While best known for their excellent manual focus cameras and their new 645 system, Contax also offers two truly unique autofocus systems, one rangefinder and one SLR system. Both are quite interesting in their own right, but are defintately not for budget buyers. At $1000-2000 each, the Contax AF cameras are aimed more at serious photographers, and those looking for high quality cameras without much regard to price. However, if your budget allows, you should certainly take a look at the current Contax offerings.
AF Rangefinder - the G1 and G2: These unique AF rangefinders are the only ones with both autofocus and an interchangeable lens system. The G1 was the original model, but has been kept in production as a lower cost alternative to the updated G2. Both cameras perform very well overall, and have top notch Carl Zeiss optics to match. Among the great lenses available is the legendary 16mm f8 Hologon extreme wide angle - once available only in a special fixed-lens model now well out of production (and prized by collectors), the Hologon is a truly amazing ultrawide design with a very distinctive look. For a number of photographers, the availability of this lens is justification enough to buy either a G1 or G2, but the other lenses in the system should not be overlooked - all the lenses are standouts with exceptional image quality. If you like the rangefinder design, but also want autofocus, look no further. AF SLR - the Contax AX: Currently, there is only one AF SLR model - the Contax AX. Unlike other camera systems, where the image is focused using the lens (either by a motor in the lens or a motor in the body driving the lens), the Contax system moves the film plane to focus! Here's how it works:
Called a "back focus" system, you mount the lens on the camera with focus set at infinity. When you press the shutter release half way down to focus, the entire film chamber moves inside the camera until correct focus is achieved. The advantage of this design is simple - you don't have to produce special autofocus lenses for the camera! The photographer can use all his regular Contax lenses for autofocus, rather than having to buy specific AF lenses as seen in any other AF system.
An ingenious design, how well does it work in practice? According to what I've heard and what Popular Photography said in their review a few years back, the camera focuses quite well in normal situations. However, when used for predictive AF mode (for moving subjects), the AX doesn't perform as well as cameras from the main AF brands, such as the Canon Eos A2 - PP's review put these two cameras head to head taking photos of the same subject (a car moving towards the camera), and the A2 won hands down. Thus it's clear the AX works best for general shooting, but not as well for fast action situations.
The conclusion? Despite not being the best performer for fast action situations, the Contax AX is an excellent camera, and a marvelous technological achievement. It also represents an amazing opportunity for those who own a manual focus Contax system to add autofocus without the expense of replacing lenses. This, combined with the camera's good construction, makes it an interesting option to consider - especially if you want to use the exceptional Zeiss lenses on an autofocus camera.
Don't see your camera listed? Submit camera information!
Looking for information on a camera not listed on the OCD? Submit site feedback!
All content Copyright 1995-2000 by Peter Williams. Please read the Disclaimer for complete copyright and legal information.