Traduction de Manuel M

This model, Contax RTS, announces the revival of the brand dedicated to the Carl Zeiss lenses. It was presented to Photokina 1974 (arrival on the French market in December 1975), and its development is the fruit of the co-operation of Carl Zeiss of course, Yashica for electronics and Porsche for the design of the body (It will be the only of the brand drawn by Porsche).

It is an entirely electronic camera with mode of exposure aperture priority. It is entirely disengageable manually.

The RTS proposes interesting functions, such as the 1/2000 second, the exposure compensation, a small lever to pull up mirror (for the macrophotography), an electromagnetic shutter release, two types of motorization (Engine 5i/s and more modest Winder, with 2i/s), interchangeable glass of centring, as well as the dispalying speeds by LED (in automatic mode). The shutter release is so sensitive that, by security measure, the button of measure of the light was placed on the front face, which requires a little habituation (One tends to think that the camera presents a default when one presses slightly on the shutter release for the measure of exposure, and that nothing occurs!).

It is a powerful camera, very robust and esthetic at the same time.

It will be the precursor of a range of surprising cameras, with the technical innovations increasingly smarter and ingenious. (Cf Contax 159MM and its mode priority speeds or Contax AX which makes it possible lenses MF to work in AF!).

The measure of the exposure is provided by a single silicon cell. The measure is made in the center glass of centring, and balanced.

The bayonet was developed jointly by Zeiss and Yashica.

The crank of rewinding is special, because it is concentric with the barrel of regulation speed. It cannot thus turn during the advance of film under penalty of changing speed. Yashica developed a special system which prevents it from turning during the advance of film. As a result, there is an index to show that the film advances correctly with the cocking.

Very elaborate, very carefully manufactured, this camera calls upon several air-operated brakes to limit the vibrations during the displacement of the mirror or the curtain.

It belongs to a very complete, integral photographic system many very beautiful Zeiss targets, motors, adapters for microscope, flash, stand etc…

Parallel to this camera, Yashica developed a “rustic” camera more but quite as able to receive the lenses Zeiss, Yashica FX-1.