By Peter Kotsinadelis

35mm Contax N1 AF SLR Camera
n 1974, the legendary names Contax and Zeiss reappeared on a brand new SLR, the Contax RTS. This welldesigned SLR with its stepless shutter speed to 12,000 second and exposure compensation quickly made inroads into an already crowded and highly competitive SLR market. New Contax SLRs with Zeiss lenses would be successfully introduced in the coming years. Then the worlds first bodyintegrated autofocus SLR, the Minolta Dynax 7000 (Maxxum in the U.S.), spurred SLR manufacturers to introduce their own autofocus SLRs and lenses. Contax North America (a division of Kyocera Corp.) at last introduced their version, the electronic 35mm Contax N1 AF SLR, with the all-new Contax 5-Point Wide Array Diagonal Autofocus system, Fine Focus Auto Bracketing Control (ABC), and specially designed Carl Zeiss N-mount autofocus lenses. Like the medium-format Contax 645 AF SLR, the N1 uses the Contax Dual Focus Mechanism, which automatically switches the camera from focus lock to manual focus when the photographer uses the lens focusing ring. This allows for fine focus adjustments, even when the AF is activated.

Features

The standout feature of the Contax N1 SLR is the optional LCD viewfinder FE-1 accessory, which can be set for either black-and-white or color display. It allows
the photographer to preview the composition and exposure without having an eye to the viewfinder. This accessory has a built-in shutter release and supplied cable for remote control shooting. The Contax N1 has a vertical-travel focal-plane shutter with speeds from 32 seconds to 18,000 second and a sync speed of 1250 second, plus B. Theres a shutter speed dial on the top left side of the camera for settings of 18,000 to 4 seconds;
shutter speeds of 32 seconds to 18,000 are set with both the speed dial and the command dial located just in front of the shutter release. The camera has five exposure control modes: Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, TTL, and Auto Sync (X-Sync), which automatically sets the shutter to 1250 second for flash photography. You can use the cameras auto feature to read DX-coded films
50 Professional Photographer May 2001
and set the appropriate film speed (ISO 25 to 5000), or you can manually set the ISO from 6 to 6400. The integrated motor drive can be set for single-shot or continuous operation, with a maximum speed of 3.5 frames per second. The depth-of-field preview button (lower right side) is easy to activate with one finger as you hold the camera. Exposure compensation is set with a dial on the top right of the camera; when the dial is set to the green mark, you can use the command dial to set compensation as well. The switch adjacent to this dial adjusts exposure for auto bracketing, with settings for.3,.5, and 1 EV. The LCD panel on the top right displays the frame count, selection indicators for the five-point AF system, drive mode, ISO and exposure data, and the remaining battery charge (the Contax N1 uses one 2CR5 lithium battery). The optional Multifunction
Data-Back-10 accessory records exposure data, including the date the film was loaded and complete exposure information in the first two frames. A small rear lever, or joystick, controls the unique Contax 5Point Wide Array Diagonal AF system. A small adjacent switch controls Auto Select to allow the camera to determine the focus point, and
May 2001 Professional Photographer
Manual Select, which gives the photographer five focus points to choose from. The Fine Focus ABC feature allows the photographer to shift the focus point in three automatic stages. After you adjust focus and take your first shot, the N1 automatically takes another two successive shots, the first with the focus point moved slightly forward, the second with the focus point moved slightly to the rear. The Contax N1 SLR offers spot and center-weighted average metering along with a new Contax matrix metering system that divides the frame into five separately metered sections. The camera has a dedicated hot shoe for flashes, like the Contax TLA360, and includes a standard PC sync connector for attaching an external flash unit. Theres a second curtain shutter sync setting and a self-timer that can be set from two to 10 seconds. The sockets on the bottom of the camera are for external power and a Contax LA electronic cable release. Four Carl Zeiss T* autofocus lenses specifically designed for the Contax N1 complement the system: the 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 and 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Vario-Sonnar T* lenses; a 50mm f/1.4 Planar T*; and a 100mm f/2.8 Makro-Planar T*. For photographers who have an investment in the Contax 645 system, there is also a NAM-1 Mount Adapter so you can use all seven of that systems lenses. Contax plans to introduce two additional N-mount lenses, the 85mm f/1.4 Planar and 17-35mm f/2.8 Vario-Sonnar.

Product Performance

The comfortable body is comparable in size and weight to the 35mm Nikon F100 SLR. However, the Zeiss N-series lenses, while optically excellent, are 50-60 percent heavier than the Nikon F100 lenses. The 24-85mm lens displayed very little distortion at 24mm but, although the new Zeiss AF lenses are exceptionally quiet, the auto focusing is slow. On the plus side, the metering is excellent. The unique Contax Matrix metering was dead on almost every time. The joystick control for the focus points is a nice touch, but does take some getting use to. I like having dials instead of multiple push buttons for the function controls, which makes access easier. But I cant imagine why Contax decided to use two controls for setting the shutter speed and exposure compensation; one would be much easier and certainly would have made the layout less crowded. The information displayed on the LCD panel and viewfinder is readable, but the viewfinder is hardly the brightest Ive seen on recent SLRs. While Contax users will find the controls familiar, those new to Contax SLRs will definitely need the users manual to become accustomed to the Contax N1 controls. The optional LCD viewfinder accessory for the Contax N1 is a nice touch that would work particularly well in the studio. The optional Multifunction Data-Back-10 and other
52 Professional Photographer May 2001