Board index Equipment Film Cameras Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

Film Cameras

Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

peatiscool
 
Posts: 1

Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

Post Fri Apr 16, 2004 10:34 am


Hello

I am looking for a point and shoot camera that produces excellent photos for general travel photography. I want a camera that produces excellent colour and sharp images.

I have been looking at the Contax and Yashica for the Carl Zeiss lens. Can anyone offer advice on quality and value comparisons of these?

Many thanks

Susan

zuiko40
 
Posts: 96


Post Sat Apr 17, 2004 11:25 pm


Hi, peatiscool,

I can only talk about the T3 because I am not familiar with the Yashica, exept to note that the T3 has a non-zoom 35mm lens, while the other is a zoom. My preference is for the non-zoom, because for me, it is more important to have the faster lens; I do a lot of shooting in low light, and I like, at least in theory, to blur my backgrounds.

The lens on the T3 is wonderful, as good as any SLR lenses I own. I have no hesitation using this camera instead of my SLR, at least when I am shooting moderately wide. The body feels good; it fits nicely in a jacket pocket, although its weight for its size may surprise. For a compact, it has a lot of manual override. You can set an aperture and have aperture-preferred exposure. It will give you an approximation of the shutter speed you are at. You can also pre-set the focal length, and if you spend a little time learning about depth of field, this can make the camera very quick to work with. It is also has a relatively quiet shutter and winder, making it pretty good for candids. There is also exposure compensation which you can use for backlighting, for example, or for shooting at a different ISO than the rated one.

The downside. It is very expensive. Also, there is a known flaw in the winder mechanism, which may result in your having to send yours in for repair. I need to send mine in. Unfortunately I bought mine grey-market and have to figure out where to send it. If you buy in Britain, I would recommend Robert White, an authorized and respected dealer.

The T3 is the end of the evolution of the compact film camera. It's not perfect, but with the advent of digital, it is highly unlikely Contax will make an newer version.

With the exception of the Train Cemetery picture, all of the shots on page one of my Bolivia gallery http://www.pbase.com/zuiko40/bolivia
were shot with the T3.

Speaking of which, if the price of the T3 doesn't scare you, and you want a Zeiss zoom, and digital, you mght want to have a look at the Sony T-1.
There is a review on Luminous-Landscape.com.
http://luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/sony-t1.shtml
I don't have any experience with the T-1. It would not be a good choice for low-light situations where you would want a fast lens and need a higher ISO.

I also have an Olympus Stylus Epic (Mju II, I think, outside of North America.) I have the fixed lens version. It costs 8 times less than the T3, at least in North America. No, the lens is not as good. But you can get very good 8x10 enlargements from it. It also does not have manual overrides. It also has a critical, not fatal flaw: the default is flash. Since I rarely use flash, I have become somewhat adept at shutting this off everytime I turn the camera on, but this results in a certain lag (sort of like the lag on digital subcompact -- just joking, Bobtrips). On the other hand, offers a spot metre option, which I used quite a bit. The camera is not waterproof, but you can use it in light drizzle, and since it costs 8 times less than than the T3, you are more likely to take chances with it.

va3wyu
 
Posts: 1


Post Mon Jun 07, 2004 2:05 am


I have Yashica T4 which has a Tessar 35mm, I believe it is F3.5 lens. Quality of the lens is better than my other Canon EOS 35-105. It is bargin compare to Contax T2 or T4 with Sonnar lens

jsklee
 
Posts: 2


Post Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:21 pm



jsklee
 
Posts: 2


Post Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:24 pm



zuiko40
 
Posts: 96


Post Thu Sep 23, 2004 12:42 am


Jsklee, thanks for the test. Quite interesting. The 2.8 performance is quite amazing, except on the rocks. Looking at the full size shot, do you think that is a function of depth of field rather than resolution? The rocks are somewhat in the foreground.

jeffsouthgate
 
Posts: 2


Post Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:10 am


Yes, I have owned both a Contax T2 and a Yashica Tzoom. They both have a Tessar T* lens and, of course, they are both manufactured by Kyocera. But they are nevertheless very different cameras.

The Contax T2 is a refined instrument capable of producing images as razor sharp as any I've ever seen anywhere. To my eye, the colour reproduction is excellent, though anyone who has become used to the artificially vivid colour balance of some cameras may find it very slightly cooler on the T2 - but beautiful. The fixed focal length lens is wide enough at 35mm. I have a Ricoh G1 with a 28mm, but it's just too wide to be versatile.

I bought the Yashika Tzoom out of frustration with the limitations of the fixed 35mm on the T2. Sadly however, pictures taken with the Tzoom are not as sharp by a noticeable margin. I assume that the zoom feature degrades sharpness when compared with similar quality Tessar components that are fixed. Colour accuracy seems fine. It's a nice consumer camera for someone who can do a little more than point and shoot. The zoom range, which is 28-70mm, leans towards the wide rather than the telephoto; the 28mm makes it a little easier to capture a big architectural shot from a cramped viewing point in a narrow street, or a group of people in a room where there is too little space to step further back (e.g. friends round large tables in small restaurants).

Your choice seems to be: the T2 produces really fabulous images, it has great build quality but limited features, and it's heavier than the Tzoom. The Tzoom produces okay but unremarkable images, but you have the zoom in a lighter body.

jeffsouthgate
 
Posts: 2


Post Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:27 am


Now I notice that both I and Zuiko40 have made small errors in responding to your question.

I overlooked that you asked about the T3, not the T2. Now the T3 did have a rather limited zoom lens, but the quality of the travel on it was so rough that I didn't think the camera was worth the £1,100 price tag [when new in the mid to late 1990s] over and above the already expensive [£750] T2.

Zuiko40 seems to have made the same mistake as me since, while he refers to the T3, he speaks of it as have a lens of fixed focal length -- which must mean the T2.

casualsnapper
 
Posts: 1


Post Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:07 am


jeffsouthgate wrote:Now I notice that both I and Zuiko40 have made small errors in responding to your question.

I overlooked that you asked about the T3, not the T2. Now the T3 did have a rather limited zoom lens, but the quality of the travel on it was so rough that I didn't think the camera was worth the £1,100 price tag [when new in the mid to late 1990s] over and above the already expensive [£750] T2.

Zuiko40 seems to have made the same mistake as me since, while he refers to the T3, he speaks of it as have a lens of fixed focal length -- which must mean the T2.


Ok, I know this thread has been inactive for so long but to clarify. The contax T3 is a fixed lens - 35mm compact camera.

What you're talking about is the Contax TVS III which is the model with a limited zoom lens.

Zuiko40 is correct.

ega95jch
 
Posts: 1

Re: Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

Post Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:10 pm


I would advise anyone reading this not to touch a T3 with a barge pole. It does indeed take astounding pictures, but is frankly too expensive and too much trouble.

The film transport failed on mine when it was a week out of warranty. After pleading my case that the camera had had only light amateur use, the official repair quote came down from GBP200 to GBP100. Three years later, another fault. This time the lens cover blades won't retract. I think the film transport may be playing up again as well. Kyocera's repair estimate (note estimate, not quote) is GBP130. Now if I thought that would be an end to it, I would reluctantly spend the money; the abiding problem is that I have lost all faith and trust in this camera.

I'm going to spend the money instead on a digital compact (maybe a Lumix?)

Best regards
John :(

john990
 
Posts: 3

Re: Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

Post Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:49 am


John, why is that? price tag is not that high- there are lots of other equipment pieces at that price tag, for the quality you get....
I dont own one, but I heard from a friend that was very satisfied with his. Would be interested to further learn about these issues. I'll research around.

tsienni
 
Posts: 301

Re: Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

Post Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:46 pm


In my humble opinion, Contax T2 is one of the best point and shoot cameras ever made. On Bbay it is not unusual to see T2 ads from time to time. I do not see T3 ads that much. I would be very happy with a T2 and don't regret.

vezuv34
 
Posts: 1

Re: Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

Post Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:08 am


Thanks for this information

khun_k
 
Posts: 29
Location: Bangkok, Shanghai

Re: Contax T3 v Yashica T zoom

Post Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:58 am


Contax T3 is the last digital compact I sold while I moved to almost everything digital. The 35mm lens on the T3 is superior than the 38mm on T2, I ran thousands of pictures with my T3 before sold it (somewhat with a regret). It produce beautiful image and I still believe it is one of the best compact film camera made. T3 is also a notch smaller than T2, to me a slightly better proportion, more solid feel. Too bad Kyocera gave up Contax all along, but the TV-S digital in my mind, which is a close design to the film TV-S and T series, among the best design digit cam ever. For anyone wants to have a compact film camera, I can't think of a better one to go than T3. And to me, with compact camera such as T3, the zoom means moving forward and backward with your feet, I never like the compact zoom. I cannot comment on Yashica T zoom, I've never owned or tried one.


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