What Contax G lenses for Morocco?

karateisland said:
My girlfriend and I are headed to Morocco in December for two weeks--we'll be roadtripping for much of the time, but also spending a fair amount of time exploring deserts/the cities/mountains/

If you were me, what would YOU do?
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I would take two lenses. Focal length is up to you.
Three has always been a pain as, for me, the third lens almost never gets used.
I killed an AF Nikon lens in Egypt due to sand. Changing lenses in the dust and dirt of N Africa is problematic.
Perhaps buy a G1 body and put a wide angle on it and use the standard/tele on your G2. This avoid changing lenses.

Bring your lens duster and some pre-soaked Zeiss lens wipes.


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I used a Zeiss G 18/8 and a Summicron 50/2 in our last Europe trip. I never felt like needing another focal length. In your case, grab the 21 and the 45.The G1 body is very light. Take along both cameras.
 
KI, so much depends on you & how you see things. I could happily get by with a 35, another friend of mine sees very differently and his key lens is a short telephoto. A point and shoot is trouble-free & pocketable but you do have the G2. Which of those two girls would I ask out? What would I order off the menu? I'm not sure if any of our opinions are really helpful. Me I'd take a 35 and a 21mm. Even with a 50mm when I instinctively raise the camera, I find my self having to back up. Lovely as the 50 is at separating things, it's not a natural view for me. Take the lens most comfortable to your vision.
 
Oh, but your opinions are helpful! The key, for me, is not to find the right answer, exactly, but the right way to think about the problem. For instance, I have only ever really travelled with my X100F in the past, so I wouldn't have known that it's a huge pain to use three lenses with one body. I wouldn't have guessed that it can be nicest to take two lenses only.

My biggest takeaways are that I should definitely stick to what I'm used to (will no doubt bring the 45mm) and that many people find the 21mm to be worth the trouble of the extra viewfinder. Now to decide if I feel I can even use that thing properly! (It's a stunning lens, but pretty intimidating.)
 
Yokosuka_Mike said:
No need to over think things. Go with the X100F and enjoy the trip.

All the best,
Mike
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Sage advice, for sure, but I prefer shooting 35mm film these days. Try as I might, I can't seem to make myself cool out when shooting digital and I end up firing off a billion shots and chimping all day.
 
On travels I've almost never needed a lens wider than 28mm. 28mm is very capable of doing well all in landscapes, cityscapes and indoors.
Therefore my suggestion would be to take the
- 28 mm
- 45 mm
- 90 mm
As the Contax G system is quite compact, and these three lenses + body can be put in a small photo bag (or small backpack), this would be a nice travel photo outfit.
 
Skiff said:
On travels I've almost never needed a lens wider than 28mm. 28mm is very capable of doing well all in landscapes, cityscapes and indoors.
Therefore my suggestion would be to take the
- 28 mm
- 45 mm
- 90 mm
As the Contax G system is quite compact, and these three lenses + body can be put in a small photo bag (or small backpack), this would be a nice travel photo outfit.
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And I have almost never needed a 28mm, which for me is a really poor compromise between a "wide standard" (35mm) and a properly wide lens (21mm or at the longest 24mm). Beware always of assuming that others think or shoot the same way you do!

Cheers,

R.
 
The Contax G uses film!
I have a friend busy on numerous shoots in Middle East and North Africa.
Film a big problem with X-Rays..Film can be totally destroyed.
NO, absolutely no "Hand Inspections".
Morocco may be more reasonable but I would check.
 
This thread has clarified my dilemma: I am looking for a wider lens to accompany my 45mm, but not sure whether to go for the 28 or the 21.

I have some experience with 28mm, but only as a fixed-lens solution, which did not work for me. I am thinking a 28/45 combo could be much better, with the 28 taking wider duties when the 45 is too tight.

I am very intrigued by the drama that comes through on the 21mm shots, though a bit cowed by the need for adding an additional viewfinder, the extra care that needs to go into composition, the extra expense, and so on.

My heart says to give the 21 a shot, so I'd ask... Is the 21 a pain to use? And, for those of you who pack the 21, do you find that it gets regular use, beyond the wide vistas and the architectural shots? I will be packing extremely light, so I wouldn't want to bring a lens specialized that I only use it for a few shots--as RIGHT as it might be for those shots.
 
I have a Zeiss G 28mm that I hardly ever use. I bought a Zeiss Hologon 16/8, which now is my lens for each day's use. It is a real wide angle lens. The 90 Sonnar often misses the right focus point, people have posted online. It happens sometimes to me that the focusing is confused by the camera. Still, the 90mm lens is an awesome lens for a tele.
The normal lens is the 45mm lens and it is a widely praised lens. I love mine. I have one also in M mount.

Back to the Morocco issue: use what you feel is best for you. Make sure to enjoy the cultural life there, and try to document whatever you feel like documenting as you travel.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Just round up the usual suspects: 21, 45, 90.

Cheers,

R (Ricky Blaine)
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hi Ricky. I went your place last year. shame you werent there then :p

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I love 28 but as Roger said, it's not wide enough for real wide vistas or some architecture stuff. For me it's simply the shortest I'm comfortable using as a walk-around lens, the most dramatic and involved "normal" lens. Anything wider is for specific needs. As someone as said earlier, it's better to concentrate on the shots you can get with the lens or lenses you have with you than trying to cover everything. So I make do without a super-wide because that to me is only useful for a few very specific shots, too much of it quickly gets, well, too much. But if these shots are important to you, by all means get the 21, it's a wonderful FL and the G 21 is supposed to be a wonderful lens. Pair it with the 45 if you use the 21 less or the 90 if you want to use the 21 for more general stuff, better don't take 45 and 90 both - at least for me, three so widely spaced focal lengths would be too difficult to wrap my head around and would precisely put me into the mindset of trying to get every conceivable picture rather than concentrating on what's in front of me.
Morocco can be tiring to travel in because of all the people trying to sell things or services, but stay relaxed (take breaks!) and friendly (you'll need to say no thanks - la shukran - very firmly, often three times, to get them to stop, but if you just say no without thanks, they can be seriously offended! Not incidentally, just saying you're not interested like you mean it is also the most effective way to haggle prices down) and you'll also experience immense friendliness and hospitality.
 
leicapixie said:
The Contax G uses film!
I have a friend busy on numerous shoots in Middle East and North Africa.
Film a big problem with X-Rays..Film can be totally destroyed.
NO, absolutely no "Hand Inspections".
Morocco may be more reasonable but I would check.
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It isn't at all a problem with film if you just put your films in the hand luggage / carry on luggage. The scanners used for that are safe for films up ISO 800/30°. I've travelled to several very far countries and "strange" destinations and I've never asked for "hand inspections". My films always got through the carry-on luggage scanners and have always been fine.
I know lots of other photographers who did the same and also were always fine.

The only thing you must not do is putting your film in the checked-in luggage. The scanners used there are much stronger and can indeed damage your film.

Cheers, Jan
 
karateisland said:
My heart says to give the 21 a shot, so I'd ask... Is the 21 a pain to use? .
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Not unless your tolerance for pain is a lot less than mine is. It's a snap.

FWIW, as something of a side note, and not either recommending or not recommending what you should take to Morocco, if you are going to hang onto the G system long term; finding one of the original G1 bags is well worth it in terms of comfort and space utilization.

The pictured setup contains a G1 body, the 28, 45, 90 and 35-70 along with all the associated caps, hoods and filters. Coke can shown for size. Really nice soft leather, hangs well, etc. Just under 5 lbs with everything shown. Substitute the 21 for the 28 and drop the 35-70 and you are down to around 3.5 lbs. in a compact, comfortable package.
There is no right way to take cameras on a trip. You can take one lens, you can take 5 and have a good time either way. But, the results you come home with will be different, certainly, depending. You do "what everybody does" and you come home with the photos everybody comes home with, more or less.

Have fun, wish it were me.





 
Thanks everyone--looks like I have a lot to think about. I'm sure I'll end up with both the 21 and the 28 some day, but for now...
 
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