Contax T3

I was looking for a point and shoot digital camera with manual override features that would produce images comparable to those of a professional SLR.

Today I shot a roll of film in the T3 and the print quality was definitely as good as anything I have produced with Nikon SLR lenses. The auto focus and exposure systems worked flawlessly. The images from the lense were superb.

Previously I tried the much less expensive Yashica T4 super and had been dissappointed by the exposure control, the auto focus system and the awkward shutter lag (particularly when taking pictures of children).

Due to this experience with another pt and shoot with a famed Zeiss lense, I wondered if the Contax T3 would be any better. IT WAS!! In fact, comparing the two would be like comparing a Honda civic to a top of the line Mercedes. Yes, you get what you pay for.

I cannot comment on the print quality produced by the Ricoh G1, Nikon 35ti or Minilux although the bodies of the latter two seem much tougher than that of the T3. The T3 has higher shutter speeds and useful additional features than the minilux and a better rangefinder but I wonder if it will hold up for as long the Minilux or the 35ti.

The slides I've taken from this Contax T3 35mm compact camera are as good as the ones on my F100 with prime Nikon pro lenses. The exposures are great. I don't do a lot of indoor pictures but the flash has perfromed well for family shots in the living room.

The camera is very small and you have to learn to hold it and not block the focus port or lens barrel. The view finder is hard to see edge to edge with glasses on. It is fine with glasses off. Since I don't have to visusally confirm focus I take my glasses off as I do with the F100. Diopter correction is missing for some reason. My wifes Konica Lexio 70 at $129.00 has it.

The auto focus has been critisized by a few people. Once you understand how it works it seems flawless. The system is passive and needs contrast and vertical data to focus. If you want to focus on a horizontal line turn the camera 90 degrees, half press shutter (or use AFL) then reframe and shoot. The focus assist light allows focus in a dark room. The Auto Focus Lock (AFL) button has an undocumented feature. Normal focus uses an area about 5 times bigger than the focus circle in the center of the view finder. The AFL button provides spot focus limited to the focus circle area. A great feature.

The shutter speed only shows a broad range. It is better than nothing however.

I use the custom feature to cause the lens to focus when I press the shutter to one half. This reduces shutter lag when taking the picture. It resembles my F100 in single focus mode this way.

This is a very high quality camera (pro level) with useful features. I no longer have to make the decision of whether size or picture quality is important when deciding which camera to take. With my old P&S camera this was always a consideration and I ended up lugging the F100 when I really didn't want to.

VERY Expensive for a compact. However as with most things, you get what you pay for. The ability to use Aperture priority, the flash options, the exposure compensation and the cracking lens and build quality all make this the perfect tool for travelling light. For those times when you just cant take your SLR with you this camera will give you results comparable to a decent SLR lens. Great when you dont want to stand out from the crowd. My EOS 3 is now gathering dust as I now mainly carry the t3 instead.

Black version costs £100 more, thats just mad! I got the Titanium which is a pleasing gunmetal colour.

The T3's fantastic 35/f.28 Zeiss lens is much improved over the Contax T2 (38/f2.8) or the Yashica T4 Super (35/f3.5). One of the problems with the Yashica T4 was that, under certain ligting conditions, you will get vignetting at the corners. The T3's new shutter design almost eliminates light fall-off at the corners. Also, the camera has full Aperture priority and a top shutter speed of 1/1250th.

The custom functions allow for changing the default values of the camera. For example, some cameras have significant lag after pressing the shutter because the camera must move the lens to the focus point before the shutter clicks. The Contax T3 can be set to move the lens to the focal point when the shutter release is half-pressed thus eliminating shutter-lag almost completely.

It is a fantastic existing light camera with a long shutter speed of up to 3 minutes and I am amazed that I can hold it as steady as I can.

All of this technology is packed into a completely pocketable unit that will go anywhere you do. Did I mention that it takes fantastic pictures?