Any Contax G users here please?

tikkathreebarrel

tikkathreebarrel

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I wonder if anyone here has experience of the Contax G body/lens combo please? I'm keen to hear of real life experiences as part of sorting out how badly I might want one myself:bang::cuckoo::help:
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
I wonder if anyone here has experience of the Contax G body/lens combo please? I'm keen to hear of real life experiences as part of sorting out how badly I might want one myself:bang::cuckoo::help:
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I reckon you want one pretty badly! :D

I know I do!

Once my student loan comes in I think I'll just take a punt on one safe in the knowledge that if it aint for me I should be able to punt it on again losing, at most, ebay fees.
 
fixedimage said:
I reckon you want one pretty badly! :D

I know I do!

Once my student loan comes in I think I'll just take a punt on one safe in the knowledge that if it aint for me I should be able to punt it on again losing, at most, ebay fees.
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Hey you! Keep away from EBay - it's not for students:nuts::nuts::nuts: At least not whilst we're both hunting the same camera hahahaha!:wave:
 
Yo!

I love my G2 it just produces beautifully exposed nicely saturated negs time after time with razor sharp Zeiss lenses. Every time I pick mine up I marvel at the technology packed into it's beautiful body. The way the viewfinder changes shape for different lens fields of view is impressive, but it changes shape again as you get closer to allow for parallax. It also makes the most irresistible zippy snicky little noises. It's like shooting with an SLR - all the speed and convenience with none of the bulk.

I'm probably not helping am I? :D
 
I had one and sold it on for a Leica. The G2 is a great camera, with decent AF and metering. It is however a very modern camera and very much like a modern film SLR. Manual focus is poor and for me I never felt as involved as with other, more manual film cameras. The lenses are superb, sharp with a fantastic 3d look to the pictures and the bokeh and colour rendition is superb.

If you want a very much automated, modern range finder with truly great lenses then get one. If you want a more involved camera that is used more manually then this is not the camera for you.

The pictures will be amongst the best you could possibly get on 35mm film and are as good as the equivalent through leica kit.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
Hey you! Keep away from EBay - it's not for students:nuts::nuts::nuts: At least not whilst we're both hunting the same camera hahahaha!:wave:
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Well the student loan company are playing funny buggers right now so I'd say you have a good week to ten days to get one, after that I should be solvent again and looking to splash out!
 
I'll hopefully have one before that then, if I decide that's what I'm going for that is!

That one was a G2 body, 28,45 and 90mm lenses plus a flash, all boxed and went for £843.

There's a black G2 plus 4 lenses in a flight case ending in 40 odd minutes and sitting at about £800 just now. If only I had the money.
 
I can see me deciding that there's not enough involvement in using this kit and moving on. Spectacularly sharp lenses but it seems like expensive point and shoot (almost) to me. It's not like it's the kind of gear I need to have just rolling around the boot of my Maserati.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
Spectacularly sharp lenses but it seems like expensive point and shoot (almost) to me. It's not like it's the kind of gear I need to have just rolling around the boot of my Maserati.
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Well there's a bit more to it than that, although I know what you mean - it's not going to be everyone's cuppa tea. Put simply, I can bang off a roll of film just as quickly as I can shoot the same number of shots with a DSLR and it produces results which won't be bettered by any 35mm film camera and not equalled by a lot of very expensive kit either.

While you're very aware of the snicky whirry little noises it makes when it's pressed against your skull, it's virtually inaudible from a couple of arms lengths away and totally inaudible to those around you in a street or most public environments. It's pretty well the perfect street/candid camera, especially where fast shooting is desirable - I've never been challenged by anyone using it in the street and shopping malls whereas in the same situations with a DSLR, it's almost inevitable.

I can carry the body, flash and 4 lenses in a tiny little Crumpler bag with no weight at all - it's very liberating compared to humping DSLR kit around all day, although I'll often just decide on one or two lenses before I go out and and stick with the choice.

They're pretty reliable - the only fault I hear of is slight seepage of the digital display on a few cameras. Be aware though, that if you do get major problems, a guy in Canada bought up all the existing parts and he doesn't accept repairs from overseas at all.
 
CT said:
Well there's a bit more to it than that, although I know what you mean - it's not going to be everyone's cuppa tea. Put simply, I can bang off a roll of film just as quickly as I can shoot the same number of shots with a DSLR and it produces results which won't be bettered by any 35mm film camera and not equalled by a lot of very expensive kit either.

While you're very aware of the snicky whirry little noises it makes when it's pressed against your skull, it's virtually inaudible from a couple of arms lengths away and totally inaudible to those around you in a street or most public environments. It's pretty well the perfect street/candid camera, especially where fast shooting is desirable - I've never been challenged by anyone using it in the street and shopping malls whereas in the same situations with a DSLR, it's almost inevitable.

I can carry the body, flash and 4 lenses in a tiny little Crumpler bag with no weight at all - it's very liberating compared to humping DSLR kit around all day, although I'll often just decide on one or two lenses before I go out and and stick with the choice.

They're pretty reliable - the only fault I hear of is slight seepage of the digital display on a few cameras. Be aware though, that if you do get major problems, a guy in Canada bought up all the existing parts and he doesn't accept repairs from overseas at all.
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You have pretty much summed up why I want one there.

As for breakdowns, I'v seen ones going 'for spares or repair' on eBay for maybe £50-100 less than working ones so I'd reckon that you could sell a faulty body and buy a working one for less than a repair would cost anyway.

God to know about ow quiet they are, I was worried it'd be a noisy thing.
 
It really isn't noisy at all once you move it away from your head. :D

Some sample shots HERE
 
CT said:
I can carry the body, flash and 4 lenses in a tiny little Crumpler bag with no weight at all - it's very liberating compared to humping DSLR kit around all day, although I'll often just decide on one or two lenses before I go out and and stick with the choice.
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Oh stop it! You're playing that card now!

CT said:
They're pretty reliable - the only fault I hear of is slight seepage of the digital display on a few cameras. Be aware though, that if you do get major problems, a guy in Canada bought up all the existing parts and he doesn't accept repairs from overseas at all.
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Oh bummer! Shan't be buying a "repair jobbie" then.
 
CT said:
It really isn't noisy at all once you move it away from your head. :D

Some sample shots HERE
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Nice shots.
Really tempted to get myself in a bit more debt and take the plunge on one of these. I've spotted a G1 that I believe is green label but not being sold as such, or do I wait and see if I can stretch to a G2?
 
fixedimage said:
Nice shots.
Really tempted to get myself in a bit more debt and take the plunge on one of these. I've spotted a G1 that I believe is green label but not being sold as such, or do I wait and see if I can stretch to a G2?
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If you are going to get one go for the G2. It improved over the G1 in a number of ways.
 
As Jim says - hang out for a G2 if you can. If you need to start out with one lens, then the 28mm f/2.8 Biogon is a good semi wide angle 'walk around' street lens or the 45mm f/2 Planar which is unbelievably sharp, in fact the sharpest of a very sharp set of lenses.

I'd avoid the Planar 35-70mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom offering. It may seem attractive but it commands high prices being fairly rare and doesn't have a good reputation as the best of performers.
 
CT said:
As Jim says - hang out for a G2 if you can. If you need to start out with one lens, then the 28mm f/2.8 Biogon is a good semi wide angle 'walk around' street lens or the 45mm f/2 Planar which is unbelievably sharp, in fact the sharpest of a very sharp set of lenses.

I'd avoid the Planar 35-70mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom offering. It may seem attractive but it commands high prices being fairly rare and doesn't have a good reputation as the best of performers.
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I would go one further and say always get the 45mm first. It is a truly superb lens that puts all other, similar lenses to shame. The lenses are the bit I miss about my G2, the quality was just astounding.
 
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I'd be going for the 28mm, 45mm and maybe 90mm lenses though the 90mm wouldn't see much use I don't think.

I'd like a G2 but it's just the extra expense.

Might start out with a 1 and upgrade to a 2 in April when the taxman has to give me back lots of money that he has stolen from me during the year!
 
fixedimage said:
I'd be going for the 28mm, 45mm and maybe 90mm lenses though the 90mm wouldn't see much use I don't think.

I'd like a G2 but it's just the extra expense.

Might start out with a 1 and upgrade to a 2 in April when the taxman has to give me back lots of money that he has stolen from me during the year!
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Really, don't do it. Save and get a G2 instead. I really think you may regret getting a G1.
 
There's a cheeky wee hexar af that's caught my eye now actually. Too many nice cameras, not enough cash!
 
I bloody missed it. Went out to a graduate evening at the darkroom/gallery in town and it sold while I was out.
 
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