Contax-N system
Under the brand name Contax sales Kyocera 2000 to 2005 a small picture - SLR - system , which as Contax N system was called.
overview
At Photokina 2000, Kyocera surprised everyone with the announcement of a completely new Contax system. The previous Contax 35mm SLR system (also known as the C / Y or RTS system), which was compatible with Yashica , was characterized by hesitant and delayed adaptation to the technical standard while at the same time being very high quality. Now a completely new system with a new lens mount has been presented. The bayonet had an unusually large diameter and the back focus was also particularly large at 48 mm. This already met the requirements of digital single-lens reflex cameras with full-format sensors , which require a beam path as perpendicular as possible to the sensor surface.
The Contax-N system comprised the cameras N1, NX and N Digital as well as a comprehensive range of accessories. The lenses continued to come from Zeiss , but the lens selection remained modest and did not even come close to reaching the scope of the range of Zeiss lenses for the Contax / Yashica system. Because of this and because of the unusually high price level for Contax standards, the Contax-N system had little success. Many previous users of the earlier Contax cameras had long since switched to systems from other manufacturers, the others remained largely true to the old system, which was also maintained to a modest extent.
On April 12, 2005, Kyocera announced its withdrawal from the field of photo technology on September 30, 2005. This means that the Contax-N system was taken out of sale after only five years. The brand name Contax still belongs to Carl Zeiss AG, which was initially looking for a new partner for the Contax-N system. However, there are currently no signs of a future for the system.
Cameras
Contax N1
The first camera in the new N system was the Contax N1 in 2000. Compared to earlier Contax cameras from the Contax / Yashica system, some typical features have been retained, such as: B. the shutter speed dial to the left of the viewfinder, but the entire appearance was redesigned and rather untypical for Contax. The camera housing was made of a metal / plastic mixed construction, which already made it clear that the new N1 should not be a successor to the professional Contax RTS III . Functionally, however, nothing was left to be desired. The N1 was the first Contax with an autofocus based on the usual functional principle with focusing of the lens, after the Contax AX had previously implemented the unusual principle of focusing by moving the film plane. The autofocus has 5 focusing points, one in the middle and four on the format diagonals. The four external focus points can be selected in groups. A new feature is the focus bracketing function, which uses the principle of exposure series to take several pictures with slightly different focus. However, the low speed of the autofocus system was unanimously criticized.
The Contax N1 has time , aperture and program automatic as well as tracking measurement. The shortest flash sync time is 1/250 s, the shortest shutter speed can be set to 1/8000 s.
Contax NX
The Contax NX, which has been simplified in some points, appeared in 2002 as an inexpensive alternative to the Contax N1. The most important differences are the slower shutter (shortest flash sync speed 1/125 s instead of 1/250 s, shortest shutter speed 1/4000 s instead of 1/8000 s) and the slower film transport with 2.3 instead of 3.5 frames per second. The viewfinder of the Contax NX shows only 93% instead of 95% of the image, the viewfinder screens are not interchangeable. The Contax NX has a built-in flash unit for this purpose , but is overall smaller and, at 605 g, also lighter than the Contax N1 (795 g). The operating concept has been changed compared to the Contax N1.
Contax N Digital
The Contax N Digital (sometimes also referred to as Contax ND) was announced as early as 2000 when the Contax-N system was presented, but was not actually available until 2002. It was the first digital SLR camera to have a full-format sensor , i.e. a sensor in the full size of the 35mm format . The sensor is of the CCD type and comes from Philips .
The effective resolution is 6.04 megapixels (2008 × 3008), sensitivities from ISO 25 to 400 are available. The storage takes place either in the formats JPEG , TIFF or in the Contax-specific RAW format. In the latter case, the images can not be on the 2- inch - LCD of the camera display screen.
The data is saved on CompactFlash memory cards, and the recorded images are read out via a FireWire interface (IEEE 1394). Batteries of the type AA are used for the power supply , whereby the use of batteries of high capacity is strongly recommended.
The housing of the Contax N Digital largely corresponds to that of the Contax N1, but is significantly larger in the bottom area. The other functions correspond to those of the Contax N1.
The delivery of the Contax N Digital was very slow at first, the camera had some problems at the beginning, some of which could never be resolved. These include the extremely high power consumption and the strong noise even at sensitivities from ISO 200. The in-camera conversion to JPEG format was associated with significant quality restrictions, and the included conversion software "RAW Data Developer" was unanimously classified as not very useful. It was only when the Adobe Photoshop software was able to read the RAW format of the Contax N Digital that it was able to exploit its possibilities.
Due to the problems, sales of the Contax N Digital 2004, i.e. before the rest of the Contax-N system, were discontinued.
Lenses
The lenses for the Contax cameras were traditionally supplied by Zeiss . It is not known who took over the contract manufacturing of the lenses for the N-System; for the lenses for the Contax / Yashica-System it was in most cases Kyocera itself.
Most of the lenses for the Contax-N system are very voluminous and heavy. What all lenses have in common is the plastic cladding with easy-to-grip controls. The bayonet is designed exclusively for electronic data transmission, the focus motor is located in the lens. Nevertheless, the lenses of the N system have a ring for aperture setting.
The expansion of the lens system ended with the introduction of the Planar T * 1.4 / 85 mm and the Tele-Apotessar T * 4.0 / 400 mm. Since two constructions of different price ranges were offered as standard and telephoto zoom, considerable gaps remained despite a total range of nine lenses, and there were no announcements for their closure. With the NAM-1 adapter, lenses of the Contax 645 medium format camera could be connected while retaining all functions (with the exception of focus bracketing), but this option was only of interest to users who had both systems in use. A real expansion of the limited range of lenses for the N-System was hardly possible with this adapter.
Since the lens adapters NAM-1 (Contax 645 - Contax N) and MAM-1 (Hasselblad V - Contax 645) can be coupled, all Hasselblad V lenses can be connected to and used with the NX and N1 cameras.
Planar T * 1.4 / 50 mm
The classic standard lens was already presented with the Contax N1. The tried and tested optical design of the predecessor with Contax / Yashica bayonet with seven lenses in six groups has been adopted. The Planar T * 1.4 / 50 mm has an ultrasonic motor .
Planar T * 1.4 / 85 mm
It wasn't until 2003 that the N version of this short telephoto lens appeared . It is a completely new design, with ten lenses in nine groups, it is the most complex lens of this focal length and speed that has ever been built. The Planar T * 1.4 / 85 mm also focuses with an ultrasonic motor.
Macro-Sonnar T * 2.8 / 100 mm
A macro planar with the same data was originally announced, but this was not mass-produced. Instead, the macro-Sonnar appeared as a new design with twelve lenses in eight groups. It is focused by a direct current motor, but as with the lenses with an ultrasonic motor, the ongoing focusing can be intervened manually. Focussing is possible up to an image scale of 1: 1, for larger scales the intermediate rings N13 and N26 are required.
Tele-Apotessar T * 4.0 / 400 mm
A lens with this data was not offered for the earlier Contax cameras. At 3.58 kg, it is by far the heaviest lens in the N system. It is made up of seven lenses in six groups and has an ultrasonic motor.
Vario-Sonnar T * 2.8 / 17–35 mm
Zoom lenses in this focal length range had been available from Canon and Nikon for a long time; in the N system, due to the lack of available fixed focal length lenses, it only covered the super wide-angle range. Due to the high light intensity, the optical construction with 15 lenses in ten sections is very complex, an ultrasonic motor takes over the focusing.
Vario-Sonnar T * 3.5–4.5 / 24–85 mm
This zoom also has no equivalent in the Contax-Yashica system; it was introduced as the standard zoom for the Contax N1. It has an ultrasonic motor and consists of 14 lenses in twelve groups.
Vario-Sonnar T * 3.5–5.6 / 28–80 mm
The Vario-Sonnar T * 3.5–5.6 / 28–80 mm was offered as a relatively inexpensive and compact standard zoom for the Contax NX. The optical construction consists of seven individual lenses, focusing is done with a direct current motor without the possibility of manual intervention in the automatic focusing.
Vario-Sonnar T * 3.5–4.5 / 70–200 mm
This telephoto zoom was also presented together with the NX. It is made up of 14 lenses in eleven groups and is also focused using a DC motor.
Vario-Sonnar T * 4.0–5.6 / 70–300 mm
Despite the lower light intensity, the Vario-Sonnar T * 4.0–5.6 / 70–300 mm is a very complex construction with 16 lenses in eleven groups and an ultrasonic motor.
equipment
The Contax-N system is compatible with the flash units of the Contax / Yashica system, so that no separate flash units were required. The usual accessories such as interchangeable viewfinder screens (only N1 and N Digital), external power supplies, viewfinder accessories and remote release were available.
Data back panels
A traditional specialty of Contax cameras is the possibility of data imprinting with data back walls on the film bridge instead of, as is usually the case, in the picture. This option is also offered by the Contax NX with the data backplane D-11, which is not typical for its class. The multifunction data backplane D-10 for the Contax N1 also offers interval functions and the imprinting of the recording data.
Battery holder
With the battery holders P-9 (for Contax N1) and P-10 (for Contax NX), AA batteries can be used instead of lithium batteries. The P8 and P8D battery packs are available as an external housing for rechargeable batteries or batteries, and the P-8D2 battery pack for the Contax N Digital.
FE-1 LCD viewfinder
Not exclusively tied to the N-System, but a Contax specialty is the FE-1 LCD viewfinder, with which the viewfinder image is transmitted to an LC screen and which can also function as a remote release. It cannot be used with the Contax NX.
literature
- Hans-Jürgen Kuc: On the trail of the Contax. Volume II . 2nd edition, 266 pages, Wittig Fachbuchverlag, 2003, ISBN 3930359340
- Operating instructions and brochures for the Contax N1, NX and N Digital