Introduction
The Contax name represents quality and excellence in photographic engineering, and has for almost 100 years. The Contax cameras, made by Zeiss Ikon, were pioneers of the 35mm world in the 1930s and 40s, but faded from popularity by the 1960s. Sales were so poor that Zeiss decided to retire the Contax name entirely.
However, the name would not stay dead for long. Japanese manufacturer Yashica licensed the name in 1973 in order to introduce a new lineup of lenses and SLRs.
They intended to produce Contax SLRs as premium options and Yashica ones as budget alternatives, with a host of interchangeable lenses from both companies. Thus, the C/Y mount was born. Here’s a brief overview of it.
History
As stated above, the Contax name was licensed from Carl Zeiss by Yashica in 1973. Yashica produced all SLRs, and most lenses, until Kyocera bought them in 1983. At that point Kyocera took over all production for both brands.
It all started as “Top Secret Project 130”, though. A collaboration between Japanese manufacturing giant Yashica and premium lens producer Carl Zeiss. The two intended to combine Yashica’s industry-leading electronics with the name recognition and legendary optical prowess of Zeiss. It seemed like a match made in heaven.
When the original Contax RTS debuted in 1974, it became an instant classic. The RTS had a beautiful body designed by F.A. Porsche and released alongside a suite of brand-new T* Zeiss lenses. The body released to critical acclaim in 1975, and the Yashica equivalent FR followed in 1976.
From there, the two companies set to work innovating and filling out their SLR and lens lineup. 1979 brought the Contax 139Q, a compact SLR with TTL flash metering and a quartz-timed electronic shutter. Its Yashica equivalent, the FX-D, was lighter and removed a few features but sold well.
The 1990 RTS III featured a 100% coverage viewfinder and pre-flash TTL metering, and 1992’s S2 was the only fully mechanical Contax. It also featured a spot meter.
There was even the 1996 Contax AX, which featured an autofocus system where the entire film plane would move back and forth in order to focus. This was intended to extend the lifespan of the C/Y mount into the autofocus era.
On the Yashica side, the FX-3 was the most popular model. This camera had simple construction and was known for its reliability and easy access to the fantastic Zeiss lenses of its Contax cousins.
The FX-3 was followed by the FX-3 Super 2000, which upped the shutter speed to 1/2000th. These SLRs were produced by Cosina, first in Japan and then in China.
10 years after the Contax/Yashica experiment began, Yashica was purchased by Japanese tech giant Kyocera. The former ceramic company originally continued the trend that Yashica had, releasing high-end Contax SLRs alongside cheaper Yashicas.
The company did eventually widen the brands a bit, introducing point & shoots like the Contax & Yashica T series as well as the medium format Contax 645 in 1999. These cameras, while revolutionary in their own right, do not have the C/Y lens mount, so we won’t talk too much about them here.
Although Yashica’s Contax had been innovators in electronics for decades, it was autofocus thar proved the biggest challenge for the company. At first, Zeiss designers were hesitant to redesign their lenses for autofocus, even allegedly claiming that their lens designs wouldn’t work with autofocus.
This led Contax and Yashica engineers to develop the in-body focusing of the aforementioned AX, which moves the entire internal mechanism in order to get the film plane in focus. While impressive in its creativity, this was not a permanent solution.
Soon after, in 1999, Contax released their next lens mount. The N mount existed for five years and only ever had nine lenses and three bodies. They continued to sell both C/Y and N mount cameras until Kyocera pulled out of the camera market in 2005. This marked the end of the C/Y mount.
Lenses
For many, the main appeal of the C/Y mount is the C: Carl Zeiss. The German optical giant produced 41 lenses in C/Y, and for a long time they’ve been the most accessible Zeiss lenses available.
There are lenses in all the popular optical formats, like Biogon, Tessar, Planar, and Distagon, of all focal lengths from 15mm to 1000mm. All of them have the fantastic and well-known T* coatings, giving them excellent contrast and flare reduction.
These lenses have risen dramatically in popularity due to their ability to be modified for videography. Having access to a small suite of Zeiss prime lenses is an appealing idea to anyone, a videographer can own an entire set for the price of renting a single modern cinema lens. It makes sense why they’d choose to modify old C/Y lenses.
For the purposes of this modification, it’s important to understand the difference between older and newer Contax lenses. The older lenses are called AE and the newer ones are called MM.
AE
Older lenses, pre-1984. Made in either Japan or Germany. Has all apertures written in white. Will have “ninja star” bokeh at intermediate apertures.
MM
Newer lenses, 1984 and onward. Made in Japan. Most narrow apertures will be written in green. Bokeh will be circular and smooth throughout.
Both sets of lenses are extremely similar and equally fantastic, but those who modify lenses for cinema use have differentiated them based on the bokeh shape.
It’s important, however, to not forget the Y part of the lens mount. The lenses Yashica created for this mount are not on par with their Zeiss cousins, but can often deliver wonderful performance for a fraction of the cost.
Carl Zeiss wouldn’t have signed onto the project just to let Yashica put out terrible lenses. Within the Yashica lens lineup, though, there were some different lines representing levels of quality.
ML/MC
Top quality, with multi-coating and best optics.
DSB
Lower quality, with single coating.
YUS
Special lens line for US market. Identical to DSB, with single coating.
Between these three lens lines, Yashica produced at least 60 lenses for the Contax/Yashica mount. The mount also received moderate support from third party manufacturers. Larger brands like Vivitar and Tamron made lenses for Contax/Yashica.
Bodies
The Contax / Yashica bodies, as described above, are generally either premium or entry level. Contax SLRs will be premium, with exceptional build quality and rugged materials. Yashica SLRs will be spartan, with features removed and looser machining tolerance.
Contax’s SLRs pushed the boundaries of what was possible with electronic cameras in the 70s and 80s. Many of them have, however, developed a reputation for faulty electronics over the years. The fact that only the ultra-premium S2 is fully mechanical means that the rest of the lineup become beautiful paperweights if anything goes wrong with them.
The Yashica bodies, while being mostly electronic as well, have not developed such a reputation. Perhaps because they’re cheaper, so replacing them is less hassle. One notable exception is the all-mechanical FX-3 series, which is arguably the most popular Yashica body.
Most Contax and Yashica bodies share a common issue, however. That issue is the leatherette. These cameras were not made with leatherette that was designed to last 40 years.
The material will fray, discolor, fall off, and look terrible on the vast majority of these cameras. Luckily, it’s not incredibly difficult or expensive to replace them, but it is something to look out for when searching for a Contax or Yashica.
Adaptability
Contax/Yashica lenses are adaptable to almost every mirrorless system with simple dummy adapters. The lenses will work wonderfully and are still often the cheapest way to get into Zeiss lenses.
As mentioned, cinema users also use these lenses. Cinema use requires some modification, to declick the aperture and allow for easy focusing with cinema gear. These lenses are also rising in price consistently.
Considering, though, that the price of a new Zeiss 50mm cine lens is over 4000€, it’s still a good deal. The quality of that Contax glass nearly matches brand new lenses despite some being nearly 50 years old.
Conclusions
Contax/Yashica SLRs are an interesting segment of the film camera market. They’re well-built electronic cameras capable of mounting some of the greatest lenses ever made, but they play second fiddle to more common offerings. A Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax, or Olympus will be much easier to find, and cheaper as well.
For some, though, Zeiss is what calls them. The legendary optical prowess of Carl Zeiss was the main appeal of the C/Y SLRs in the 1970s, and the same remains true today. In fact, the appeal is so strong that many people are forgoing the SLR altogether and just collecting the lenses.
This has led to rapid price jumps for the lenses that haven’t fully translated to the bodies. Thus, you can buy a Contax body for a good price considering features, build quality, and design. The issue is finding a lens that works.
If there are no Carl Zeiss lenses available at reasonable prices, you could use one of the capable Yashica ML lenses and get fantastic results. These lenses will give you 80-90% of the performance for less than half the price, and the demand is far lower.
Doing this, though, is a bit like putting an old Soviet lens on a Leica M6. You’ll always wonder what your photos would look like if you had the matching Zeiss lens.
So is it worth it? Well, yes. Buying lenses is an investment. In this economy, it’s a safe bet to buy from Carl Zeiss.
0 comments