Shutter broken on G2?

[RalphK]

Hi everybody!
Can you tell me if the shutter looks normal on my G2 or why is there a gap on? Not sure if it always looked like this before. Maybe someone can tell me 🙂
Thanksin advance!

 

[Rob-F]

That can't possibly be right! Have you tried a few things like changing shutter speed, working controls, changing the battery, etc? It seems hung up in mid-cycle. I don't have a G2, but these seem like things to try.

 

[Kai-san]

No, it should not look like that! Looks like the shutter has not closed. Check the battery as Rob says, try to fire the shutter with the back open and see what happens.

 

[RalphK]

Thanks a lot. I shot another frame and now the curtain ist closed. However now the batteries are exhausted. Can low battery capacity cause this?

 

[Rob-F]

Yes I think operating the shutter drained the battery so that the shutter hung up. After it sat awhile the battery recovered enough to cycle the shutter before it drained completely. A new battery might put it back in working order.

 

[Bob Michaels]

The ContaxG was my go to camera for many years. I had to opportunity to speak with the techs at the official US repair center that existed back then. They said the most common solution to cameras sent in for repair was a simple replacement of the battery. They recommended always trying a replacement battery for any problem even if you had convinced yourself that it could not be a battery problem.

They also said simply cleaning the external viewfinder window solved most of the focusing problems.

Their #3 common repair was simply cleaning the contacts between the lens and body.

Armed with those 3 simple tips, I never had occasion for a repair in many use of constant use. The ContaxG was a relatively bulletproof camera.

 

[Rangefinder 35]

I agree withthe above. I have 2 G2s, and the new batteries and cleaning contacts between the lens and the camera solved most of the problems for me.

 

[RalphK]

Thanks to you all!

 

[RalphK]

Another question related to the AF of the G2. The focus works really fine for most subjects. However the camera really struggles finding the focusing on skin/eyes/face. This problem can only be solved when I step back a few steps. Is there any trick to nail the focus for portraits? I use the 45mm F2.0.

 

[RalphK]

New batteries were inserted but I'm still struggling with the shutter. Usually the shutter is grey right? Now I observe that from time to time the shutter is closed (but a black shutter, not the grey, like in the image in my first post, but completely closed) and if that is the case the metering is no correct anymore (too long exposure although there is enough light). Can anybody tell me what is going on here?

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Your latest problem sounds like the first curtain is not resetting, which is why you don't see the metering gray. Other than looking into the shutter channel very closely for film chips (a common cause of shutter blinds slowing down in older cameras) you probably have to sent that camera in for repair.

Phil Forrest