imokruok
Well-known
Hi everybody. I wanted to make a quick intro since I'm very new to this forum. I've lurked for a long time, though!
Anyhow, I've been watching a number of G2 kits on eBay going for higher than usual prices, so I decided I had to jump into the market before things got out of hand. I got myself a very nice kit from a store in LA today after calling around and getting lucky with someone else's recent trade-in. It's a G2 in black with the GD-2 data back, and the 28/45/90 lenses, hoods, and pouches. Even came with the Contax case! (Data back was a nice surprise since the store didn't even mention it when I called them.)
I've got to say, what a solid camera. I have a Nikon N90s body that feels like it's made by Fisher Price compared to this thing. It's got serious heft, the glass is gorgeous, and the AF is quiet and fast. It just makes me feel a little disappointed, since I don't know of any other AF rangefinders out there - at least on the film side - so there's nothing to upgrade to 5 or 10 years from now! At least I'll be able to use the glass on a m4/3 camera with an adapter.
Speaking of the glass, here's my question. The glass is unscratched, but this camera and lenses were definitely used. I've done a thorough job of cleaning the exterior of the lenses to perfection, but in the 45mm, there is a dust fleck nearly right in the middle of the outer element - on the *inside.* I haven't run a roll of film through the camera yet, but in my experience, the fleck is large enough that it will be noticeable.
I have never taken apart a lens before, and have no desire to start with a Zeiss unless it's supremely easy to do. Is there any good place to send a Zeiss lens for cleaning? Can it even be done with these lenses? Or will cleaning be expensive enough that I should just look for an orphan 45mm on eBay?
Thanks for your help. After getting through a few weeks of tough work ahead this month, I hope to have the time to do some shooting and posting of images.
Anyhow, I've been watching a number of G2 kits on eBay going for higher than usual prices, so I decided I had to jump into the market before things got out of hand. I got myself a very nice kit from a store in LA today after calling around and getting lucky with someone else's recent trade-in. It's a G2 in black with the GD-2 data back, and the 28/45/90 lenses, hoods, and pouches. Even came with the Contax case! (Data back was a nice surprise since the store didn't even mention it when I called them.)
I've got to say, what a solid camera. I have a Nikon N90s body that feels like it's made by Fisher Price compared to this thing. It's got serious heft, the glass is gorgeous, and the AF is quiet and fast. It just makes me feel a little disappointed, since I don't know of any other AF rangefinders out there - at least on the film side - so there's nothing to upgrade to 5 or 10 years from now! At least I'll be able to use the glass on a m4/3 camera with an adapter.
Speaking of the glass, here's my question. The glass is unscratched, but this camera and lenses were definitely used. I've done a thorough job of cleaning the exterior of the lenses to perfection, but in the 45mm, there is a dust fleck nearly right in the middle of the outer element - on the *inside.* I haven't run a roll of film through the camera yet, but in my experience, the fleck is large enough that it will be noticeable.
I have never taken apart a lens before, and have no desire to start with a Zeiss unless it's supremely easy to do. Is there any good place to send a Zeiss lens for cleaning? Can it even be done with these lenses? Or will cleaning be expensive enough that I should just look for an orphan 45mm on eBay?
Thanks for your help. After getting through a few weeks of tough work ahead this month, I hope to have the time to do some shooting and posting of images.
