Newbie buys a rangefinder....oops!

[OurManInTangier]

Hello all,

I've just bought myself a Contax G1 with a 45mm f2 Carl Zeiss, though I imagine I'll also be on the lookout for a 28mm too.

I've never owned a rangefinder before and have used Nikon kit in my professional career so I'm looking forward to the joys and pitfalls I'll no doubt encounter. My real joy is documentary and street photography but its tough trying to get the shots with big old things like the F5 and D2X, hence the step into the unknown for me.

I found this site whilst researching what I could afford, given a Leica's a lot of money to someone who's never used one before. During my research I think I've had more questions enter my head than have been answered. Such as the 'issue' around the 'dodgy' manual focus and the green label/silver label thing.

So, until I've had a chance to run a few films through it, and realising I'm not asking specific questions, do any of you have any helpful tips for an SLR user who's a bit nervous that he's done the right thing.

Many Thanks....and I'll hopefully have something to report back and share soon.

😱

 

[kshapero]

From a former Nikon SLRer, allow the rangefinder to be your transparent friend. You can not do this with an F2AS or D200, just too damn big. Make a simple, quiet extension of your eye. get back to basics: focus, f-stop, shutter speed. Tune in the EV chart and flow.

 

[emraphoto]

contax g1...

contax g1...

a truly awesome little machine with equally awesome optics. i shot on g's for quite a while... my first and MOST IMPORTANT piece of advice for that camera in particular would be... READ the manual. read and re-read the section on focus and focus lock. make sure you fully understand how the camera focus works. many, and i mean many people get extremely frustrated with these machines as they do not take time to fully understand how they achieve focus. discussion groups and "reviews" are full of "out of focus complaints". they are tricky camera's to get used to BUT when you figure it all out you will be VERY pleased.
manual focus on the g's is equally tricky but with a little practice it becomes second nature...
good luck

 

[keoj]

I'll be redundant here and say "read the manual" again. Now that you've read the manual, this little beast has some of the best optics on the planet. I've heard the "it's just a P & S" comments before but this camera has the capabilty of producing some of the most accurate images on 35mm possible. Yes, I know it's no Leica (I've owned one of those as well), but I bought my entire kit (camera & three lenses) for less than a price of the other. It's a great camera, enjoy.

keoj

 

[OurManInTangier]

1st day with my G1...

1st day with my G1...

Thanks for the advice guys, thankfully I have had the sense to download the manual and am going through it for the second time now!

I went through a couple of rolls of Ilford Delta 400 this morning while the light was stunningly crisp, the 400 was the only film stock I had, and again later this afternoon - wow...is the G1 different to my Nikons!?!

It was great not to be seen coming or glared at for 'intruding' but I'm obviously going to have to get used to this bit of kit. I realised at one point that I'd knocked the exposure comp up two whole stops and had put the reading down to fading light. Serves me right.

Also had some trouble with the focus lock via depression of the shutter release, I found that if I took a reading, locked and then recomposed the reading changed - as you say, back to the manual and learn!

All in all I felt like a complete novice rather than someone who gets paid to do this everyday - scary but very interesting feeling...I would say liberating but I'd only open myself up to accusations of pretentiousness😀

Not expecting too much from these negs but looking forward to seeing the optical quality of the lense.

Anyway, thanks for the comments all have been taking on board!

 

[Ash]

If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you for 10% the value, and charge you only £5 for collection 😀

 

[kuvvy]

I went through a couple of rolls of Ilford Delta 400 this morning while the light was stunningly crisp, the 400 was the only film stock I had, and again later this afternoon - wow...is the G1 different to my Nikons!?!

I'll say it was crisp too and I'm 'up north'! Took my G2 for an outing to finish of the roll that was in it. Went to a local beauty spot that has a large lake and fired off the roll while walking around it. The sky was cloudless and a very nice shade of blue. Shot with the 28 but mainly the 90. Hopefully I've captured something worth putting in the gallery.

You'll enjoy the G1 I'm sure. A different experience from SLRs for sure. Having said that I've just offered mine to a member here.

 

[keoj]

I'm not sure of the specific button configuration on the G1, but on the G2 (and this was mentioned in a recent G2 thread) I always focus using the CAF/SAF/M button on the back. I then hold the lock and then push the shutter button. This allows me to make sure that focus is accuate prior to me pushing the shutter release (or worrying that I was only pushing it half way). This was a major usage change after I read about the technique from another user and was definitely one of the major "aha!" moments.

To review:
- Make sure that you have a good target (with distinct edges) in the focus brackets in the viewfinder that represents the distance that you are trying to achieve.
- Hit the CAF/SAF/M button on the back
- Make sure that the distance is corrent in the viewfinder. This takes almost no time once you're used to it.
- Hit the shutter button

Very fast. After all that, if I just trust the AF aspects of the camera, they're darn good. I've gottent very few Out of Focus shots. In crowds of people I am very willing to let the camera just rip.

Let us know how the film comes back.

keoj

 

[rhogg]

The G1 does not have the back mounted focus button, nor the front mounted manual focus wheel. Rather, there is a top mounted MF knob with a distance scale, and the good old 1/2 press shutter button.

The advantage of this arrangement is that you can just set the knob to your desired distance , 1/2 press the shutter to confirm and you are "zoned" with instant shutter release. The bad news is the MF knob is quite loose and can be inadvertently shifted.

A rather crude hack for this is to put a little silicon to "gum up" the MF knob. OK a VERY crude hack.

When I use my G1 in manual focus, I pinch the camera and keep my thumb on the MF dial. (No Silicon)


The whole focus process with the G cameras slows down composition relative to an SLR, and speeds focus relative to a true RF. This is part of what makes both the G1 and the G2 great .(IMHO)

 

[keoj]

RHOGG,

Thanks for noting the differences between the G1 and G2. My mistake. In the end with the G1 and G2, the optics are what drives this camera to be so special.

keoj

 

[OurManInTangier]

Just done my second day with the camera and having read the manual back to front several times I now feel much more at ease with it.

I am kind of wishing the AE lock was on the back like the G2 as it would suit me ( I'm used to the AE lock on the back of a D2X which is nicely placed ) rather than the slighly tricky locking mechanism of the G1. Still, more practice and I'll get used to it.

I haven't found any problems with the viewfinder as some people seem to report though perhaps I'm comparing it to the viewfinder on the Fujifilm E900 digi compact I bought last year. That was supposed to solve my street photography problems regarding issues of camera size...of course what did I find, the optics just weren't upto the job and I'd been dazzled by megapixels etc etc.

I'm also wishing I hadn't let my girlfriend make me sell my darkroom equipment when I went digital....if anyone knows a decent lab in the UK please let me know.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

IIRC, the AE lock is a lever on the top of the camera... Let me check.

Yep! The AEL is found as a small lever (marked AEL) on the top of the camera, near the shutter release button (look up page 94 of the manual).

I used to have a G1, but it fell into oblivion when I switched to Leicas. I had two lenses with it: a Planar 45 and the Planar 35. While I don't regret having sold it (it landed in the hands of some RFF members who will appreciate these camera and lenses).

Good luck with the camera!

 

[BillBingham2]

You might look at getting another Darkroom set up for less money now as the price has more than likely droped over the past months.

Just a thought.

B2 (;->

 

[Pascal]

Just done my second day with the camera and having read the manual back to front several times I now feel much more at ease with it.

I am kind of wishing the AE lock was on the back like the G2 as it would suit me ( I'm used to the AE lock on the back of a D2X which is nicely placed ) rather than the slighly tricky locking mechanism of the G1. Still, more practice and I'll get used to it.

I haven't found any problems with the viewfinder as some people seem to report though perhaps I'm comparing it to the viewfinder on the Fujifilm E900 digi compact I bought last year. That was supposed to solve my street photography problems regarding issues of camera size...of course what did I find, the optics just weren't upto the job and I'd been dazzled by megapixels etc etc.

I'm also wishing I hadn't let my girlfriend make me sell my darkroom equipment when I went digital....if anyone knows a decent lab in the UK please let me know.

The viewfinder is a little smaller than what one would be used to on SLR's. I am used to the Contax N1 viewfinder, F3HP, and F4s before that, and more recently, the EOS 1Ds viewfinder. The G1/G2 viewfinder is quite usable - especially, on this camera where you would be using AF mostly and you really don't focus thru the viewfinder unlike the Leica's.
I have the E900 and while the megapixels are good, the optics, like you say, are not quite up to the challenge :bang:

I found the Fuji F30 (ISO 3200) or the Fuji S5200 (slightly bigger and ISO 1600 max) more suited to the task. I am now using the S5200 for quick snapshots and while the colors aren't the greatest, it is a punchy little P&S.

You will love the G system - the optics are superb and the Camera is wonderful. I still have not understood how some can complain about how much this little RF lacks (it really doesn't).

 

[kitacontax]

my 2¢...as a G1 newbie too, I'm surprised at how much people quibble over technology...the G1 is a simple camera, maybe not as simple as my Oly XA4, my travel back-up, but simple as in elegant...like you, I have a digi p/s, fine for snapshots, but I see using my dslr (a Canon d30 for now, a 10d in the future) a lot more than my Nikon SLRs, and that is a shame...
I wonder how long it'll be before I sell my Nikons...it's more an emotional decision, than a practical one, and so it's difficulty...

Also since you have a manual...I'm waiting on mine...What's the little slide switch under and at the rear of the shutter dial?

Thanx...

 

[OurManInTangier]

The slide switch is the exposure compensation for the auto bracketing feature, which is accessed via the shoot mode/drive button. Hope you get your manual soon!