Contax's pro flagship SLR — the RTS III, aperture-priority auto, Zeiss C/Y mount, 1990.
The Contax RTS III was the top professional 35mm film SLR in the Contax line, built for the Contax/Yashica bayonet and designed around Carl Zeiss T* lenses. It sat at the head of the RTS series, which had run from the original RTS of 1975, and was aimed at working photographers who wanted Zeiss optics with a fully featured electronic body. It was made in Japan by Kyocera and remained a flagship through the 1990s.
It is a 35mm single-lens-reflex camera using the Contax/Yashica mount. The vertical-travel focal-plane shutter runs to a fast top speed with electronic timing, so the body depends on its battery to fire across most of its range. Metering is TTL centre-weighted and spot, and exposure modes cover manual and aperture-priority automatic. A distinctive feature is the vacuum ceramic pressure plate, which flattens the film against a reference plane; the finder shows a large viewing area with dedicated readouts. Because timing is electronic, a good power source is needed for correct operation.
This body suits professional and serious enthusiast use where Zeiss lens rendering matters, including portrait, landscape and general studio or location work. It is larger and heavier than the mid-range Contax bodies, and its controls and readouts are laid out for photographers who want direct access to metering patterns and exposure information rather than a compact travel kit.
On the used market, check the electronics and LCD first: confirm the meter, shutter speeds and displays respond correctly and that the vacuum pressure-plate mechanism works. Inspect foam light seals and mirror-damper foam, which perish with age, and verify shutter accuracy with no capping across speeds. Test film advance and rewind, confirm the finder is clear of prism haze, and check the battery type and that the camera powers up reliably, since an electronic body will not operate with dead cells.