Contax (Kyocera) Aria

I have problems with my Aria (Aug 2004) in that contrary to most reviews I find it UNDER exposes on centre-weighted exposure on slide film (Velvia). It has been returned and supposedly fixed but appears to still have this defect. I intend to return it and ask for a replacement or my money back! I still have a Contax 139 which behaves perfectly on manual. Is this a sign of the times?

David Christie.

Actually I've found overexposure to be a common complaint of Aria owners, so the reviewer is correct. But, as a visitor on occasion to a camera repair and auto repair shop, I can confirm the BMW analogy as both seem to be constantly in need of repair.

Bryan, please read the review properly before you rate it. The Contax RX is criticised for its dim viewfinder and wayward exposure, not the Aria, which I for one found to be a smooth and accurate camera, possessed of intuitive handling. And Petepsy, either you were drunk at the time of writing or your negative rating of another's review was high hypocrisy. It can be said that the Contax brand itself provides the initial attraction to its product, but longterm use will tell you what that brand stands for. Less a Porsche than a BMW: not too much flash, a little mysterious, but its true worth is apparent over time.

Handling a Contax camera is an experience, it' s the Porche photograpy experience. So if someone states it may be slightly darker in the viewfinder, be reminded of the incredibly high standard Contax has. Buy one experience it then critise it, but my thoughts are if you bought a model you like you'll never part with it. Unless a burgular has other ideas.

I really don't see how anyone could give a modern camera a 10 out of 10 rating that regularly overexposes frames or has a dim viewfinder, especially as one can easily find cameras that don't share these shortcomings. If you're a diehard Contax fanatic maybe you have no choice but to invent work-arounds and excuses but there's no need for the rest of us to settle for second best on a camera that costs what the Aria does.

You can't rely on a cameras meter to solve exposure problems for you. You have to be able to recognize light and understand exposure enough to recognize what could be a problem and what won't be a problem. If your shooting in mixed lighting with slide film, It is something that can obviously be a problem. I've never had this problem with the Contax Aria camera and have taken thousands of pictures with slide film. You have to remember that slide film has a narrow latitude of exposure and there are some things that simply won't fit in that latitude regardless of what meter you are using. I also have and use a Yashica FX-3 camera and it's a great little camera. Although, I wouldn't say the meter is any better or worse than the Aria. I usually bracket important slides 1/2 over and 1/2 under just to give a choice of exposures.

How about simply spot metering on the heart of the subject, and choosing a slightly brighter part if u want a darker pix and vv..

I feel that it is a little unfair to damn a camera on an aspect that with experience can easily be overcome. My Aria certainly shares a tendency to over expose slide films (though it is spot on with print film, which has higher exposure latitude anyway). To counter this I merely over-ride the DX setting and increase the ISO speed - problem sorted!

Hi All. The guy who gave the original review of the Aria. And for anyone who ever used a Contax Camera, we all knew I was not writing a "Sales Pitch". It's amazing to me the reviews I have seen since. I certainly respect everyone's opinion. So goes the Internet :)

So here is my update as far as a long life of using the Contax system as of 2018. Yes, 17 years ago! The Aria helped me break into professional photography. Just by having a Contax gave me credibility. The disappointing thing obviously is that the whole Kyocera relationship with Carl Zeiss blew up as the digital age fell on us. But now, guess what? It's 2018 and "Film is In". Amazing how the tables turn!

So here's how it went down for me. I loved my Aria, the size, handling, custom functions you name it. I never had a problem with over/under exposure for the most part. I had a Databack on it for awhile, and I do think it had a tendency to over expose maybe by 1/2 stop. But with the Spot meter, you knew where to point it to get results. I recall I believe a Custom function which helped get around the crazy tightness of using the on/off switch as an AE lock.

I started experiencing electronic problems with the camera. It would simply spontaneously shut down. I am not sure what the problem was, but it died on me at a cousin's wedding. I was not the photograpger of record, but I felt rather impotent with a dead camera and flash bracket around my neck!

So I traded it in for an AX. Man, did I love my AX. The AX is to put it mildly, not a portable camera! So I missed lazy Sunday's roaming around town with my Aria. What the AX WAS was a great 35mm Studio Camera, which is where my focus had shifted to. With that, I bought a Contax Preview II Polaroid camera and an RTS II "backup". I then started expanding my lens lineup and traded up to the likes of the 25, 35, and 85/1.4 (Could never afford the 100mm F 2)

Then Wedding "Photojournalism" came in and the costs to deliver 500-1000 images with Film just became too much... let alone casual shooting. So I started shooting with Canon Digital. I did "transfer" one Zeiss lens to the Canon line through a Leitex adapter.. the 50/1.4. I still have the rest of my Zeiss glass which I will probably never part with.

A couple of years ago, the mirror on my AX started locking up for some reason. Unfortunately I waited too long and Contax parts are literally impossible to find to repair the Cameras. I will try though. I am eying a used RTS III to anchor the rest of my glass. Could not have afforded it when they were in their prime. I hear there is a problem with the mirrors on some of the Contax Cameras, so if you are buying used, please ask the seller!

My bottom line? At the time of launch, the Aria was truly something special. It was an on-ramp into the world of Carl Zeiss Lenses. For a new Photographer, it was an absolute dream. If you viewed it as a tool within a wider Contax system as a pro shooter, you traded up if you ran into reliability problems as I did. As you learned to operate ANY camera (I shot with Medium and Large Format as well..), you put more stock into what the lenses could deliver... as much of Studio Photography could care less about Auto Exposure modes.

When I shoot now, I rent my Lenses for the application and If I need a Body with specific capabilities, I know I can rent that too. Cameras are tools and you should shoot with the most reliable image making tools you can find.

I will always retain a Contax Body of some sort simply to shoot with Carl Zeiss lenses. When I hit it big, I will probably explore some of the new higher end Zeiss lenses for Canon and Sony bodies.

For those just starting out in Photography and you want to start out with Film, I would recommend perhaps an inexpensive Contax 139, RTS II or even one of the nicer Yashica Bodies available used. They will serve the same magical purpose my beloved Aria served me: A classy and intuitive tool to help you learn how to paint with light. Cheers and never stop shooting.

I have to agree. I've been using 2 Contax Aria bodies for 7 years. In response to Bob's comment, In 7 years I've had to make one repair to my Contax Aria bodies. It was a stripped tripod socket. That's after 7 years of hard professional use.

People who are seriously considering this camera should also consider that they are buying a very expensive film camera body that might not be around much longer. Repair statistics are terrible:

Nikon - 15.6% defects

Yashica - (now discontinued) 16.6%

Ricoh - ( now discontinued) 17.1%

Canon - 19.6%

Leica - 24.3%

Pentax - 25.9%

Minolta - 26%

Contax 30.3% - (most number of repairs of any name brand)

What I am reading here is a sales pitch, not a review.

The Contax Aria is in fact the el cheapo of the Contax line, lots of plastic construction. This is not a camera you'd want to take outdoors very much. With a CZ zoom it is very unbalanced and nose-heavy. The reviewer might have mentioned these facts.