How Porsche, Carl Zeiss and Yashica teamed up in secret to build the legendary Contax RTS camera after Pentax walked away
“Top Secret Project 130”: The forgotten 1970s scheme that completely changed camera history
In the late 1960s, West German firm Carl Zeiss faced challenges as it lost its Contax camera business due to the split of Germany following World War II. The company's high labor costs made it unable to compete with budget 35mm SLR systems. Japanese manufacturers, such as Pentax, Nikon, Canon, and Minolta, were dominating the market.
Asahi Optical, a Japanese SLR manufacturer, produced a successful Pentax Spotmatic camera, which led to a collaboration between Zeiss and Asahi. This partnership resulted in the development of the Pentax K-mount and the exchange of optical design methods. However, the collaboration ended when Pentax prioritized its own brand growth and Zeiss desired greater control over the camera system.
Meanwhile, Yashica, another Japanese company, aimed to expand into the professional market. Recognizing the need for a new professional camera system, Yashica partnered with Carl Zeiss in a secret project known as "Top Secret Project 130." Zeiss designed the lenses and optical viewfinder, while Yashica handled the body manufacturing, integrating advanced electronic shutter technology.
The resulting camera, the Contax RTS (Real Time System), was introduced at Photokina 1974 and released commercially in 1975. It featured a new Contax/Yashica bayonet lens mount, an electronically controlled focal-plane shutter with speeds up to 1/2000 sec, and Zeiss T* coated lenses for superior optical performance. Yashica's lenses, such as the Yashica FR (1977-1982) and FX (1978-2002) series, catered to a more budget-conscious market.
The RTS was followed by the RTS II (1982) with a quartz-controlled shutter, titanium shutter curtains, and TTL flash metering. In 1990, the RTS III appeared, introducing a deeper grip, 100% viewfinder, 1/8000 sec shutter, spot metering, and the innovative RTV (Real Time Vacuum) film transport system. The exact production numbers remain unclear, but estimates suggest between 185,000 to 235,000 RTS series cameras were manufactured.
Despite the collaboration's success, several mysteries remain. The term "Top Secret Project 130" was never used in marketing, and the significance of the number 130 remains unknown. Additionally, the Yashica FX-3, initially intended for newcomers, was produced by Cosina rather than Yashica, while the existence of a rumored secret room for German quality control checks remains unconfirmed.
The collaboration lasted for 30 years until Kyocera discontinued all camera and lens production in 2005, ending the Contax brand license.
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