What's happened to my Contax G1??? Help please.

Cyprio

Cyprio

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Hi all,

I bought a lovely little Contax G1 with 45mm lens off fleabay last year and it has been working great for a year. Recently when i went to use it it makes a horrible grinding noise and refuses to AF. It rewinds fine. When i took the lens off to check the motor i noticed some blue residue around the body where the lens locks into it. By moving the lens focusing screw manually i can tell that the lens is fine so it must be the body...

Any ideas? Or any names of someone in the UK (preferably London) who i can take it to get it looked at?

Thanks in advance,

Stavros
 
Can you take a digital photo of it ?

Sounds to me as if there's something gone wrong with the wiring or camera contacts when you say blue is it a greeny blue like you get when copper corrodes?
 
Don't have time tonight but perhaps later during the week i can take a snap. The residue is greeny blue like copper oxidising.

Have other G1 owners ever experinced the lens 'locking'? I wonder whether the motor is working fine but the lens being 'locked' or jammed = awful noise as the motor tries to focus but cant.

The best way to test this would be to try another lens but unfortunately i dont have another.
 
Hi

A few thoughts.

I tested my camera after reading this post; there was the usual whirring noise when the camera focuses. But I guess you are familiar with the noise since you have used it for over a year.

How are you sure the camera is not focussing?

TBH, I thought I saw some very liile greenish haze in the corner of my lens - looked some sort of grease to me, which I wiped out. May be I was dreaming, it was the middle of the night. May be the copper corrodes on this lens - though the search on the net did not throw up anything.

I am in London everyday - so if you are thereabouts, I can bring my lens for you to try on

Ujjwal
 
Sometimes nylon gearing is lubricated with a turquoise coloured grease.


Steve.
 
One additional point; the contacts must be gold plated; they cant be copper; can they?
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
Hi

A few thoughts.

I tested my camera after reading this post; there was the usual whirring noise when the camera focuses. But I guess you are familiar with the noise since you have used it for over a year.

How are you sure the camera is not focussing?

TBH, I thought I saw some very liile greenish haze in the corner of my lens - looked some sort of grease to me, which I wiped out. May be I was dreaming, it was the middle of the night. May be the copper corrodes on this lens - though the search on the net did not throw up anything.

I am in London everyday - so if you are thereabouts, I can bring my lens for you to try on

Ujjwal
Click to expand...

Hmm, the blue grease idea sounds feasible.

I think it's not focussing as the lens moves out and stays there. The grinding noise is not like the AF noise, but sounds more strained.

I am in London actually - mighty generous of you to offer. Don't want you to go out of your way though. Would you be willing to meet up quickly after work?

I have found a camera repair shop in Soho that will give me a free quote for repair but i'd rather try it with another lens first.

Stav.
 
The lens should move back; you are right -just checked on my body.

Lunchtime works best for me - I have a long trudge back home after work. I am in Victoria; tomorrow works great for me. If not, it has to be next week.

Ujjwal
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
The lens should move back; you are right -just checked on my body.

Lunchtime works best for me - I have a long trudge back home after work. I am in Victoria; tomorrow works great for me. If not, it has to be next week.

Ujjwal
Click to expand...

Sorry to say that i work in North London Ujjwal - there is no way i could make it to Victoria for lunchtime. Let me take it to Sendeans (in Soho) and see what they say.

Stavros
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
One additional point; the contacts must be gold plated; they cant be copper; can they?
Click to expand...
That's true but the wiring to them is probably going to be copper
 
Cyprio said:
Hi all,

I bought a lovely little Contax G1 with 45mm lens off fleabay last year and it has been working great for a year. Recently when i went to use it it makes a horrible grinding noise and refuses to AF. It rewinds fine. When i took the lens off to check the motor i noticed some blue residue around the body where the lens locks into it. By moving the lens focusing screw manually i can tell that the lens is fine so it must be the body...

Any ideas? Or any names of someone in the UK (preferably London) who i can take it to get it looked at?

Thanks in advance,

Stavros
Click to expand...

Hi

Did you figure out whats the problem with your G1?
 
Thanks for asking. I havent found the time to leave work early and pop down to drop it off!

It seems to be the AF motor in the body. I focus and when it sticks (i.e. grinding noise) i quickly took the lens off. The AF screw was really struggling to move... :(
 
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