The end of an Era?

[wlaidlaw]

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This is the new to me Contax RX which arrived from Japan this morning. It is in like new condition, everything works and the previous (presumably Japanese) owner must have always donned white cotton gloves to use it. The only evidence of any use are a few small scuffs on the bottom plate. IMHO the Contax RX and the Leica R9 are the two finest manual focus film SLR cameras from the end of the film era for the masses. I also think I have the two best lenses mounted, the Zeiss 28-85 Vario Sonnar and the Leica 21-35 Vario Elmar, from when Leica finally learnt how to design first class zoom lenses. I actually slightly prefer the Contax for two reasons, firstly the zoom lenses are "one touch" single control sleeve for both zoom and focus and secondly for my elderly eyes, the Contax has phase detection focus confirmation. The LED strip inside the viewfinder on the Contax is easier to read than that on the R9. The R9 OTOH feels much more robust than the Contax Mine has done a number of trips round India and various rough road rallies in the USA (New York to Fairbanks, AK), north Africa and a three week long rally in Laos, Northern Thailand and north east Myanmar, amongst others. The R9 never missed a beat. With the Contax, it is always important to remember to shut the viewfinder shutter when not in use or the LED strip at the bottom of the viewing window will fade.

Wilson

 

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[andybarton]

I think that the era probably ended about a generation ago. 

When I was a teenager, I quite fancied an RTS but they were far too expensive for my pocket. 

[spydrxx]

+1 for the RX. I've bullied mine over the years and it always comes back. After selling my Leica R8 I found a lightly used Contax RX and still had plenty of cash from the R8 sale. It is a robust camera...unfortunately, I understand from others, there are few places left to do repairs, should they be needed.

[wattsy]

Yes, that era pretty much ended with the last century. A shame because there was/is something a bit special about high end 'mechanical' cameras like the R8/9, Nikon F5, Hasselblad 500 series, etc.

[wlaidlaw]

4 minutes ago, spydrxx said:

+1 for the RX. I've bullied mine over the years and it always comes back. After selling my Leica R8 I found a lightly used Contax RX and still had plenty of cash from the R8 sale. It is a robust camera...unfortunately, I understand from others, there are few places left to do repairs, should they be needed.

They are so cheap now, if one breaks, just buy another. 

Wilson

[jankap]

vor 52 Minuten schrieb andybarton:

I think that the era probably ended about a generation ago. 

When I was a teenager, I quite fancied an RTS but they were far too expensive for my pocket. 

+1 for me.

[PetPhoto]

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2 hours ago, wlaidlaw said:

They are so cheap now, if one breaks, just buy another. 

Wilson

and most of those are being sold, well because... they need repairs

[wlaidlaw]

I don't know if Japanese owners take better care of their equipment but there are a number for sale from there with everything working. The usual failures on the RX are the LCD screen in the top cover and the LCD strip in the viewfinder. Don't leave them sitting in the sun is the answer, as that kills the LCD panels. Occasionally if a dead battery has been left in there, you will get corrosion of the battery terminals or their soldered joints. 

Wilson

[Aram Langhans]

Love my R8 even though it does not get used much anymore.  Price of film and quality of development is one factor.  Also, in spite of how good the viewfinder is, my 74 year old eyes have a problem nailing focus like I use to be able to do.  I even have a hard time with my Rollie 3.5F unless I am using the flip out magnifier.

 

[gbealnz]

On 3/14/2025 at 5:24 AM, Aram Langhans said:

Love my R8 even though it does not get used much anymore.  Price of film and quality of development is one factor.  Also, in spite of how good the viewfinder is, my 74 year old eyes have a problem nailing focus like I use to be able to do.  I even have a hard time with my Rollie 3.5F unless I am using the flip out magnifier.

 

Me too, old age is cruel.

[Aram Langhans]

1 hour ago, gbealnz said:

Me too, old age is cruel.

Someone just gave me 6 rolls of color film yesterday, so I guess I will have to bring the R8 out of the cupboard, shoot a roll, and see if the film is any good. That should be incentive enough for me to use it again.  Last time was 2 years ago on a trip to Yosemite.  I have a Leica right angle finder that has a 2x magnification built in, so I might give that a try.  Ha. an R8 as a waist level camera.

[wlaidlaw]

I have just bought a right angle finder for my Contax RX. I use the variable magnification right angle finder on my R9 a fair bit, particularly when trying to hit exact focus for macro with the 100mm/2.8 Macro-Elmarit-R. The Contax RX has phase detection focus confirmation in the VF, which is a great help for elderly eyes. 

Wilson