Should you get a Contax T2?
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- So you're probably wondering if the Contax T2 is really worth $1,100+ these days. In this video, I share my experience with the camera over the past year and try and determine what kind of person this camera is best suited for.
What do you think? Do you own a T2 or have you owned one previously? What's your favourite 35mm point-and-shoot camera?
Thanks for watching!
- Maxim B. Vidricaire
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5:15 this photo is accidentally incredible!
Thank you so much Alex! Totally stoked that it came out like that, a frame I'll always remember.
thanks for bringing up the point about cold weather... really not discussed about in other videos. still excited as i just bit the bullet and bought a titan black yesterday!
Hey Matt, my pleasure! Still lots to be excited for Matt, it might work with your needs perfectly otherwise 😊 If you have the chance, let me know what you think after a few rolls!
$1100 is really not that much for a camera, although you are 100% correct if the Contax T2 doesn't function up to par or can die on you it is not worth a dime. Kendal Jenner can buy a dozen of these and throw them away, she can afford it. A lot of people get caught up in the Hype because they just don't know any better and just go by the Hype on the web and video's. Some great alternatives to consider if you are looking for pretty cheap and Excellent, are the Olympus Stylus zoom series I have several of them including the MJU and MJU II and the Zooms are as sharp and as good for a fraction of the price. The last point and shoot camera on my list to every pay over 1k for would be the Contax T2 there are just way to many other excellent cameras out there that can be had that will perform even better. The 30yr electronics on the T2 were simply not made to last this long.
Totally Jorge, you nailed it. There plenty of budget-friendly options for most people, the MJUs are a perfect example.
If only it were so simple as sending them back to Contax for repair. Unfortunately that's not the case. If someone is ready to by this camera, I think they should also be ready to replace it the same day at their own cost!
Thank you so much for sharing - love the feedback.
I live in Canada and shot in -15 degrees all the time with my T2 with no issue. I’m assuming yours needs to be serviced.
Interesting, thanks for sharing! Have you gotten your T2 serviced within Canada before?
T2 two is real good worth the money? I don't think so, Good luck with the medium format I guarantee you will absolutely love it! Keep it up!!
Hey Christian, thanks for the kind words! Processed one roll of 120mm and messed it up big time, but stoked on the format and the shot that did come out. Lesson learned!!
Loved the video man! $1100 for a point and shoot just seems a stretch for me. The fact they hold value is a big plus though if you do!
Thanks a ton Andrew, means a lot to me! Holding value is definitely a good thing, just a bigger risk since the price tag is so high already. Even the mid-range compact 35mm cameras would hold their value in my opinion.
There is a cheaper Contax T which is manual focus only. In fact, it 's a rangefinder rather than a point and shoot. I also highly recommend a Contax IIa or IIIa which is entirely mechanical and you could find good deals often because most people tend to prefer Leica's. These are the original Contaxes made in W Germany. However, finding a repairman in N. America for a CLA is a stretch. There is a guy I know in a Russia who can service them very well. However, the current sanction cuts off that option.
I actually did a full review on the Contax T. Really nice camera at a much more reasonable price for me. I tend to bring my gear with me in more extreme conditions than most, so something either cheap or mechanical is likely the way to go.
Never heard of the Contax IIa, thanks for sharing! CLA or repairs in Canada are very limited for any camera. I hope that your repairman is reachable in the near future or you find someone else that's reputable too.
Hab den Punkt mit der Leica und der Contax nicht so verstanden. These are the…
Note that the Contax T and T2 use the same lens. Contax IIa or IIIa? The difference is that the IIIA has a built in selenium light meter which is unlike to work or be repairable.) You must be joking to suggest these cameras as current users. (My first 35mm camera in 1959 was a used Contax II.) A solid camera basically designed around 1934 and not seriously updated. It is priced as a collectible. They are difficult to view through, have a noisy shutter which is very tricky to service, and practically no lenses available, and when you find a lens, its "collectible" and frankly, not that great by modern standards. It was a Leica alternative from Zeiss which lost that race around 1960 and was abandoned by Zeiss at the time.
Love your video and photos!!!
Thank you very much Jason! More to come!
Great candle
His year and 20 rolls of film may have taught him something about the T2, but there are so many bold but erroneous statements in the video that I have to wonder. I bought a T2 more than 20 years ago for about $400 - going price at the time, as well as a Nikon 35Ti, because I could not decide between them without a test drive. I was able to test the lenses on both. The Nikon is sharper in the image center, but the T2 is better closer to edges and corners - more uniform, which I thought to be better. The features on the T2 are fewer, but the controls are simpler and far easier to use than on the 35Ti. Both optically and mechanically better than both was the Konica Hexar AF, which was/is less popular because its lens doesn't retract into the body, so it is a bit more bulky. The idea that a Mju would be a current alternative to any of these cameras is laughable. It's a cheaply made bit of junk with a three element lens which performs better than a Coke bottle, but just. The XA is older generation, but its unique lens was just terrible (and never used again by Olympus), and many of the functions it touts are so poorly designed that they are worthless. In summary, much of the information here is just ignorant echos of prior YT hype.
Hey Randall, I really appreciate the honest feedback / opinion. Not everyone is honest on the internet. Cheers
Hey Randall, unless you’re taking photos with the Contax T2 to enlarge the picture, there really isn’t much difference in the Olympus Mju and the CT2 apart from a softness I found that the CT2 has. The price point between the two is incomparable but the picture quality is very comparable….
Wow very informative!
The Contax T are better than the T2 and if you want the best Lens, then the Leica Minilux are the best. Also take a look at the Minox 35 ML (MB)
Thanks for review. For cold weather you recommend Olympus xa right? Is there any other one for ski day or whatever in cold weather that you recommend? Thanks! from Patagonia, Argentina.
Hey Laura, my pleasure! 🙂
In my experience, there is no perfect film camera for cold weather. The Contax T2 is a beautiful camera, but not necessarily worth the premium if you're going to subject it to harsh weather and conditions. It really depends on whether or not you can also budget the maintenance and repair for that price point.
I love the Olympus XA for the outdoors because of its small form factor, incredible quality, and relatively affordable price. Any point and shoot film camera around the $100 - $200 range should be able to perform well. Keep your cameras close to your body in a pocket when it's cold out.
Patagonia looks beautiful - I'm sure a solid film camera for backcountry adventures will be worth it. Let me know if you have any other questions!
- Max
Your photos are amazing! What film rolls do you use?
I realized it’s g200! But thank you for this amazing video and excited for more!!
No worries, thank you so much for the kind words!
do the tutorial video please!
Let me see what I can put together! Working on one for the Contax T right now.
Hey what scanner do you use? love your colors !
Thanks Dav! I use an Epson V600 scanner, but most of these shots were actually scanned at a lab 😄
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Great camera in its day, but expensive now and if it breaks it is likely unrepairable.
No electronic film camera will work at its 100% in cold weather, even the most profesional sets tend to fail quite a lot on low temperatures cause all the components aren’t designed to work like that, the lub gets hardened, the pieces need twice the amount of force to advance properly, even full mechanical cameras tend to suffer on low temperatures
Also I don’t know if it would be a good choice to sell the T2 in order to get an RB, there’s just thousands of T2 hanging around but there’s millions of RB67s
@@emmanuelalvarez3926 That's totally fair. I'm looking for 1990's technology to work in extreme conditions which is a bit of a stretch. There is a time and a place for digital photography. I still shoot with my Nikon D750, perfectly adequate for the more extreme temperatures.
I ended up selling the T2 because I didn't want to run the risk of it failing on me. It's a beautiful camera, no doubt about it. I ended up getting an RB67 because I want to explore medium format, not necessarily because I think it's more reliable or a smarter investment than the T2. Everythig has its risks.
Both cameras are great, it just depends on what you're trying to achieve. 😄
Great video! Also my name is Maxim B... 🤯
No way!! Thank you so much Maxim! 😄
Hi max quick question. Do you by any chance know if the counter/film number is always supposed to be on, even when it’s off?
Hi Jasmine! The LCD counter is always on, this is common in many point and shoot cameras. Good question! 😄
can we record video in it?
No video recording with this one! The Contax T2 is a film camera with very simple electronics inside.
@@maximvidricaire then which camera can get this type of sharp look in video recording? is there any cameras like this for video recording?
@@adithyasree434 I shot this video on a Nikon D750 with a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens! It's an older DSLR that shoots video too. I like it for the price point and the still photos that it takes. Just not ready to upgrade to something with 4k video yet! Are you looking to record some videos like this?
@@maximvidricaire yah my frnd i wanna make short film like contax t2 look in video so i need ur help for this
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There are much better point nad shoot camersa for 1/10 the price. For street cred put your money on Nikon 35ti or 28ti. Or a Yashika. But if you want to really impress go for leica.
Would love to get my hands on a 35ti just to put a roll through it. Any experience with those?
If you think the Nikon is 1/10 of the price, you should check again
there's crew that repair them, fyi
Right on! Where can I find more info?
Images don’t look any better than a T4… just get that
Great video, Maxim! I'm itching to get my hands on the T2 soon. I noticed you mentioned interest in the RB67. Check out the review I did on my channel * shameless plug* I'd be open to potentially looking into your T2, but I'm curious about the double exposure issue you're facing. I don't imagine that is something that can be repaired...
Thank you very much for the kind words! I don't see any camera videos on your channel?
I ended up selling my T2 and haven't looked back since pickup up an RB67. I have some other small point-and-shoots that I carry but of much lesser value, which is best for my type of shooting. Let me know what you think of the T2 if / when you get one in hand!
@@maximvidricaire Ahh..looks like I commented under my personal account. My YT: Fremichael has the RB67 video.
@@b5fremichael awesome I’ll definitely take a look!
Hmmmm....
What do you think? 🤔
@@maximvidricaire thinking of a chicken sandwich right now