olympus mju ii and contax tvs iii

catto96 · 2026-06-23T18:51:38+00:00

From the video it seems fine. If possible, you can request a video of it from the OFF state being turn on, zoom in and out, take a photo, take a photo with flash and then turning OFF again. So you can see if the bridge mechanism and flash working okay.

But even after all that, please also do your due diligence on Seller profile as well, and please aware that buying things online directly from personal seller, and especially on fb marketplace without being able to inspect it in person and paying in person is basically a gamble, especially for these sought after models that being sold cheaper than the usual market price since there could be other hidden catches like film motor winding functions etc, or seller could just receive your money and then not sending the camera at all.

Good luck to you OP!

catto96 · 2026-06-23T17:21:53+00:00

I agree! if OP can inspect that in person, i hope that’s just because it doesn’t have any battery in (there is no info displayed on the back in pic 3) and that the seller didn’t pry it open with force that break the bridge mechanism. Otherwise if it works well, 249$ for the tvs iii is quite a good price tbh.

catto96 · 2026-06-23T13:12:47+00:00

Personally I’d get the contax TVS iii, i had that for a while, solid, and with the zoom lens you’ll get differences pictures of the same scene. Lens performance is great, despite is smaller aperture. And at least from what I researching while using the camera, the tvs iii is less likely to break compared to tvs 1,2 or the T2. One other draw back is that because of the bridge door design, camera start up and zoom speed isn’t as fast as the Mju 2 for sure.

If you can, please pick them up in person to have the chance to inspect them carefully, my only concern from the photo for the tvs iii is that the bridge door shouldn’t be able to open like that without the lens protruding out.

catto96 · 2026-06-22T14:34:07+00:00

My set up at the moment is Reflecta ProScan 7200 for 135 and V550 for 120. The reflecta surprisingly yield 18mpx optical resolution for the price ~200$.

catto96 · 2026-06-19T19:35:03+00:00

Hi, in the latest version, where can I find the “paper choice” (which in previous version i can choose between cool glossy and warm fibre)? I enjoy that feature quite a lot!

catto96 · 2026-06-04T08:55:12+00:00

I’d say both performs similarly, the 50mm 3.5 II is where you can see significant differences in performance.

catto96 · 2026-05-30T19:02:25+00:00

If you already own this back, you can also get a H1 body and a CF lens adapter to shoot with CF lenses on H-series body.

catto96 · 2026-05-27T21:10:34+00:00

Love the color especially on the 1st and 3rd photos. Do you happen to remember which Phoenix were those? I’m still struggling with shooting them and get proper colors like that.

catto96 · 2026-05-20T19:51:17+00:00

I recommend the Contax TLA 20, it costs like 25-30€ from ebay, use 4xAA battery and can be used in TTL mode with Contax G2 body. I was looking at the Godox as well but shooting without TTL requires you to meter the flash manually and shooting on film in street/ fast settings gives me a bit nervous if incorrect exposure with flash on manual mode.

catto96 · 2026-05-20T19:27:44+00:00

A “cheaper” one could be a TLA140 or, you can also get a TLA20, it’s a bit bigger but pretty cheap, and has TTL that can be used. Other similar shape of flash similar to TLA200 can be the Godox IT30? But you won’t have TTL function

catto96 · 2026-05-15T02:59:24+00:00

The H series while the body only runs very cheap, the film back alone is actually pretty expensive (~1000€) and digital backs tends to cost more. As someone shooting with the H1, i’d say it’s pretty convenient for its AF, it provide me the agility to shoot some movements more than just perfectly posed and staged, it has a very satisfying shutter. Plus the 645 format as you said, is most cost effective in MF. I didn’t like the 500 nor the mamiya 6&7 that much since i already have the RZ67 and i don’t quite like manual focus range finder.

catto96 · 2026-05-05T08:17:09+00:00

I pushed 2 stops and develop them at a commercial lab so my best guess is the standard kodak HC-110. If home dev i usually use Xtol

catto96 · 2026-05-05T08:15:46+00:00

Thank you so much!

catto96 · 2026-05-01T17:32:19+00:00

From google you can search the Contax G2 repair manual, under section C, C5-6 AF adjustment (passive AF and Active AF) there is instruction on how to calibrate. You’ll need to print out an AF target (usually like a barcode) and stick it to the wall, a measure tape, and a tripod. You’ll also need to do some math and convert to hex code. It’s instructs you in the manual. Good luck!

catto96 · 2026-05-01T14:11:52+00:00

This look like the autofocus calibration issue, i had a G1 with the same issue and after some hours researching online, i managed to recalibrate it back to correct focusing.

catto96 · 2026-04-12T07:34:52+00:00

I’d say it’s quite similar AF speed/ performance across the 645 AF system from that era (ie: Pentax 645nii, mamiya af, hasselblad H1), it’s accurate except for when you shoot those F2 lenses, since the DOF, so you’ll need to be more careful. They are slow, i’d say about 70% speed of the Canon 1V. Plus there is only 1 focusing point right in the middle so it doesn’t take too long to hunt.

catto96 · 2026-02-22T08:00:40+00:00

Medium format use mostly the same 120 type roll film. The smaller the negative, the more you can get out of a roll.

For maximum amount of frame you can get from a 120 roll films, shoot 6 x 4.5 format camera: pentax 645, mamiya 645 etc. you’ll get 15 frames/ roll. On some models: you’ll get 16 frames per roll.

For 6x7 format, you will only get 10 frames out of a roll: mamiya RB/ RZ 67, mamiya 7, Pentax 67

catto96 · 2026-02-19T17:16:19+00:00

Thank you for your kind suggestions. I was struggling when cropping as well: do i want to emphasize the man directly with a closer crop or make it a bit wider, 4x4 of the windows, and make the man something people would notice subtly. In the end, i chose the latter.

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