Contax RTS 35mm body 085835 and following lenses:
• (in Nikon case) Carl Zeiss, Planar 1,4/50 T* serial#6025659
• Yashica ML Fish-Eye, 15mm 1:2.8 serial#A1600321
• (in leather Contax bag) Carl Zeiss, Sonnar 2,8/135 T* serial# – 6142658
• Kenko Teleplus 2X CX serial#5210261
• Yashica ML Zoom 80-200mm 1:4 serial# A7910525
Nikon Nikomat 35mm body serial# FT 3577271 along with the following lenses:
• Nikkor-H Auto 1:2 f=50mm Nippon Kogaku Japan serial#810180
• Tokina AT-X 35-200mm 1:3.5-4.5 067 serial#8303696
• Tokina AT-X 28-135mm 1:4-4.6 067 serial#8302792
• Soligor Auto Zoom 70-222mm F:3.5 Macro 67 serial#3788201
• Nikkor-H Auto 1:1.8 f=85mm serial#262317
• Nikon Lens Series E 50mm 1:1.8 serial#1759567 (it is the only lens that has a tiny scratch)
• Nikon Pro-Multi Coated Auto Tele-Converter 2X for Nikon AI
Congrats, there are some real gems there. Your old folks must have spent a fortune on this back in the days. I've always dreamt about an RTS body, that's a very nice camera.
As an overall remark, the two T* lenses are stunning, and worth working on. The Nikkor lenses are average, and fairly aged. The OEM branded zooms are fun to play around with, but don't expect great quality. If you buy a Nikon DSLR you'd get an AF zoom bundled, that would be much more user friendly and sensible to use.
For all things Nikon, this is the ultimate chart:
http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html#chartIf you look into the AI column of the DSLR cameras, you'll see the remark MF4, which you'll want to avoid. This means that the body doesn't support any metering.
If you have the money, go for a D2(x varieties), D200 or D300 (new, not listed in the chart). If you're strapped for cash, a D40(x) gives you access to non-AI (Nikkor H) lenses at least.
Summary: you can use the lenses, but I don't see much reason to do it, IMHO.
A) The zooms quality will be inferior to any later AF-D zoom. B) The lack of metering for the Nikkor H will drive you nuts in a field situation, unless you're very patient. Maybe for studio work or in an otherwise "controlled" environment, doing macro photography etc. But I wouldn't bring them to a concert.
Here's a chart over which lenses are AI or not:
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.htmlFor the Contax lenses, you can fit them on a Canon or a Olympus DSLR, but only with an adapter, and there are some limitations to the results:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic2/306575http://www.dslrexchange.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-310.htmlSince I haven't tried the adapter way myself, I can't judge whether this would be as user friendly as the Nikon system, but I doubt it, after reading the thread...
I'd say, keep the Contax system just for shooting film, esp with the super sharp T* lenses.
If you sell the Contax system, you'll have enough cash to get a Nikon body...
/Jan