‘Top Secret Project 130’, a collaboration with Carl Zeiss to produce a new, professional 35mm SLR with an electronically-controlled shutter, bearing the Contax brand name. A new prestige line of Yashica / Contax lenses designed by Carl Zeiss were introduced for the camera, with a common C/Y bayonet mount allowing lens interchange between all 35mm Contax and Yashica SLR models - an innovation that was to prove very popular with camera buyers.
1974:
Contax RTS (“Real Time System”) 35mm SLR - high end expensive version while the subsequent Yashica models over the next decade, although based on the Contax, targeted a more affordable range for the serious amateur.
1975:
Yashica FX-1 35mm SLR with C/Y mount;
1976:
Yashica FX-2 35mm SLR with C/Y mount;
Yashica FR 35mm SLR with C/Y mount:
based in part on the Contax RTS design, was a more affordable manual-exposure, electronically-controlled camera.
1977:
Yashica FR-I 35mm SLR - manual and auto exposure
Yashica FR-II 35mm SLR - auto exposure only
1979:
Yashica FX-3 35mm SLR - entry level manual exposure only; developed by Yashica but made by Cosina
Contax 139 Quartz:
mid-range series with less features than the pro series (the RTS models).
quartz timed shutter speeds for improved accuracy
TTL flash with x-sync at 1/100th sec; CW aperture priority and manual exposure;
Contax RXII - Same all-metal body but DFI feature removed;
1996:
Contax AX - Auto-focus by moving the film plane but body bigger;
1998:
Contax Aria - a smaller SLR designed especially for women; uses an infrared sensor to count the sprocket holes, so you cannot use infrared film in it.; spot meter; flash synch at 1/125;
Contax S2b - an S2 with titanium body and black paint
Kyocera created a new Contax N series 35mm SLR with new autofocus N mount which was not backwardly compatible with C/Y lenses which thus failed as most wanting AF moved to Canon or Nikon cameras.
2005:
Kyocera discontinues production of all Yashica, Contax and Kyocera branded film and digital cameras.