Yes, it all worked out. I'm now the owner of a Contax RTS III. And now come the follow-up costs: new lenses, new tripod, new gadgets and gizmos ...
First Impressions of the RTS III
So, first comments on the RTS III: what immediately appeals to me about the camera is its good haptics. Awkward word, but it simply feels good in the hand. Despite its weight and size. What I also really like is the very spontaneous reaction of the camera - no long hesitation, the camera fires up immediately and is ready again right away. The fast motor makes a big difference there. Speaking of the motor: the motor is surprisingly quiet, as is the mirror slap. I was really surprised how quiet the RTS III is, I had expected a much more aggressive noise. The fact that the motor has a very deep tone compared to other camera motors probably contributes to that, which doesn't get on your nerves as much. In direct comparison with a Minolta XG-M with external motor, it's definitely much quieter. Also great is that the camera can be used with standard AA cells, so you always have access to power, standard AA cells are basically available everywhere, even if you only have a gas station convenience store available.
What I don't like so much: the data back is rather embarrassing for a camera from the early 1990s - cameras could do much more back then. Besides, both aperture and shutter speed are already displayed in the viewfinder, so the data could also be exposed electronically - Contax could have realized the few lines needed to transmit the data to the data back, after all the vacuum back is also controlled this way.
Another point (rather minor, but noticeable) is the somewhat awkward mirror lock-up mechanism: the lever has to be pulled forward and works apparently mechanically. Of course that's good for power consumption, but it means you can't use it in hand, but really only from a tripod. The R8 found a much better solution there.
Another point is that the AE lock function is only available on the lever around the power switch - a half press on the shutter release would actually be more practical. But that's an old criticism of Contax cameras, only newer models have found a better solution there (the N1, for example).
Also not so happy with the display of exposure compensation in the viewfinder, where only a + or a - is shown. Since the RTS III has a light scale in the viewfinder for the preflash function, in my opinion this should have also been used for displaying the exposure compensation.
But these points are rather minor, the normal operation of the camera is very logical and the fact that the manual is rather poor is not very bothersome, since you find almost all functions right away.
What's important now are the results. I've already exposed one film in Hamburg, started a second one and it will be full in the next few days. Let's see what comes out, I hope the camera lives up to what it promises.
What I also still need are new lenses - not all functions are usable with the AE lenses, precisely because they lack aperture control. That's not critical since I usually work with shutter priority anyway, but the RTS III has such a really nice aperture priority mode with safety shift that I'd like to use.
What happens with the aperture priority mode is this: you set a shutter speed and a maximum aperture value that the automation is allowed to set (normally the smallest aperture marked in green, but here you can also restrict the camera to wider apertures). If the camera can now correctly set the exposure with the aperture without any problems, it does that. But as soon as the aperture adjustment isn't sufficient, the shutter speed is automatically adjusted accordingly. This allows you to use the RTS III with simple programmed controls, even if it only has aperture priority.
For my style of photography that's ideal: I usually set a shutter speed that corresponds to the focal length and control the exposure with aperture values in the range of open aperture + 2 stops (I like to have as shallow a depth of field as possible for my images). With the aperture priority with safety shift I get exactly what I want this way, normally the shutter speed will be where I need it, only in an emergency is it adjusted.
Another highlight is the flash metering technology of the RTS III: you can couple any flashes with the camera, even multiple ones in the studio, for example. These flashes can be set to their power values normally manually. You then take a preflash with a special lever on the camera, all flashes are triggered, the exposure is measured and locked. The deviation from correct exposure is displayed in the viewfinder on a light scale. You can correct the exposure over the aperture to the optimal value, when you release the set shutter speed and aperture are used, the image is correctly exposed. Great technology.
Another nice detail is the AE lock function: it stores the EV value, not the shutter speed. After the lock you can adjust the other value via the aperture or shutter speed setting, so you have a shift at metered value storage.