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User comments btil June 2003

Yes, about the noisy 90mm.
all G series autofocus lenses are noisy. 90mm is the worst, since it has to travel the longest when being focused. This is disturbing in a quiet place (few of these left, alas) or if you have to shoot where classical music is played. It's much better than the clank and whirl of the SLR, but still, it's noise. If you need a really silent rangefinder, get a leica, but don't forget to take out a second mortgage.
On occasion, the noise with 90 mm increases substantially, but I've found out that this has to do with the depleted batteries. Fresh batteries in this case is the way to go.
GF
 
<Posted by gregory freidin on Sunday, September 08, 2002 - 1:07 am: <On occasion, the noise with 90 mm increases substantially, but I've <found out that this has to do with the depleted batteries.

Gregory, the problem I have with the 90mm being noisy has nothing to do with batteries, unfortunately (in case you're wondering, yes, I've tried new batteries). My 90mm's problem is that the inner lens barrel is loose, so it hangs downward a little bit and rubs against the inside of the outer barrel, and this causes extreme vibration of the whole camera. I also suspect that by hanging downward a little bit it also loses critical focuses on the top and bottom, since the elements have basically been pivoted a certain amount, however, I doubt that it matters that much.

I have figured out how to avoid the noise entirely by placing my index finger under the lens and applying just enough upwards pressure to the moving element as it slides across the tip of my finger so that it doesn't touch the bottom of the outer barrel, but not so much pressure that it touches the top part. Basically I have to think about it so much that it detracts from my picture taking. Luckily I don't need a 90mm often, but unfortunately when I do, I usually end up not using it anyway, because of this problem (when I sent it to Contax they sent it back "no problem found". They obviously didn't test it for the problem I described, and must have just done whatever standard quick tests they do to identify problems)

Vu
 
Gregory,
thanks a lot for your suggestion. Actually I shot on some rectangules keeping the lines in line with the curtain of the G1; on some pictures I have a lot of space on the bottom and on the right but there isn't a rule. Does the viewer show only 90% of the total image?
So you say that you don't take care about parallax when you shot? I was used to cameras with viewer of 100%.
Thanks again
Mauro
 
Does anyone know where I can get a G1 serviced in London and how much should it cost? Thanks
 
To Mauro,

Accurate framing on a rangefinder is always tricky. You have two effects making things difficult. On the one hand parallax. The frame will shift downwards and to the right. Removing things at the left and top and adding things at the bottom and right. The finder of the G1 only masks off the things you remove at the left and in the top, it will not show what adds at the bottom and on the right. The G2 does the latter, which is one of the differences between the two.

On the other hand the angle of view of a prime lens gets smaller when moving in closer. This leads to more stuff being cut off the top and left and less being added on the bottom and right. I expect that the Contax G take this into account when masking off the top and left. I once did a wee calculation and estimated that the added pieces in the bottom and right is about a third of what gets masked off in the top and left. So things are not as bad as they sound.

To my knowledge the 90% holds for the 45mm lens at infinity. With the G1 this will be less at closer focus. No clues about the G2.

This 90% is a pretty good value for a rangefinder, values around 85% are more common with the competition (Leica, Voigtlaender, Konica). If you need a 100% finder you better stick to an SLR I am afraid.
 
Hi, I'm new to the board and hopefully soon I'll get a Contax G1 (can't afford the G2 yet). I come from a strictly SLR background. Is the switch to a RF that hard to do?

Thanks! Your posts already responded some of my concerns about AF. I guess if (and when) I buy the G1 with a 45 mm lens, I'll use manual focus only.
Have a nice one!

-Francisco
 
Francisco,

manual focus is not the strong point of the G1. The mf dial lack resitance and it's position is easily changed unintentionally. I use it occasionally for hyperfocal distance or on a tripod (on the later the under d&ing of the dial is not an issue to me).

If you want a manual focus camera to look else where. The G2 is better here, an alternative on a budget is the Voigtl"ander Bessa range. www.cameraquest.com is a good starting point for info on Voigtl"ander cameras.
 
I have recently purchased a second hand G2 with the 45mm f/2 lens. I have put one roll through it and all worked perfectly. I later removed the lens and remounted it without difficulty but the shutter will no longer fire with the lens mounted. The shutter will fire OK with the lens removed and all looks well with the body. The lens seems to mount OK - aligning the red dots and then locking into position with a click. The camera seems to focus OK although there are a few rather lengthy wurrings from time to time and the shutter refuses to fire. Any idea what the problem might be?

PeterG
 
I am assuming there is no film in the camera...This happened to my G2 also. Seems to only happen when there is no film in it. Open the film back once again, and then close it. Now turn the camera on and depress the shutter one time, so as to fool the camera into thinking it has just loaded up a new film roll. It should now operate the shutter each time, but the film advance will stay at 0. Let us know if this works for you. It could be a whole different problem.

best, Ron Walton
 
I hadn't really condidered the G1 before, but it just dawned on me that maybe a G1 with the 90 mm f2.8 might be a nice combination for portraits (mostly outdoor and environmental portraits). I'd like to consider it - since it seems like an economical choice compared to some other options in the Contax/Zeiss line.

What do you use with the G1 and 90 for a flash when you're doing portraits and people in general? Can you set up a second flash with any sort of wireless slave? Does any of the Metz stuff mate up with the G1?

Lastly, I thought someone mentioned that you see a larger view in the viewfinder than what gets recorded on film - if so, how do you compensate for this when shooting?

Thanks,
Lynn
 
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