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Contax G2

Ron,

I observed this behavior of my G2:
When in CAF-mode the trigger is pressed half way and the AF-brackets are then moved towards a certain area, there are quite often AF-errors (° °).
When in whatever mode the AF-brackets are pre-aimed at the same area, and the trigger (or focus lock) is pressed after that, there are noticeably less AF-errors.

Perhaps active AF assists only the first focussing, and displacements after that just have to rely on passive AF?
(In that case, I am happy that I have not settled for a G1, which has no active AF at all.)

To descend to your primary question, I would shoot a roll in CAF-mode with subjects moving at different speeds, and then shoot another roll with prefocusing and relying on DOF.
In that way, you know what works best for you.

Keep in mind that the Contax G are both no sports cameras. There is no predictive AF.

Till
 
re. CAF vs. SAF, in follow-focus situations I use CAF and keep the focus lock button engaged, which forces the camera to focus more or less in real time. There are some subjects that don't present a very good target for the focus system, and they'll present problems no matter which mode you use.

I use SAF for almost all shooting that allows leisure composition, preferring manual focus only when calculating hyperfocal distance.

--Rick
 
Hi,

I have recently bought a second hand TLA 280 flash. Great for combining indirect flash with the small direct flash. No shadows and very balanced exposure.
But I have no manual to go with it. Does anyone have a tip to get/buy such a manual (electronic versions would also be appreciated).

Peter
 
As to the CAF vs SAF:
I have only the G1, and therefore seldom use the CAF, because it is impossible to lock focus in that mode, as you can do with the G2. Moreover, the change from one mode to the other requires you to cycle through other modes with a button, on the G1. I can see it's more convenient with the G2, since you can get it to *stop* focussing easily. In general, though, the limitation of continuous refocus for moving subjects is that, with a single AF point, your subject needs to be in the center, since rapid focus- and -recompose is OUT with the G1, and - I imagine - tricky with the G2, requiring practice and coordination. I have an EOS camera which is supposed to take care of all this, with multiple focus points and predictive AF, but the constant focussing and refocussing that the camera is doing on its own is disturbing and distracting to me, and you may feel the same way. Sometimes I think action photography works better with manual focus slr in the hands of a skilled user, because you can focus on *any* part of the scene at any time. Practice and acquired skill are the keys in any case. Expecting the camera to make decisions for you leads to a rather high incidence of failure, I find, since the camera can't really know what *you* want the picture to look like. In reply to Till, the passive -only focus on the G1 works quite well for me and will grab on to most anything short of a blank wall or very low light situations, where the red light assists.

Chas.
 
Just for interest, I tried it out:
The active AF definitely assists the first focussing attempt only.
Just focus in CAF-mode on a subject in low light, and keep the trigger pressed half-way. The camera will get the appropriate measuring at first, but show "° °" after a moment.
Probably a constant IR-beam would kill the batteries very shortly.

Till
 
For those considering purchasing a contax G2 body/system, I just wanted to add my 2 cents. I am a working photographer who was getting tired of bringing my Nikon F5's or D1 on vacations and road trips. A friend leant me his G2 last summer for a week in Paris and I took it having only shot one roll of film through it beforehand (not the smartest, I know). I shot all Kodak TCN (B&W film that is processed C-41) and came out with wonderful results. I was given the 21,28,45,90 lenses. All worked great.

Anyway, I came home from the trip, shopped around, and eventually matched the same system and picked it up a few weeks ago. Then I got an assignment in the Caribbean. I had to shoot all transparencies. I really wanted to take the Contax but was nervous about the metering etc. I ran a few rolls of Velvia, tried different exposure and bracketing etc. The results looked great though I was trying it in very different light then where I was going. As a backup, I took my Leica M4-P as a backup and my hand meter.

A few days before I left, I discovered this message board and I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. I was worried about both the metering and the auto focus. This is a good thing, mind you. Better to be cautious then foolish. Anyway, I decided to stick with my plan and just always have the Leica as a backup with me.

Well, I just got back 30 something rolls of Chromes and 10 rolls of Black and White. I can honestly say, with the RARE exception, the G2 is dead-on in terms of metering and focusing. I was shooting in really harsh lighting conditions, hand held 10th, 15th , wide-open and this stuff is right on, time after time. My motion blurs, pans and follow-focus stuff is right on too.

I have to admit, while using the Contax and the Leica side by side, I was swaying back to my Leica. The feel of the focus (or at least knowing that you are in control of it) and the brightness of the finder makes you feel that your images are just "popping". Looking at the images on the light table, however, I CANNOT tell the difference. Both have (shot on Velvia), incredible crisp focus, great depth-of-field and detail that is spectacular.

My only recommendations for the Contax newbie is to keep your eye on the auto-focus. Be sure to lock in on something. Use the back-button to find your focus point then hold it down and recompose. It doesn't need much, just some contrast or line to lock in on. I was shooting details of car ornaments in the early morning light with my 90 wide-open. I was really worried about these especially with the 90. Once again though, right on.

Also, the flash (200) has a lot left to be desired. I did find that if I set my exposure for the background, locked the exposure, then turned on the flash, it worked just fine as a fill-flash. If I used it the regular way, the exposure would be way too hot. That's a lot of work for a quick fill. I am told that you can take a Nikon SC-16 off camera cord and use it with the TLA-200. I haven't tried it but would love to hear other opinions.

Well, I hope this helps someone on the fence. I am just one person and I have read a variety of opinions here. Mine is a good one. I found the camera to be ON the majority of the time, even wide open, shooting transparencies in mixed light. If the G2 works great under these conditions, the rest is cake.
 
Does anyone have any recommendations for a second party flash for the G2. Any experience with Metz flashers? I'll be using flash primarily for "fill-in" purposes. Thanks in advance!
 
Frank,

Since I do not yet received the Contax module for the Sunpak 444D, I cannot respond to its functionality with "fill-in" purposes. You may want to look at the following thread in this forum: G2/G2Accessories - Sunpak 444D and G-2 Compatiability. I think ther3e is another threads that discusses Metz flashes as well since according to the Metz web site, Metz units are G2 compatiable.

Howard
 
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