One important difference between the Leica Minlux/Contax T2, and Leica CM/Contax T3

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来源 photo.net

One important difference between the Leica Minlux/Contax T2, and Leica CM/Contax T3, is - the flash output on the latter cameras is related to aperture as well as focussing distance. With the Minlux and T2 the flash always fires at full power, and a suitable aperture is set according to focus distance. This gives accurate flash exposures (assuming you focus correctly!) regardless of subject reflectivity, but can lead to dark backgrounds as the camera has to set a small aperture if you're close to your subject. Suppose you manually set f2.4 on the Minilux and photograph something at (say) 1m distance using flash, the shutter itself acts as an aperture diaphragm and overides your selected aperture to prevent over-exposure. With the CM and T3, flash output is again related to focus distance, but the chosen aperture is also factored in. To demonstrate this, try taking a test shot at full aperture with a CM or T3 using flash, and note the brightness of the light. Then, (keeping focus distance identical), take a second shot at f8; you'll immediately see the increase in flash output. The result is that flash shots (especially those taken outdoors at close range) look more natural with the CM and T3. The Ricoh GR-1's flash works in a similar way to the Minilux/T2, but it's output is so weak it tends to underexpose unless you use very fast film. It's my only criticism of what is otherwise a very good camera. One other important Minilux/T2 CM/T3 difference is that the earlier cameras have active (infra-red) autofocus, whereas the newer cameras use passive autofocus - and therefore need a focus assist light. Both the Minilux and T2 can focus accurately in near darkness and on plain surfaces - though not to infinity of course - making them great for low-light work.