Contax G2 CLA

I sent my G1 to KEH, I was the one who started the thread refered to above. They were quick and good, but after a few months the camera started having the same problems. I still have the body as I would not sell it in the condition it is in. Not fun having half a roll of blank frames from the shutter never opening.
 
Keep in mind there is essentially nothing in a ContaxG to clean, nothing to lubricate, and nothing to adjust. There is no rangefinder to align. The shutter is electronic. The film advance is a piezo motor, not gears. And, the focus mechanism is a piezo motor, not a helicoid. You are hard pressed to find any actual mechanical parts in there. There is nothing adjustable.

My ContaxG bodies have been to Kyrocera once back when they serviced direct and once to TOCAD. Today, I believe both problems were user perceived and not actual.

Electronic problems are possible, even intermittent ones. But that is cured by replacing a faulty board or component.
 
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Bob Michaels said:
Keep in mind there is essentially nothing in a ContaxG to clean, nothing to lubricate, and nothing to adjust. There is no rangefinder to align.
Click to expand...

Hmmm . . . I hope the viewfinder can be adjusted. The one on my G2 was suddenly rotated about 15 degrees clockwise. Didn't drop it, don't recall any impact . . . just took it out of the case one day and . . . tilt!!

Called Tocad and was told they charge a flat rate of US$174 for G2 bodies. Since the repair is limited to just one element of my camera I was hoping to get it done for less but the trend amongst servicers is clear; prix fixe. 🙁
 
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scottgee1 said:
Hmmm . . . I hope the viewfinder can be adjusted. The one on my G2 was suddenly rotated about 15 degrees clockwise. Didn't drop it, don't recall any impact . . . just took it out of the case one day and . . . tilt!!

Called Tocad and was told they charge a flat rate of US$174 for G2 bodies. Since the repair is limited to just one element of the camera I was hoping to get it done for less but the trend amongst servicers is clear; prix fixe. 🙁
Click to expand...

It certainly sounds like your viewfinder has become loose and needs to be mechanically reconnected or tightened.

Is there a local camera repair guy in your area? Ask the local pros who services their cameras. Most repair guys do not advertise but stay busy servicing heavy duty shooters. I would imagine this is a simple mechanical repair than any competent repair person could handle quickly and inexpensively.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Keep in mind there is essentially nothing in a ContaxG to clean, nothing to lubricate, and nothing to adjust...Today, I believe both problems were user perceived and not actual.
Electronic problems are possible, even intermittent ones. But that is cured by replacing a faulty board or component.
Click to expand...

I second that. Over the last 6 years I had at least 50 G1/G2s come through my hands. Only one had a real problem with a shutter, not counting things like dust in the viewfinder, or so. The rest were just perceived by the owners to have some problem. (In one G2 the owner complained of strange thick line in his pictures. It was his strap getting in front of the lens.)
 
Well, I know my problem is not just "perceived"; my regular service guy had a look at it, confirmed the problem, took the top off and when he couldn't find anything obvious/mechanical wrong, closed it back up because he doesn't have a service manual and can't get parts.

May seem like an obvious question but . . . Rangefinder 35, do you service these? Any idea what might cause rotation of the image in the VF?
 
scottgee1 said:
Well, I know my problem is not just "perceived"; my regular service guy had a look at it, confirmed the problem, took the top off and when he couldn't find anything obvious/mechanical wrong, closed it back up because he doesn't have a service manual and can't get parts.

May seem like an obvious question but . . . Rangefinder 35, do you service these? Any idea what might cause rotation of the image in the VF?
Click to expand...

I had the same problem with my G2 about 2 years ago. It was slanted only about 10% to one side. I was not able to find a service for it but luckily I was able to buy a copy of the original repair manual at e-bay. Following the exact description I was able to repair the viewfinder myself. It is not the easiest task - due to the fact, that it is not easy to strip the camera from its cover. But the viewfinder alignment was just a case of inserting some self-made shims (made of plastic foil) under one screw. You have to check the alignment optically against a test chart also provided with the manual.

Andrej
 
Andrej, this is extremely helpful information! I too will have to find a copy of the manual -- though I may ask my regular repair person to do the work . . .

Cheers!/Scott
 
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