Paulo J Moreira
Contax RTS II
I have always been very fond of Contax cameras, from the original rangefinders to their Japanese reincarnations. However, their first Japanese effort, the RTS never ticked my fancy. I went to acquire other models and wrote off the RTS from my mind.
Then, in my usual flea market thete was this wreck of a RTS II, filthy, tired, worn out, junk really. I thought it wasva regular RTS until I read RTS II in the back. I cleaned, polished, corrected the infamous mirror slip and voila, the camera is back from the dead or the undead.
I read a lot about it and it bears little resemblance to the original RTS in technical terms, this camera is in the Nikon F3 territory, not Yashica: titanium shutter curtains, two mechanical shutter speeds, mirror lock-up, huge 97% of coverage viewfinder with exceptional brightness. The camera is a silky smooth operator, the shutter doesn't sound like a Yashica anymore, winding is smooth and quiet too. Like the F3, it features a digital readout, only much better presented, easily readeable and more complete.
You know I am very drawn to small details and this RTS II has some nice touches. The battery cover, reminiscent of the door locks of the rangefinders is beautifully machined and engineered, a far cry from the usual cover that needs a coin to work. The mirror lock-up button, almost all dials and buttons are made of metal.
I can't help to think of how much thought and money Kyocera must have invested in Contax. These cameras are not modified Yashicas, they were designed to be at the very top and knew what distinctiveness meant, at leadt to me they do.
Contax RTS II
I have always been very fond of Contax cameras, from the original rangefinders to their Japanese reincarnations. However, their first Japanese effort, the RTS never ticked my fancy. I went to acquire other models and wrote off the RTS from my mind.
Then, in my usual flea market thete was this wreck of a RTS II, filthy, tired, worn out, junk really. I thought it wasva regular RTS until I read RTS II in the back. I cleaned, polished, corrected the infamous mirror slip and voila, the camera is back from the dead or the undead.
I read a lot about it and it bears little resemblance to the original RTS in technical terms, this camera is in the Nikon F3 territory, not Yashica: titanium shutter curtains, two mechanical shutter speeds, mirror lock-up, huge 97% of coverage viewfinder with exceptional brightness. The camera is a silky smooth operator, the shutter doesn't sound like a Yashica anymore, winding is smooth and quiet too. Like the F3, it features a digital readout, only much better presented, easily readeable and more complete.
You know I am very drawn to small details and this RTS II has some nice touches. The battery cover, reminiscent of the door locks of the rangefinders is beautifully machined and engineered, a far cry from the usual cover that needs a coin to work. The mirror lock-up button, almost all dials and buttons are made of metal.
I can't help to think of how much thought and money Kyocera must have invested in Contax. These cameras are not modified Yashicas, they were designed to be at the very top and knew what distinctiveness meant, at leadt to me they do.