C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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slr-35mm
The Contax ST, introduced in 1992, was positioned as a capable mid-range body within the Contax C/Y SLR lineup - offering a more accessible price than the top-tier RTS III while retaining a notable feature from that flagship: a vacuum film-flattening system that held the film plane flat against the pressure plate using a small pump. This system, called the Real Time Vacuum (RTV) system on the RTS III, was implemented in a simplified form on the ST to improve film-plane flatness and therefore sharpness across the frame. The ST provided four exposure modes (manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and program) alongside a center-weighted silicon meter with a quoted range down to EV 0. It took Carl Zeiss T* optics through the standard C/Y mount.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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About this camera
Contax's 1992 mid-range SLR with multi-mode AE and a vacuum film-flattening system inherited from the RTS III.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Contax/Yashica (C/Y) |
| Years | 1992 – ~1998 |
| Shutter | 30s – 1/4000s + B, electronic vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/200s |
| Meter | Center-weighted silicon |
| EV range | ~EV 0 – EV 20 |
| Modes | Manual, Aperture, Shutter, Program |
| Weight | ~560 g |
| Battery | 2x CR2 |
| Film flattening | Vacuum system (simplified RTV) |
Kyocera introduced the ST in 1992 alongside the Contax S2, a deliberate split in philosophy: the S2 targeted photographers who wanted a traditional mechanical-shutter camera, while the ST was aimed at those wanting modern automation. The ST slotted between the 167MT (1986) and the RTS III (1990) in terms of features, taking the vacuum film-flattening concept from the flagship and bringing it to a lower price tier. The RX (1994) eventually succeeded the ST as the mid-range automated option, adding spot metering and an improved finder, while the Aria (1998) later served as the compact entry option. The ST's production run of approximately six years overlapped with the RX for a period.
The ST's primary claim to distinction is the vacuum film-flattening system. Film curl and buckling under heat or humidity can measurably degrade sharpness, particularly at the edges of the frame. The RTS III's Real Time Vacuum system addressed this with a pump that evacuated air between the film and the pressure plate. The ST carried a simplified version of this system, making genuine film-plane control available at mid-range pricing for the first time in the Contax lineup.
For contemporary film photographers the ST represents a capable all-mode Contax body at a price meaningfully below the RTS III and with a mechanical edge - the film flattening - that no equivalent Canon or Nikon body in the same era offered. The 1/200s flash sync is a modest step below the 167MT's 1/250s, a point to note for fill-flash work.
Full Contax/Yashica (C/Y) mount compatibility. Typical pairings:
The Contax TLA series of flashguns provided TTL metering. A databack was available. An external winder (Contax Winder ST) provided up to approximately 2 fps.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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