[Leica] OT: Contax T

[shino at panix.com (Rei Shinozuka)]

looking at my T, i see these rails you had mentioned, i never
thought about them before.  they correspond to the convex 
protrusions on the spring on the black swing-down pressure plate.
they might not be absolutely necessary, since they are so shallow, 
however these rails on mine do show wear so maybe it's made from a
harder substance to withstand constantly removing and replacing the
back.

i dropped my T in '01 and gave it up for dead, but essex camera was 
able to fix it (including replacing the crushed top plate).  
http://www.essexcamera.com

i have been told that Metro camera repair in NYC can also fix
the contax t, but i have not tried them.

the T is a very unique camera, the first of the "posh & shoots"
with performance to back it up.

reviews:

http://www.photographyreview.com/PRD_84796_3108crx.aspx
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=003Fj5

my own plusses and minues:

+ drawbridge door in front, folds lens into body, protects lens and
  rangefinder glass
+ coupled rangefinder, aperture priority f2.8-16, up to 1/500 sec.
+ focus and aperture rings on the lens, just like a "real" camera.
+ sharp 38mm 2.8  sonnar lens.
+ powerful (for P&S) GN14 flash, takes 2AAs
+ flash usable at every aperture.
+ almost silent.  
+ well-made metal body. (flash is plastic)  note the detail of the
  rewind crank with its inner indicate to show film advance to appreciate 
  its quality
+ no shutter lag
+ photos come 'right side up' on contact sheets, i.e., as one looks
  at the camera from the rear, film feeds from left to right.

- otherwise excellent rangefinder edges hard to discern at times
- only +1.5EV button to compensate exposure (although you can easily
  and quickly change ASA)
- slightly fussy film loading, mediocre film spacing, only one-sprocket
  drive
- large for a compact with the flash attached (but quite compact without it)

-rei


On Aug02 13:33, PMCC wrote:
> OK LUG brainiacs out there, who knows
> something about the Contax T (not T2, T3
> or T whatever)?
> 
> Intrigued by the piece on Dante's website,
> I decided to check one out at the neighborhood
> camera shop.  Nice looking cosmetics and
> appears (without running and processing a
> test roll) to work.   This one is black.
> 
> Here's the question:  on the inside surface
> of the camera back there are two shallow
> vertical slots in which thin metal rails are
> inset.  One of them has been glued back in,
> the other one is completely missing.  They
> appear to press up against the spring on the
> black of the film pressure plate when the 
> camera is closed. But neither the camera shop 
> guy nor I can figure out the exact function and
> thus don't know if its absence is critical.  No
> body appears to fix these things.  Can anybody
> help?  Also, what would you as a knowledgeable
> Contax T user/fan be willing to pay for one of 
> these, as a pocket take-along camera?  Other
> considerations?  I know you folks are a fund of arcane
> information and trenchant opinions,
> so let's have it.  Off line if the crowd objects to
> excessive onlist traffic. Thanks!
> 
> rgds
> Peter Choy
> California USA
> 
> 
>               
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-- 
Rei Shinozuka shino@panix.com
Ridgewood, New Jersey