My G2 Screwed Me

[coodeville]

I was asked by a client to provide some images of some NYC street scenes. I've been using my G for close to a year now and know all about the focusing mechanism. Today, I developed the film, TMAX400, and couldn't believe how out of focus everything was! Let me get this straight and once again make sure I know waht I'm doing. You place your subject inside the center focus area and then you half press the shutter button or AF lock on the back of the camera, correct? The pictures come out pretty damn soft. I can't sell them at all. So what happened? The scene was of normal contrast and the 28 and 45 mm lenses were used.

 

[finnegans]

...sounds like you're doing it right to me. You've been doing this for a year -- is this representative of your results from the G? If so, you might send it to Contax for a CLA (or whatever the electronic camera's version of that analog term is). If not, try, try again... personally, I wouldn't use TMY if it were the last film on earth (hey, maybe THAT's what it'll take for me to go digital...), as I find it unsharp and with gobs of ugly grain. Try again with another film. I shot all over NYC this past weekend with just the G2 and 45/2 -- exposed a boatload of rolls of TX (rated at 1000 and 1600 and dev'd in Diafine, spiffy!) and APX100 (rated at 200 and also Diafined, sharp!), and had no problems at all. Admittedly, I've been using the G2 for longer than you, but after a year, you should be able to get good focus.

As an aside, I was surprised at how quickly I could see a scene, raise the camera to my eye, focus, and shoot -- it wasn't exactly as fast as pre-focusing other (MF) rangefinders, but it was faster than I feared it might be.

Try another roll, Mike, and let us know how it goes.

 

[afranklin]

> So what > happened?

I know on the AX, if you have the AF button set to manual, and you hit the focus button on the back, the camera focuses, then goes BACK to where it was...why on earth they designed it that way, I don't know...but perhaps could you have had the camera set to manual focus? At least the AX has viewfinder confirmation of focusing...and the G2 doesn't.

Regards,

Austin

 

[alanb]

The automatic focus is somewhat ideosynchratic. I have been looking for a line or an edge on the person or thing on which I focus to give the camera something with a little contrast to focus on and it seems to have increased my "in focus rate." When I don't do this, most of the time the focus is good, but not as often. It is difficult to apply this in street shooting which is why I have been hesitant to use the Contax for street during the year I have owned a G2. I guess I am still learning about the thing, too!

Alan

 

[coodeville]

I camera was set in AF mode. I never use the manual focus. I processed some new photos taken after that bunch and they came out fine.

I like my G2 but the Leica manual focus appeals more to me.

As far as the film is concerned: yes, TMAXX does have a substancial amount of grain. I myself have foundthat the Kodak T400CN is the best film for the G2. The finer grain that comes with C41, along with the C41 process and Zeiss lenses makes outstanding prints in most cases. But when I use the TMAXX, I don't any difference between a Nikon, Contax or any other 35mm system.

 

[tvdweert]

>I myself have foundthat the Kodak T400CN is the best >film for the G2. The finer grain that comes with C41, along with the >C41 process and Zeiss lenses makes outstanding prints in most cases.

I'll certainly second that. If you dont want grain, t400CN, or better yet, XP2 Super, is the way to go. You should see the prints I get with XP2 120 and my Rolleiflex FX - absolutely stunning.

However, I LIKE grain for alot of stuff - street work, candids etc; then Tri-X cant be beat, plus its tonal range is incredible. Like cameras, often the old tried and true is still the best. Regards to all, Tim v

 

[ddai]

I've got G1 (claimed to have less sophisticated focusing mechanism) but the AF does not seem a problem even with the said most difficult G/90 lens. One of the tips is that you should place the entire focus frame steadily onto the subject/object you are to shoot.

All nowadays AF cameras use phasal difference comparison to decide the sharpest possible focus. The algorithsm behind is believed to be mature and reliable since it evolved along some 20 years. What differentiates some cameras for better performance is the AI logics to select the main object to focus on by comparing the scene to capture with the built-in & hard-written database. Of course this deals with AE as well. It explains why Canon put dual Risc-32 CPU's in EOS-3. That complex computing can be avoided, without accuracy compromise, if you let the camera know exactly what you are to shoot.

Contax does not come up with latest technologies but is for sure strong in CZ lenses, which forces us to live with the inconveniences. For serious and complicated scenario's that accurate focus is not possible or in doubt, the remidial way is to bracket (manually) with distance, say in 50cm intervals.

I understand the frustrations but photography is just a 'state of arts'.

 

[picturetaker]

I also got some problems with the AF. When you change and mount the lenses you have to be very careful, the lens has to snap in, sometimes i discovered when i did change the lense and was usualy in a hury i dit put them on but i didnt hear it snaping in, so i had to turn the lens back and forward until the pins did lock in.
The contacts from the camera and lenses need to be cleaned sometimes and move the contact-pins a bit up und down, when using often or after a while storing in a not very dry room it might bild ub a bit corosion wich could make the camera unusable.
Replace the battery.
In a brigt white or grey area the camera migth have problems to focus it sounds strange but i had more problems to lok the focus in a brigt area than in a dark room whre i had to use a flash.
You can do anything, but i would send it to Contax repair or cheking and get a report wich thing was wrong.
On my report when i sendt the camera they did clean the Camera wich was not dirty and the did adjust something wich they did not want to tell my after i rang them,the guy from Contax repair said, just was cleaned, cervice was free of charge.
I would realy want to know what is wrong on some G2 and G1, looks like to me Contax keeps it as a secret. Maybe they did ++++ something up in the produktion, who knows.
There are a lot out there who is not sure if the camera is malfunktioning or the user is doing something wrong.

Have a look on /contaxg.com there are some ideas how to use the Gs.

I apologise for my poor english, but i hope i did help a bit.

 

[jsmisc]

Picturetaker

"I apologise for my poor english, but i hope i did help a bit"

Your English is not too bad but you perhaps do not realize that the word "fuk" is (apart from the wrong spelling!) not acceptable in polite conversation or dialogue. It is sure to cause offence. If you add a "c" before the "k" and look it up in a dictionary you will get the picture.
John

 

[coodeville]

Maybe he does realize. He's just 'fabing us on the word!

 

[picturetaker]

Did you find out about the problem ? Did you send it to Contax/Kyocera.
What did they say ?
Thanks 4 your answer.

I dint want to offend somone or insult someone peronally ok.
But this aout of focus problem is a malfunktion.

--------------

bad words deleted by admin

 

[denyz]

>Watch your language picturetake and the focus error is mostly a user fault.

 

[jsmisc]

It seems that all I've managed to do is improve Picturetaker's spelling but not his language.

 

[denyz]

> Hmm yes.. we can`t chance people,s mind et language

But I think he didn` know what he,s talking about pls see his replay some days before

Posted by Picturetaker (Picturetaker) on Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 2:57 am:

There are no focusing Problems with the G1&G2. Make shure you got a new battery and clean the contacts on the lens and camera. Assuming you read the using guide and handle the camera like its disingned for. Its a great camera i love it.

 

[jsmisc]

Yes, it could be contradictory.

 

[picturetaker]

Yes it is a contraindication to use a Contax G as long you do not know how you can find out about any problem on and with the G2.

Some say there has never been a reason to complain about the G1 and G2 but some got screwed, why was that not deleted ? is there a difference ?
My Post from 23.Nov 2:57am ment to be an annotation how nice it could bee if you would know how to find out and solve any problems with the G2.
Always you read how wonderful and how much people love their G2 camera, I just want to take pictures with, in fokus.