Contax TVS I, TVS II, TVS III and T2 Kung Fu mash up – who wins? Which should you choose?

A comparison of the Photographs taken with each of these four cameras and any differences between the results. Should you get yourself a cheap (ish) lowly TVS or go all in and blow an amount on the fashionable Contax T2?

I used to own all of these cameras and now I have a plastic Balda CA 35, but at least it looks like the TVS III.

As I had a Contax G2 I wanted it to have a companion, you know, to make sure it doesn’t get lonely and to have someone to share its bed with at night.

I bought these after I’d had a Ricoh GR1s for a short while. That was a very unsatisfactory camera – considering it cost more than any of the Contax models (used) at the time and its legendary status, I wasn’t impressed. Build quality lagged way behind, the feel was also affected by the build and the layout/control, and finally as far as I am concerned 28mm is a no no. it’s not long enough to be of any use as a snapshot lens and not wide enough as a Wide Angle, making it pretty useless for anything (this is my subjective opinion and others do and will differ).

In those days, about 15 years ago, cameras such as the T series were relatively affordable. The only one which cost a bomb was the T3 and thus I never had the pleasure of owning one.

I bought myself the original TVS and the T2, having heard great things about the T2 I thought I’d be in for a treat. It was a nice charcoal coloured one, boxed with a soft Contax pouch. The TVS was as they almost always are, champagne in colour, like the G2. Both high quality beasts, with the T2 having a huge bright finder.

The VS stands for Vario-Sonnar and the T in both are because they’re the T series, which started with the diminutive Contax T Rangefinder. Both beautifully build out of metal, with a solid feel, excellent optics, with the TVS having a T* 28-56mm f/3.5-6.5 zoom controlled via a dial on the lens and the T2 a T* 38mm f2.8.

The T2 is a more handsome camera and I wanted the Gold version which I was on a few occasions about to purchase, but didn’t. They both cost me around the £200 – £250 mark.

I used both for a short while, the TVS I sold to get me a TVS II which I used with the T2. I soon sold that and bought a TVS III. I then sold the T2 after shooting a few rolls and kept the TVS III for a good few years as it was my favourite amongst the bunch.

The TVS I and II differed slightly, the TVS II having a brighter finder (the TVS I finder was good but squinty compared to it’s brothers), but in use and results it was more or less the same, so the results are also the same.

Hamish has an excellent comparison and review of the TVS II and T2 Here and Here (which saves me some time). I found the zoom more useful on such a camera rather than a fixed 38mm on the T2. As 45mm on the G2 was my preferred snapshot lens so the T2 even though it’s finder was far and away the best of these was made redundant.

I enjoyed the TVS III immensely, that beautifully formed body, the look of it with the folding lens cover was just the coolest of cool. I’d ponce about with it around my neck and it attracted a lot of attention, it was also a pleasure to own, to use and its results were the sharpest and best of the four cameras I’d had of this series.

The finder was big bright and contrasty, the ergonomics, though disliked by many were one thing I really liked – aperture controlled by buttons on the front. The lens was slow at the long end, but most of my photos were shot at f8 so that didn’t really matter.

Ah I miss it so, but the cost is now the same as a Minolta TC-1. So now I have camera which looks a bit like this but is like a camera in toy form – the Balda CA 35.

Anyway I’d shot B&W and Slide film mostly, but it would be more appropriate to show here the results from one type of Film – namely E6.

The meters on all of these nailed almost every exposure (of course apart from light which the Film couldn’t handle) and the meters I can confidently state were better all round than the one on the Contax G2.

I mistakenly didn’t turn off the date function in many of the TVS rolls I shot. As I’d shoot and then get the films developed in a bundle (discounted). And these slides have been languishing (with most unscanned – having viewed the photos on a projector as I usually do)  in my Mum’s cellar for years, until a few weeks ago when I bought a Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV (No ICE or IR clean alas) so dug out slides and negs and scanned them. (before I was using an Epson 4990 Flatbed and that’s pretty useless for 35mm).

Anyway here is a selection of Photographs from each.

Contax T2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 38mm f2.8

Contax TVS Vario-Sonnar T* 28 – 56 f3.5 – 6.5

Contax TVS II Vario-Sonnar T* 28 – 56 f3.5 – 6.5

Contax TVS III Vario-Sonnar T* 30 – 60 f3.7 – 6.7

Conclusions

As you can see there’s hardly any difference between the results from the four cameras!

In use, the TVS I, II and T2 are very similar, they are about the same size, ergonomically similar and the lenses are all about the same in terms of sharpness and contrast. The meters on all three function in exactly the same excellent way. The only difference is that the T2 has a fixed lens which is a faster and it has a bigger brighter Viewfinder than any of the others.

The TVS III on the other hand is a departure from the form and in terms of ergonomics. It’s very different. it’s also a more stylish and better looking camera and in my opinion is nicer to look at and to hold and own. The finder is as on the TVS II. The TVS III is also smaller and compact making it more pocketable.

I think the lens on the TVS III is sharper than any of the others, but this may be because I used it and more or less mastered technique with it, as I didn’t own any of the other three for long (perhaps a month or so each).

The TVS III Meter underexposes a very slight touch, and is more contrasty, which I really like.

So when it comes down to choice, go for the original TVS if you don’t want to blow a huge amount on a high quality precision beautifully made camera. it’s less than half the price of the TVS II and 1/3 of the price of the TVS III and 1/4 that of the T2, and gives you almost the same handling as the TVS II/T2 albeit with a smaller VF. Don’t get me wrong, the Viewfinder on the TVS isn’t small and dim – it’s big and bright, but not as big (or Huge as the T2 is) as the others.

The only reason to get the T2 would be if you need the extra Half a stop at 38mm, you want to shoot wide open and you want a HUGE finder, but be prepared to pay extra. In my experience, considering the focal length and speed, and the type of photography often done with such a camera, the T2 isn’t the best of these and it’s also not as versatile as the others. Oh, and it’s a tad faster than the others, to AF and generally.

My favourite was the TVS III, different enough to be a different class, as nicely built, bright big finder, seemingly sharper lens, more pleasing metering and far and away the coolest looking of the bunch. So I think the TVS III Wins the Kung Fu mash-up!

I shot a lot of Film on the TVS III, both Colour E6 and B&W, and here is only a selection. I didn’t shoot many rolls with the others, but enough for anyone to see that the results could be from any camera.

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