"BEST" Film Camera Failure.
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2023
- Alright what can I say besides sorry for wasting your time. Things haven't exactly worked out for me on the Contax S2 front, after a quick trip to Tampa it decided to sit out I located a nice little replaced camera in a pinch but felt like the best thing to do was be honest with my audience and go back on my claims of "Best Film Camera"
I used to shoot with Contax back in the day. Repair was always a problem. I used to drive them all the way to Contax in New Jersey. AND none of the techs could speak English and used a VERY limited checklist to indicate what needed to be fixed. AURGH!!! They best thing was when they shipped my 300mm F4 back to Zeiss in Germany to be refurbished. It cost an arm and a leg. But it was immaculate when it came back.
So, I read this a while back on a very good camera collector's blog: "Talking about photography magazines, back in the early 90’s, Practical Photography gave 7 professional grade cameras to 7 photographers and asked them to shoot some films with them and mark them from better to worst. The end results were, 1) Nikon F4, 2) Canon EOS 1N, 3) Pentax Z-1p, 4) Olympus OM-3Ti, 5) Leica R6.2, 6) Minolta 9xi and 7) Contax RTS III. The Nikon F4 topped the reviews because of its rugged build and easy-to-follow layout with the Canon EOS 1N coming a close second with its lightning fast AF. Everyone was pleasantly surprised with the Pentax and there was a real battle between the Olympus and the Leica for the old-school photographers. The Minolta felt over-complicated (and is) and the Contax was overlapping frames."
Now, I know this is not an RTS III, but consider this is quoting a review from when all of these cameras were brand new. And the Contax was suffering from overlapping frames? I've never even had a rebadged Cosina do that. IMO, Contax SLRs, though sold at pro level prices, weren't really pro grade equipment. Pros tended to use Nikon or Canon, maybe Olympus or even Leica if they were MF "purists." Contax was more of a status brand. If you want a simple, all-mechanical SLR with amazing lenses that will never let you down, get a Nikon FM or FM2.
Two hundred camera tested in a single day is impressive even for a single day but to keep that up for two years is heroic work! Even assuming a 10 hour working day you must have averaged a camera every 3 minutes. Wow! My mind boggles how you managed that inventory too. Two hundred cameras in and two hundred camera out every day must have been a massive logistical undertaking, Oh I'm sorry I've just realised I might have misunderstood ...was it two hundred camera in total over two years?
i will send you my dead Contax RTS for autopsy or a paperweight. Minoltas are OK. I have an SRT202 also and the XE7, XD11, plus your fave the X700. All working well.
Choosing best (analog) camera is tough... for me it would be either Olympus OM-2n or Minolta X-300 (with MD 50/1.4), but probably the latter because my OM-2n was improperly serviced and doesn't meter correctly anymore. The X-300 looks almost new and works perfectly and reliably. Would you have any tips on how to tune the OM-2N's light meter? While I like the idea of two separate light meter circuits, trying to make them both work reliably is almost like building a bridge from both sides of a river and hoping the two ends meet.
I now own the S2b after many many cameras before. And I absolutely love it. It has all I ever wanted of a camera: Lightmeter (even tho i wish it had the S2 spot meter), small size, Zeiss glass, feels VERY well in hand, and is lighter than a Leica body! Also the shutter speed work absolutely fine on mine and the camera all in all never let me down.
What did happen is that i almonst lost the advance lever because the counter clockwise screw at the top became loose. I screwed it back on very tight but from time to time it becomes loose again. Do you have any advice for me to fix this issue? (Right now its a duct tape fix. :D)
Glad your Minolta saved the trip. I'm a little biased to Minolta as I've been using them long time. That being said, The SRT line remains my favorite. The XD-11, X-700 can be wonderful too, but in use and looking through viewfinder, the SRT remains my favorite from Minolta.
That SRT shutter sound is the best in my opinion, plus just got the photos back and that 50mm 1.4 is real nice. Thanks for the comment!
Are you going to do an autopsy on the contax? Would be a great long form video. Might need a ton of jump cuts thought to keep it at watchable time.
That’s a pretty solid idea, might do a long form version and cut a little highlight too
I don't have a best camera. I do have a favorite and it has to have that status since I spent a bit of money to make it perfect. I have a Pentax KM. I wanted a Pentax K1000 but they are crazy expensive. I found this camera, buying it originally for the lense. (Funny thing, buying lenses with cameras attached is cheaper than just buying the lense.) The camera was in pretty poor shape and I found someone to rebuild it for me. The final cost was the cost of a fine condition K1000 but, I really think the KM is a better camera. I also have a super program but I haven't used it yet. It is a terrific size and a sucha clean design and slick in the hand.
The canon Eos 1v is the best film camera ever made, however I get no joy from using it whatsoever as it is too much like a digital camera. The Pentax MX is not the best film camera by any stretch, however I get the most enjoyment from using it. And for this reason it is my favourite. I agree favourite does not mean best.
Hi! I met a loading problem😢, my s2 bobbin could roll with the wrench but when I load the film it could not roll anymore😢
Do you have the multi exposure switch engaged by chance?
@@RompingBronco Yes I think it possibly happened, but I checked again without loaded films the number indicator works just fine
As far as affordable tanks go, the Minolta SRT line is hard to beat. They're big and heavy, but they're pretty reliable and their common mechanical problems are easy to fix.
Best camera imo is Minolta XD
Anytime people write XD my 2011 texting brain sees the laughing face haha but the XD is a solid camera!
I can imagine it's infuriating when the Contax malfunctioned, but I would judge the whole brand because of that. That said, I guess you are right, the Minolta is better value, especially if you can fix it yourself.