The amazing Contax SL300RT* (2 Viewers)

[Pie Face]

Andy, I've just purchased this fantastic camera. The first use seems very promising...BUT it doesn't come with the 28mm adaptor, do you know were I can get hold of one???, Thanks Nic.

Hi Nic

I bought 2 adaptors direct from Kyocera. They are £5 each (inc postage) contact this address [email protected] their reply was very prompt and I received them just 2 days after sending the cheque. If I were you I would order at least a couple.

Regards

Mark

 

[Andy Bright]

Andy, I've just purchased this fantastic camera. The first use seems very promising...BUT it doesn't come with the 28mm adaptor, do you know were I can get hold of one???, Thanks Nic.

Hi Nic,
If you purchased the Contax sl300rt* new, it should have an adapter with it, it is all part of the package. As Mark says, contacting contax/kyocera will rectify the situation... but you shouldn't need to pay unless you purchased secondhand or purchased the Kyocera versions.

If you could show your photos on birdforum, it would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Andy

 

[kim]

Hi Andy
Have used the Contax today and it is brilliant!! Like you - despite putting a little wax on the Eagle Eye - I can't unscrew it from the little Contax adaptor - not that it matters at the moment!! I also got the cable release which is much easier than the Nikon version - and the battery charger from Euro Batteries. Will be living on bread and water for the next 12 months!!
I did get the Contax in my package - it's so tiny I nearly didn't find it!!

Cheers
Kim

 

[graham catley]

Contax first shots

fell for the sales pitch and bought one---as a minimalist digi-scoper, not liking a lot of accessories tried it hand held with the Swaro 80 and zoom---most were a bit soft rather than blurred possibly due to light but a couple attached--needs some work on the methodology
Graham Catley

 

[christineredgate]

Graham,if your pics were taken handheld,they are quite good.I know what you mean re the clarity,I don't really think this camera is as good as the 4500 ,but if you try with an adaptor there should be a big improvement.But then again,the 4500 has more pixels than the Contax,I still have not had a serious digiscoping session with the Contax,but when I do will take pics from both cameras in identical circumstances to compare.Hopefully next week,weather permitting.Too windy here ,at the moment,and very overcast.

 

[kim]

Hi Christine
The couple of pics I took with the Contax yesterday using the Eagle Eye adapter were sharp considering that it was pretty windy on Anglesey. Like you can do very little as the weather is so awful and the forecast for next week seems to be the same. I have had a bit of 'softness' with my 4500 and am not sure - from reading past forums on this camera - how much is the camera - and how much me?? Do you think we could persuade Andy to print one or two of his not quite so fantastic shots to ease the pain a little?!!!!

 

[christineredgate]

Kim,are you able to put a couple of your pics on the thread!.Have you compared them with the 4500,eg taking the identical image with both cameras?.Incidentally,if you have 5 mins ,go into the garden with the Contax as it is getting dark,and try a couple of flower pics taken on the Night Portrait setting.I was amazed.I only tried it as I missed a Golfinch perched on one of the ships masts with the 300d as I could not focus,it was quite dark,so thought I would check things out with the 4500 and the Contax,and sat aiming at some plants and the Contax took the brightest image.Although I did not check out the quality on the pc,just the camera monitor.I am just hoping the weather is a little better tommorow,and the wind drops,even it just means sitting outside the front door taking the Gulls on the pub roof,I can compare the two cameras.

 

[kim]

Hi Christine - still foul weather here!! I did take identical photo's yesterday of flowers - no birds to be seen - too windy - and will attach them later as thumbnails if I work out how to do it.
Cheers Kim

 

[christineredgate]

Kim,click onto advanced,and at the bottom of the thread it will say attachments.You can then add pics from you pic gallery.

 

[graham catley]

knocked up a quick centering devise for the Contax/Swaro zoom---still impressed with the colour balance and the way it deals with metering (using spot centre)---have attached a black and white post taken in late evening sun against a black sky to show what I mean---also a cD (hopefully will get a different species soon!----downs the focus locks when you have it on speed and a bird can move out of the frame before it clicks back into focus so tried it today on Frames and although a little slower on the focus you keep on the bird---battery life is still poor lasts about an hour and takes 2 hours to charge up--have sent for a charger and spare battery which hopefully will make it a bit quicker----not a digi-scope theme but yesterday I was taking some scenery and forgot how to change the aperture so sin of sins I put it onto scene/landscape and the results were very impressive indeed---
still a long way to go to get it right though

 

[kim]

Comparisons.

Hi Christine

Have attached -I hope - the two photos I took Sunday . Sorry no birds - as it was too windy. Neither have been edited- The Nikon is on the right. Since then have been really impressed at the speed in which the Contax will take pics. Haven't been able to get out to digiscope - but I imagine it is going to make life very easy in some situations. It is so easy to carry about and I find with the Eagle Eye adaptor there is no weight to worry about. Am glad to now have the battery charger - but am waiting for news of the extended life battery.
Kim

 

[christineredgate]

Graham and Kim,
For what they are worth(not a lot!!) here are a couple of my efforts from today.Tried to find somewhere sheltered from the wind,the only bird in sight was this seagull on a roof quite a little wayaway,and of course white agains't a blue sky.Not very good.But Im still not sure.The beak on the Contax Gull seems very blurred.I did fiddle a little with levels and brightness.The first 2 are Contax,and the other 2 Nikon.I was exactly the same distance in each case,the bird just changed position for the Nikon shots>I took a really good Jackdaw with the Nikon,but it flew off before I could change cameras.
But I am off to Muncaster tommorrow to have another try with the Herons,this time Digiscoping,so hopefully can test the Contax again.If I manage any decent results will post a couple.
Kim your flowers taken with the Contax are very bright and clear.I must say using the remote has made things easier,but I have broken yet another plastic filter ring.

 

[graham catley]

amazing light this morning at 07:00 --lined up the Contax on a flock of 2600 Black-tailed Godwits and no result---had left the memory card in the reader at home!!!--so went out later in poor light and took a few shots--the flock of Teal were underexposed so I have fiddled with them but it simply shows what you can do with 3.5 fps

 

[christineredgate]

Graham,they are good,esp the first two.Tell me ,did you use the full zoom and were the birds very far away?.I think this is where I go wrong.Most of my objects really are quite a distance,therefore I do use the full zoom,which does not produce such a clear picture.But yes for moving objects this little camera is excellent.I have taken lots of the dog dashing in and out of the sea,and they all came out very clear.

 

[Paul Hackett]

Kim Christine and Graham

i have been enjoying using this new camera myself, and here is a quick review of my findings based on a comparison of the 4500 Coolpix

Positive points

Camera is very light in weight

The size of the camera is quite small and compact in comparison to the coolpix

The settings i think are simple to use and not as complicated as the coolpix

The ability to take single or continous shots with one switch is excellent

The position of the lenses within the camera seems to give minimal vignetting through my Zeiss 85 scope and 20 - 60 zoom, one touch of the camera zoom and the vignetting is gone ( using an Eagleeye Adapter ) this to me is a very important point considering it is only a 3X optical zoom

The LCD screen i thought was one of the best i have seen, the Eagleeye screenshade which fits the 4500 also fits this camera as well using the velcro attachments ( i seem to get sharper results using this than just looking at a bare screen )

With the Dane Elec SD card i found the playback speed looking at pics amazingly fast

The best point of all for me was the ability to keep taking pictures continously @ 3.5 frames per second, this now opens up a new challenge for me to take pics, and this is where this camera leaves the coolpix standing, flight shots, wing stetches, birds feeding, courtship behaviour, action shots, are all now possible with this camera with a little practice. this point above all others sold the concept to me over the coolpix, and is probably the most underated point about this camera, NO BUFFER ! :clap:

Negative points

Short Battery life - Now solved with the Contax power pack

No thread to attach a cable release - now solved with a bracket from Pennine

Quality of image - just not really there yet in comparison to the coolpix although the quality is still very good, but we are not matching like for like, i.e. 3.17 mill pix against 4.0 mill pix, the pics i have taken print well for 6 X 4 10 X 8 and A4 is just acheivable at the highest setting on the camera

Attaching camera to adapter - this to me is the only real niggle i have with the camera, but i am sure there will be a support bracket out in the near future

Conclusion

If Contax or others can devise a better way of attaching the camera to adapter, plus, up the pixels to 4 mill,they will certainly give the coolpix a run for its money, ( a little healthy competition is always good for the consumer dont you think

Settings

I have spent a lot of time with the settings and agree with Andys basic settings plus, IMHO it works best for me if i put the "sharpness" setting to -1, pics seem a little too sharp with the raw image, and i also set the "Chroma" to the minus - setting, the pics look a little too saturated in colour, again in the raw image, i also change the white balance to use the sunshine symbol on sunny days and the cloudy symbol on dull or neutral days, the White Balance on "Auto" is always a trade off, you have more control to enhance the above features in the post production stage, The majority of shots were taken with the camera zoom full on, or one notch back from full zoom, zoom eyepiece set between 20X - 25X mag only

Attached are a number of shots taken with the Contax Camera, Pennine Cable release Bracket, Eagleeye Adapter, Eagleeye Screenshade, Zeiss 85 Scope in conjunction with the 20- 60 Zoom

 

[njlarsen]

Graham,they are good,esp the first two.Tell me ,did you use the full zoom and were the birds very far away?.I think this is where I go wrong.Most of my objects really are quite a distance,therefore I do use the full zoom,which does not produce such a clear picture.But yes for moving objects this little camera is excellent.I have taken lots of the dog dashing in and out of the sea,and they all came out very clear.

Christine, even though I am a CP4500 user, I still think that my experience with full zoom destroying the image no matter what else I do is relevant. Took me a long time to learn to zoom out, but all of a sudden my digiscoping results are worth putting other places than the recycle bin ...

Niels

 

[Pie Face]

Graham,they are good,esp the first two.Tell me ,did you use the full zoom and were the birds very far away?.I think this is where I go wrong.Most of my objects really are quite a distance,therefore I do use the full zoom,which does not produce such a clear picture.But yes for moving objects this little camera is excellent.I have taken lots of the dog dashing in and out of the sea,and they all came out very clear.

Hi Christine

You seem to be suffering similar problems as many digiscopers i.e Trying to take pic's of birds which are way too far off. As a rule I try and get as close as possible (obviously without distubance to the subject). I think that it is still important to obey the basic rules of photography to get a decent shot and not kid yourself that just because you're using a higher magnification you can get away with being 150 mtrs away from your subject - you can but you will only get a record shot (like the one attached). Incidentally I took a few shots of this bird with the coolpix and they were very very bad.

Excellent photos Graham I still haven't had the chance to get a nice close subject.

Mark

 

[Andy Bright]

Wow, some lovely shots from everyone.
Excellent shots Paul, I think your shots show just what the camera is capable of in terms of quality results.... the Sandwich Terns are a perfect example of the extra d.o.f. and the ability to capture behavioural shots with the speed of the camera. I really do think you are getting the very best out of the camera by using it in conjunction with an adapter to attach it to the scope.

I'm glad my enthusiasm towards this camera has be borne out by others who have trusted my recommendation on a new product.

regards,
Andy

 

[Andrew]

Come into this thread late and being someone who is rather brassed off with the size of the CP4500 I am impressed with the Contax but still brassed off as it is too much to shell out having spent a lot of the CP4500. Will have to make do with my CP4500.

I take it that a charger doesn't come as standard with the camera?

 

[Andy Bright]

A charger does come with the camera but it just plugs into the camera and charges it in-camera. If you have a spare battery or two, you can charge them up previous to a trip. I know £59 sounds expensive but the external battery pack is possibly the best idea as it will keep the camera running for a long time and makes sure you don't have to waste time changing batteries (and we all know your batteries run out just when a great shot presents itself).