Contax 137 MD Quartz .1980 – 1982

The Quartz in the name refers to the fact that the horizontal-travel cloth shutter curtain is quartz timed. It’s also got an electromagnetic shutter release (very soft and smooth). All mechanical functions are controlled by micro-motors, so it doesn’t work at all without batteries fitted. The Contax 137 MD offered an aperture preferred automatic exposure with centre-weighted metering. The only directly selectable shutter speeds are 1/60th sec., (X-sync) and B. The camera selected shutter speed appears in a vertical bank of LEDs on the right side of the viewfinder display. The lens aperture and frame number are also displayed in the viewfinder. There is an AE Lock (which locks the shutter speed setting in memory, regardless of subsequent changes in light levels), an exposure compensation dial, a depth of field preview button, an electronic self-timer and a second meter cell for dedicated TTL flash.