Contax T2: A Real Blast or Just Pure Hype?

Let's get one thing out of the way.

Yes, the Contax T2 is hyped.

Very hyped.

At some point the little titanium camera went from being a really good high-end 35mm point & shoot to becoming the camera to own. Celebrities got involved, prices went nuts and suddenly everyone seemed to have a T2 in their pocket.

So the obvious question is:

Is it actually that good?

Short answer:

Yeah. But maybe not for the reasons you think.

It's a very nice little camera

The first thing you notice when you pick up a T2 is the build.

It's small, solid and properly over-engineered. The body is titanium, the lens disappears neatly into the camera when it's switched off, and basically everything feels much more expensive than your average 1990s compact.

It also has that very satisfying little click when you turn it on and the lens pops out.

It's the kind of camera that makes you want to carry it around before you've even put film in it.

But we're not here to admire it on a shelf.

Let's shoot some film.

The lens is the real deal

This is where the T2 earns a lot of its reputation.

The camera has a fixed Carl Zeiss Sonnar 38mm f/2.8 T* lens, and honestly, it's excellent. It's sharp, contrasty and produces the kind of negatives that make you understand why people have been obsessing over this camera for decades.

Is it magic?

No.

It's still a 38mm lens on a compact 35mm camera.

But for a point & shoot, it's seriously good.

And that's probably the most important thing about the T2. You can argue about the titanium body, the price, the celebrity hype and all the little design decisions.

The lens is much harder to argue with.

Point & shoot, but not really

The T2 looks like a point & shoot.

And you can absolutely use it like one.

Turn it on, leave it in autofocus, let the camera choose the exposure and just shoot.

But there's more going on if you want it.

You get aperture priority, manual focusing, exposure compensation, flash control and exposure lock, so you can actually make decisions instead of handing everything over to the camera.

The autofocus is quick, too.

And the manual focus is surprisingly useful once you get used to it, although it's definitely not something we'd choose when things are moving quickly. The camera focuses from around 70cm to infinity, so don't expect to get right up in someone's face.

The viewfinder is actually pretty nice

For a compact camera, the T2 has a surprisingly good viewfinder.

It's bright, clean and gives you useful information while you're shooting, including the shutter speed and focus status.

The camera also continuously meters while it's switched on, which is a really nice little feature. You can point it around a scene and get an immediate sense of what the camera wants to do before you actually take the picture.

It's one of those details you don't necessarily appreciate until you've shot a few rolls with it.

Then you start wondering why every compact doesn't work this way.

But it isn't perfect

Here's where we're going to ruin the party a little.

The T2 has some quirks.

The 70cm minimum focusing distance can be annoying if you're used to getting close to your subjects. The manual focus is useful, but it's fiddly enough that we wouldn't want to rely on it for fast-moving subjects.

The aperture controls are also a little weird. The camera's f/2.8 setting is tied to Program mode, so you can't always force the lens to shoot wide open when you want to.

And then there's the price.

That's probably the biggest problem with the T2.

You're paying a lot of money for a camera that, fundamentally, still takes photographs on the same little piece of 35mm film as a €100 compact.

So why does everyone want one?

Because it's a really good combination of things.

It's small.

It's beautiful.

It's well made.

The lens is excellent.

The autofocus is quick.

The controls are simple enough that you don't need to read a manual every time you leave the house.

And when you want to take more control, you can.

That's a pretty killer combination.

But here's the important bit:

The T2 doesn't make you a better photographer.

It doesn't magically make your photographs look like the photographs you saw online.

It doesn't know when the light is perfect.

It doesn't know when your friend is about to do something funny.

It doesn't have the magic Instagram filter built into the lens.

It's just a very, very good camera.

Hype or blast?

Honestly?

Both.

The hype is real.

But so is the camera.

If you already have a T2, enjoy it. Put some film through it instead of keeping it in a drawer because you're worried about scratching the titanium.

If you're thinking about buying one, just don't convince yourself that you need one.

There are loads of fantastic 35mm compacts out there that cost considerably less. Some of them might actually suit the way you shoot better.

The T2 is expensive because it's desirable, beautifully made and genuinely very good.

But at the end of the day, the best camera is still the one you actually take pictures with.

So if you've got the money and you like the T2?

Go for it.

If you don't?

Don't worry.

There are plenty of other little cameras waiting to ruin your wallet.

All photographs by Davide Soldarini.