important for me, because I will choose the "day-hour-minute" format. It is much more useful for archiving purposes. It is easy enough to write down year and month only once where you store your film.

nemesis101 wrote:
We'll have to compare notes!
Doug.


Sure, I will be happy to.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:12 am    Post subject: Re: A bargain and a folly Reply with quote
A G Photography wrote:

I'm dieing by envy right now Evil or Very Mad The Flek 20 is one of the few Jena lenses still missing in my collection.


Sorry... you will find another good one, I am sure.
Besides, it is possible that I sell it. Of course, I will want to make a profit out of it, to make up for the camera expense.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congrats Orio, the RX is a perfect fit for you. Currently I have 3 of them here. Michelle took my original one when I started using the 40D. Last week I got on in auction and Monday one with some lenses for re-sale. Here are some opinions and info.


Quote:
The RTSIII is considered a better camera, especially for the vacuum film sucker which ensure perfect planarity of the film. This can be important also because it reduces the chances of focus shift when changing aperture.


I can say that film flatness has never been a problem with the RX. Contax was thinking about this long before the vacuum back was introduced. The RX has a large pressure plate that is "coil" spring loaded and strut guided. Not leaf springs but very consistent burly little coils. When you inspect the pressure plate it becomes apparent that film will always be flat. The vacuum system has some flaws. For one when the RTS III is set to continous drive, the vacuum is disengaged. Also for exposures longer than 1/60th the vacuum becomes mostly inafective. Lastly the spring loaded systems do not fail. The vacuum system uses a little micro diaphragm. Failure is more likely. Aside from the pressure plate the exposure systems are the same. The RTS has MLU and RX no. Also the RTS has a 5FPS drive the RX 3FPS.

Quote:
I have chosen this model because of the all-metal construction:


It really shows too. The camera is no lightweight. I think as others do that it is the most rugged Contax made. I don't think you will have troubles with the Electronics either. The RX is in a different class than the 167. The design and build are much more robust. The weight does come in handy with long lenses and especially if you are a fan of the Contax hood system. It does not seem like a hood can throw the camera out of balance. The Contax system is different. All upsized to 86mm diameter then made deeper and thick metal. They system is balanced by a stout body.

Quote:
the built-in data back, which is useful to record the time of the day (for both sequence reconstruction and lens change log)


The camera was sold new even until 2003 so you know what this means. Yes the back is Y2K ready.


Quote:
especially for the focus confirmation system, which has a special feature, it works at the same time with a graphical DOF indicator, which can tell you if the subject you are pointing at, is out of focus but within the DOF:


Both the focus confirmation and DOF graphic are very useful. One of the things I like best is, it works but it does not distract. The LED graphic is at the bottom of the viewfinder. It is very visible but, not a big flashing distraction. The viewfinder in the RX is big and has great contrast. Focus is a snap. Of course you don't get the pretty blue backlight that the RTS III has (nor the extra 1/2 pound of weight).

Other things I like:
The layout is perfect. There are no menus for anything. Although the camera has many features and even some user set custom functions, you never have to nav. a menu. Everything you need to control has one control is at your fingertips as it should be.
Also the shutter and drive are just so silky smooth and quiet.

I sound like a salesman Embarassed


PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Both the focus confirmation and DOF graphic are very useful. One of the things I like best is, it works but it does not distract.


One use I imagine for the DOF graphic is, to focus on your focal point, then move the camera around to spot other interest points and see if they fall within the DOF or not. All this without having to leave the full aperture and without the darkness problem that the DOF button can present when the lighting is not optimal.

I think it will be a very useful feature and I repeat it's a real shame that Contax/Zeiss didn't think of implementing it in the G2. On a rangefinder, it would have been a dream.
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