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First
Contax SLR ever with built-in flash
New
"roller-type" switch streamlines
control setting
Patterned
focus-assist beam reaches to about 20
feet
Uses
wide-area, five-sensor AF system similar
to Contax N1's
Unusual
Dual Focusing system permits manual
focus in AF mode and visa versa
Compact
and lightweight for a Contax
Moderately
priced for a Contax
20
custom functions
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Camera
makers often divide into two types: Those that
introduce a new line with the simpler, mass-market
workhorse first, and, then, over time, climb,
model by model, up to the pricey thoroughbred
favored by pros and serious amateurs; and the
the other breed, which starts with the flagship
and works down.
Contax
is of this latter persuasion. In 2000, Kyocera,
parent company of Contax, unveiled its barrier-breaking
N1 flagship, the world's first 35mm SLR to accept
Zeiss autofocusing lenses. Now, after a two-year
hiatus during which the photo world has waited
with bated breath for the Contax N digital camera,
along comes the Contax NX, a smaller, lighter,
simpler, and, yes, much less expensive variation
on the N1 that offers, among other conveniences,
a built-in flash.
Lifting
the NX body from its box, you don't need the
label to tell you its provenance. Matte black,
with clean cut, boxy lines and tall, muscular
shoulders, the NX is clearly a Contax. At 4
3/8 inches high, it stands taller than most
35mm SLRs. If the silhouette seems sleeker than
recent Contaxes, it's because the NX forgoes
the large, knurled shutter speed and exposure
compensation dials that usually crown these
cameras.
The
NX fits nicely in average-sized hands—well-balanced
and easy to grasp, thanks in part to its rubberized
surfaces and well-shaped grip. The most important
controls are conveniently clustered around it.
We found the camera's traditional shape and
solid feel reassuring. Although the NX is a
hybrid camera (polycarbonate body and mirror
box; chrome-plated brass lensmount; aluminum-alloy
film rails and film plane), you can easily mistake
it for an all-metal camera. At 21 ounces (body
only, no batteries), it's only about an ounce
lighter than the Contax 645 AF. That might not
seem lightweight, but compared to the 23-ounce
N1, it is.
A
quick scan front and back suggests Kyocera is
sticking with several of the innovative controls
that distinguish the N1: two examples are the
NX's convenient thumb-operated joystick (that
lets you manually select AF sensors with unusual
ease), and the back-side Focus button that kicks
in the AF motors when you're shooting in manual
focus (and does other things as we'll see).
Also, a look through the eyepiece reveals what
seems to be the same five-point AF system Contax
engineered for the N1.
After
attaching the 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar
lens we checked finder brightness. Excellent.
A bright, contrasty viewing image, but the eyepiece
no built-in diopter correction. Plus points:
A supple rubber eyecup, bright green finder
readouts, and high eyepoint. We especially liked
the finder's bright red AF sensor outlines that
flash red at the touch of the shutter release
when active, and flash again when focus is locked
in the single-shot AF mode. (For a less "flashy"
finder, turn off sensor illumination using one
of the camera's 20 custom functions.)
The
built-in, manual pop-up flash is the first ever
in a Contax, and a welcome addition. Much more
innovative, though, is the NX's ingenious, easy-to-operate
rear control dial, the likes of which we'd never
encountered on a camera (or on any other device,
for that matter). Contax calls it the R (for
rear) dial. We call it the roller dial. Either
way, it's an innovative means to rapidly navigate
through the menu-style control options displayed
on the camera's top-deck LCD panel.
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