Contax G system

What do you all think of the weight of the G2? I had a chance to handle one with the 28mm f/2.8 and it seemed noticeably heavier than the Fuji X-series gear that I'm used to. I was thinking of getting the G1 instead because it's a little lighter (and a lot less expensive).

Thank you,
Robert
 
Robert, lots of old threads on RFF on G1 vs G2, if you care to dig. The G2 has the better specs, but I use the G1 all the time because of the lighter weight. Never had an issue with focusing even the 90 with the G1. Since, for me, the G1 (and a more capable Nikon) is my camera for flash, I'd rather have the higher synch speed of the G2, but neither is exceptional at flash anyway... they are just better than film Ms, which tend to be available light cameras for me.
 
I got one and googled "rangefinder cameras" to learn a little more about it which brought me to this site. I found the camera to be the sexiest thing I had ever held in my hand. Well second to you know..... Anyway the camera is gone, I didn't have the patience for film anymore, but RFF remains.
 
It's a beautiful camera, capable of absolutely stunning results. I think it is a thing of beauty - if Apple ever made a camera, it would look something like this. Forget using manual focusing, you can do it, but it is clunky and the system was not designed for it as a main feature. The other camera that comes close is the Konica Hexar, which is of course manual focusing. Think of the G series as an elaborate point and shoot.
 
I've dug -- extensively. Read a lot about G2s and G1s. People comment on the lighter weight of the G1,but few comment on the heaviness of the G2 in relation to modern cameras.

I'm an old film shooter so I recall how heavy film SLRs had become. Nowadays, I'm shooting with an XT-2, so my starting reference point is a 15 oz camera.


froyd said:
Robert, lots of old threads on RFF on G1 vs G2, if you care to dig. The G2 has the better specs, but I use the G1 all the time because of the lighter weight. Never had an issue with focusing even the 90 with the G1. Since, for me, the G1 (and a more capable Nikon) is my camera for flash, I'd rather have the higher synch speed of the G2, but neither is exceptional at flash anyway... they are just better than film Ms, which tend to be available light cameras for me.
Click to expand...
 
Wow thanks for all the great replies - so glad there is some shared enthusiasm

Naursutis - I shall have the accessory viewfinder with the 21mm, which is good as I have a thing for accessory finders.

As to the lens I leave behind when I go to India it will probably be the 90. I definitely will take the 45 and 28 as I expect these to be the two I shall use for 90% of shots, and for the odd something different I expect it will be the 21. I'm not really a telephoto guy, even a short tele guy. I'm glad I have the 90 in the kit, but I'm pretty sure it will end up the least used in the collection.

Soon I shall review the first negatives taken using the 28, 45 and 90 which might inform my decision more....
 
About the accessory finder.... It can feel a bit loose when mounted on the camera. There may be a thread on the subject somewhere here on RFF; as I recall some folks have experienced it slipping out of the shoe and dropping it to the floor. I shimmed mine tighter with a small square of film stock, and just leave it on the camera regardless of what lens I'm using.
 
Take your 90 with you to India - it's a good lens for slightly long shots in markets and other such public places, and you can park yourself in the welcome shade and photograph not too distant street scenes with it on hot hot Indian days. Even if you use it only once or twice, it will have repaid you for the small effort involved, as it weighs very little.

My Contax G1 kit (one camera, five lenses, hoods and filters, a small tripod, film) fits into a quite small camera travel bag (its brand name is 'Space' which I can carry quite easily at the bottom of my backpack Doesn't weigh much. If I take a second G1, I usually wrap it in a hand towel and put that in a plastic bag in the backpack. Often as not one of the two G1s will be round my neck anyway. So it's no bother to travel even with two G1s.

In all, a minimalist outfit. I have Contax G UVs on all my lenses, Contax also made a yellow filter (and possibly other colors) for B&W but to date I haven't found one for sale in Australia or Asia.

I use a cheap adapter for my Nikon 52mms to the Contax 46mm (I think - someone please advise if I'm wrong) thread, carrying a bunch of Nikon filters does add to the overall kit weight but not by much. My B&W shooting style relies mostly on a light yellow filter anyway so that always suffices for my needs in the field. Another useful filter would be the orange. I don't use a polariser, if you do some mental readjustment will come into play.

Some photographers I know are fanatical about their Gs. As others have written, learning to use it involves a somewhat different learning curve and the very detailed instruction manual is a great help. I also recall several good videos on YouTube which you may still be able to find if you search.

It's good to see a revived thread on the wonderful Contax Gs, it is a camera system well worth reviving. I hope others will join in.

(Added later) Apologies for the long unparagraphed rant - this is my third attempt to put in paragraph breaks (lines) but so far, no good. One more try before I give up...
 
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These Contax cameras are some of the nicest I've held and the image quality is top notch. All of my lenses performed wonderfully, the 21, 28, 45, and 90. My main build quality complaint was the strange way the lenses mounted. A few of my lenses liked to get stuck on the mount.

The G1's manual focusing wheel supposedly can be shimmed to have more resistance. It would make a nice hip shooter if it wasn't so easily bumped

I sold my kit after getting too many missed focused shots. I tried to stick with it and figure out the learning curve, but my miss rate remained consistent throughout my rolls. When the focus was on, the images were sharp and metering, accurate.
 
I've been thinking of a G2 and 28/45/90 kit for travel.

I already have a Fujifilm GA645i which is from the same era but, of course, fixed lens and larger format.

Can anyone help me by comparing the size, weight and handling of the two cameras?

Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The Contax g system is really great. Quite a different feel to the Ms but that's OK. The results are top notch from the lenses.

I Have the G1 (green label version -inside the film gate - which lets you use the 35mm and 21mm) and the G2 with 21, 28, 35, 90.


I really like the size of the G1, and the G2 has a couple of extra tricks like the second focus button.

One of the best bang for buck RF systems if you are comfortable with a degree of automation.
 
I suppose my niggle with buying a G2 now is the persistent worry about how long it can last now, these things don't last forever.

I suppose the counter-argument would then be to give up film photography, as no-one is going to produce such a good film camera again. The issue is that you have to invest in lenses which have no other use - only dedicated lenses for the G system.

rjstep3
 
If it fails, you just buy another body. Your lenses aren't affected.

rjstep3 said:
I suppose my niggle with buying a G2 now is the persistent worry about how long it can last now, these things don't last forever.

I suppose the counter-argument would then be to give up film photography, as no-one is going to produce such a good film camera again. The issue is that you have to invest in lenses which have no other use - only dedicated lenses for the G system.

rjstep3
Click to expand...
 
Can you share some thoughts about shooting with the G1 compared to G2? Differences in weight? AF and shutter responsiveness? Viewfinder?

Thank you,
Robert

jmilkins said:
The Contax g system is really great. Quite a different feel to the Ms but that's OK. The results are top notch from the lenses.

I Have the G1 (green label version -inside the film gate - which lets you use the 35mm and 21mm) and the G2 with 21, 28, 35, 90.


I really like the size of the G1, and the G2 has a couple of extra tricks like the second focus button.

One of the best bang for buck RF systems if you are comfortable with a degree of automation.
Click to expand...
 
Robert Ades said:
Can you share some thoughts about shooting with the G1 compared to G2? Differences in weight? AF and shutter responsiveness? Viewfinder?
Click to expand...

My choice was the G1 almost all the time having both a G1 and a G2 as my 35mm kit. The advantage of the G1 was its lighter weight. The only functional difference to me between the two was the G2 1/4000 shutter speed. Focusing and responsiveness always seemed the same to me. The finders are the same.

Internet lore says the G2 must be better because it costs more and is a later model, plus 2 is simply a higher number than 1. But using them as cameras rather than analyzing them, my choice was the G1.

I always thought the much more expensive black body cameras were only useful when used as a photo prop while you were the model wearing a white or cream colored suit. Behind the camera instead of in front of it, they were identical.
 
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