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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Kyocera SL400R (Contax SL300RT clone) (1 Viewer)

Andy Holt

Well-known member
I've just taken my first shots with the Kyocera 4mp version of the Contax SL300RT that Andy has been testing. I purchased the camera from Pixmania for just under £300 with a 256mb SD card (although it's not a high speed card, so I get a bit of buffering).

I'm going out today to try and use it more, but my first impressions are that this is a super convenient, low cost, high performing winner for digiscoping.

One major issue with the Kyocera was that it doesn't ship with the 28mm thread adapter that the Contax has. I phoned Kyocera UK and they sent me one for free, but I don't know whether this will be an ongoing thing if they get besieged by Digiscopers asking for adapters.

The Blackbird was taken using my Eagle Eye adapter, but no cable release meant I had to release the shuter manually. The sparrow was taken with the camera hand held (the 28mm adapter serves to assist in lining up the camera with the scope very nicely.

I'll have a lot more to say about this camera, but for now I'm off out to try it again.
 

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It certainly looks promising to me. The Blackbird is sharper but it would be unfair to judge from just two photos. I look forward to reading how you get on with this camera.
 
They look very impressive Andy. I've just had some prints back with the 3.34mp Contax and 10x8 is no problem, even A4 is fine.

The cards you want are by Dane-Elec, there's absolutely no delay with these you just keep firing away. As I said before, you can fire off 20 shots or so and quite quickly review the exif in playback mode to keep the ones with the largest file size.

Looking forward to hearing more.
 
After using the camera for a few days, I've found a few things I like and a few things I don't like.

Pros:
Size and weight; It's tiny, fits neatly into a pocket and weighs hardly anything. For taking out with you when you go birding it's great. Problem might be that you forget you're carrying it when a photo opportunity occurs ;)

startup speed and capture speed (even without a high speed sd card, with a high speed card this cameras 3fps till the card is full is fantastic)

Image quality appears on par with Coolpix 4500 when used for digiscoping with my Swaro 80HD, although I want to see how it performs with a cable release before I make a final judgement.

swivel design makes it easy to allign the view screen whatever angle you're using the scope at

28mm thread adapter means it'll fit straight on to my existing digiscoping adapter (I did however, have to beg one of thesze from Kyocera, as the Kyocera cameras do not ship with this little plastic gizmo, wheras the Contax version does)

the video function means you can capture up to 8 minutes + on a 256mb sd card with sound. I've only played with the video function in the house so far, but it looks like a really great added option for digiscoping out in the field



Cons:
Shutter speed is not displayed, which is annoying when shooting in marginal low light situations

No multipoint focus areas, only a wide and spot central area option.

battery life is all too short, especially when you can rattle off multiple images at 3fps. A spare battery is going to be an essential addition (on the plus side it seems to charge up quite quickly, even when charged in camera, a fast charger is available (see contax thread for a cheaper third party option))

Remote shutter release problematic. There is no remote facility or a screw thread where a universal release arm could be attached (I've now lashed something together which I'll be trying out in the next few days)

When not used for digiscoping I've always used my Coolpix's alot for macro photography. Although it has a macro function, I've not had much luck with the Kyocera for this purpose, it seems to fall well short of the coolpix for macro work.
 
I've been out again with this camera, digiscoping juvenile Kingfishers from a hide. The battery life was a problem again, but when I downloaded the images, I realised that I'd taken ALOT more images than I would have taken with the coolpix. I also used a cobbled together manual shutter release.

I've noticed that dark areas are a bit susceptible to image noise and I had some blue colour casts on some images which I put down to the auto white balance getting it wrong on some images (to be fair I've had a similar problem with my coolpix).

I've attached an image with the blue cast to illustrate the white balance problem and one of the images that came out pretty well.

I think overall the Kyocera is matching the Coolpix cameras most of the time, bettering the Nikon's with regards to speed and convenience, but marginally losing out in terms of little matters, like not being able to retain the zoom setting when powered down, and settings like exposure compensation being a little more fiddly to get at. Overall I think that the Nikon's still have a slightly nicer, softer, more colour saturated feel to their images, but given the size of the Kyocera ccd and lens it's really quite remarkable.
 

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Excellent shots again, Andy.

I also find the auto white balance a little unreliable but it's no big problem, it usually at least gets one right in a burst. Besides, in-computer will deal with that in a sec.

Noise is odd, sometimes you think it's totally clean and vastly better than a Nikon cp, then you'll look at some shade in another shot and it will show noise. It seems to be mainly chroma noise than luma, so it's not quite as unpleasant on my eye, again a doddle with Neatimage/or QM2.

I agree with you about being left in the dark about shutter-speed, but it's not quite the problem I first thought ... you tend to shoot no-matter what the speed is anyway in the hope of a reasonable result. At least you are assured it's the fastest speed at the time.

As Des says, be nice to see what your cable-release bracket consists of, is it similar to the idea you e-mailed me with?
Thanks for the updates,
Regards,
Andy
 
Cobbled together shutter release

here is the "cobbled together shutter release"

It's a bit of bent metal strip with a hole to use the strap peg on the side of the camera in order to secure the bracket to the camera. A hole drilled on top and a nut soldered on top to screw a standard cable release into.

You need quite a rigid bit of stripmetal to avoid it flexing, my first attempt was much easier to make, but flexed too much, making it virtually impossible to use. This second one was was a pig to bend into shape, but it's rigid.

It moves about a little bit, but once I have it lined up it works a treat.

A sticky pad was put on the shutter release button to avoid scratching it and some sticky pads on the base of the unit to hold things in place a bit more rigidly.

It aint pretty, but it's functional ;)
 

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desgreene said:
Very ingenious Andy! Do you know if the Contax version of this camera also lacks a remote shutter release?

Des.

The Contax version does not have a remote shutter release either.
 
If anyone is going to the birdfair, I'll have some framed/mounted prints of Andy's Kingfishers on the BF stand for you to ascertain the quality of these new little cameras....the prints are awesome!
 
Why do you use auto white balance when it has a preset? Am I missing something by just setting the preset at the start of each session?

I mean, back in the days of film only a minority used filters with colour, at least out of doors, and I don't remember hearing complaints about K64 always giving the same colour balance.
 
Andy Bright said:
If anyone is going to the birdfair, I'll have some framed/mounted prints of Andy's Kingfishers on the BF stand for you to ascertain the quality of these new little cameras....the prints are awesome!

Hi Andy

Is there any real noticeable difference between pictures taken with the Kyocera and the Contax?

Mark
 
M N Reeder said:
Hi Andy

Is there any real noticeable difference between pictures taken with the Kyocera and the Contax?

Mark
Hi Mark,
I haven't really seen enough examples from the Kyocera in varying conditions to judge. Unless you have the two cameras side by side taking the same shots, it's not easy to spot subtle differences between the standard lens and the Contax Zeiss T* lens.
Regards,
Andy
 
Andy Bright said:
Hi Mark,
I haven't really seen enough examples from the Kyocera in varying conditions to judge. Unless you have the two cameras side by side taking the same shots, it's not easy to spot subtle differences between the standard lens and the Contax Zeiss T* lens.
Regards,
Andy

Thanks Andy
A friend of mine has just bought the Contax, so I'll have a good look at it.

Mark
 
Can I just ask a question re the Contax on this thread?.I was using the camera this afternoon ,just for odd shots on the beach of the dog,and it kept freezing.Thought it could be the battery.Changed the battery at home and did a couple of test shots which I then deleted,went to check the shots already taken out of doors,and little arrows were going from the picture to the card.Turned the camera off,and tried again,and everything froze.The screen was green,no image,the orange light was flashing at the bottom of the camera,and I was unable toturn it off or do anything with it until the expiry time elasped.Tried about 3 times.The orange light means that the images are being read to the card it says in the manual.Anyway changed the battery again,inserted a new card and it seems to be okay.So is this a problem with the card or with the camera?.Do I phone the supplier and say the card is faulty.It was the card which was purchased with the camera.I am unable to check the card as it does not fit in any other camera
Also whilst I am asking questions please does anyone know what WOWpapers are?.I have just turned on the pc and a WOWpapers icon is displayed on the desktop which was not there previously.Clicked on it and it said it was searching.They do ring a bell that somewhere some programme was called by this name,but I do not have a clue as to what it may be,anyone any ideas please.If no reply from this thread I will put it into the computer thread later.
Thanks,
 
Andy (H or B)

How much vignetting do you get with the Kyocera / Contax?
I'm getting very tempted with these cameras, more so the Kyocera due to price. Though it's interesting that when you click on the 'contact us' link on Contax's website it goes to Kyocera's UK office address! I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Kyocera has the same lens system as the Contax, much in the same way as the Leica D1 and a Panasonic (can't remember the model) used to have, the latter was £200 cheaper! It wouldn't be in Contax's (Kyocera) interest to mark it up as such and upset the Zeiss badge snobs who've paid up to £150 more. They are however other reasons for choosing the Contax namely it comes with the filter adaptor, a 128mb SD card, leather trim and a leather case and definetly has a Zeiss T* lens. Oh decisions decisions

Mark:h?:
 
Vignetting is no different to the typical coolpix cameras 990/995/4500. So it vanishes quite quickly as you zoom in on the camera.

I really don't think the Kyocera uses the T* lens, for one thing Zeiss wouldn't allow it to be used without credit and secondly the T* coating doesn't come cheap. I think the Panasonic camera has Leitz written quite clearly on the lens. Those who buy the Kyocera will not be as fortunate as Andy Holt in getting the 28mm adapter for free.
Small point that I'm not too sure about (and it's not too important anyway), is the Kyocera avalable in black finish?
Anyhow, it's obvious that the Kyocera produces excellent photos.

Regards,
Andy
 
Andy Bright said:
I really don't think the Kyocera uses the T* lens, for one thing Zeiss wouldn't allow it to be used without credit and secondly the T* coating doesn't come cheap.

Fair point Andy.
I have ordered a SL 400 from Warehouse Express I can' really justify a £400 outlay to my missus, when I already have the Coolpix. Also having looked at Andy H's excellent pic's I must say I was very impressed.
Regarding the adaptors, they can be bought from Kyocera / Contax for just £5 each. So looking forward to it arriving, the only problem will be which camera to use?

Thanks

Mark
 
mcdowella said:
Why do you use auto white balance when it has a preset? Am I missing something by just setting the preset at the start of each session?

I mean, back in the days of film only a minority used filters with colour, at least out of doors, and I don't remember hearing complaints about K64 always giving the same colour balance.

It's a fair point. I've got mixed feeelings about white balance, having had occasional problems with the Coolpix's and the Kyocera using the auto setting, I've also suffered from colour casting using the fixed settings. I probably need to spend a bit more time doing some experiments with the fixed settings to ascertain the best settings to use in specific lighting situations.
 
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