Paulo J Moreira
Contax G2
Everybody knows about my fondness for Contax cameras, from the original Zeiss Ikon models to the Japanese reincarnations. The Contax G was my dream camera back in the 1990’s, when the G2 came out in 1996 it carved the words “I love you” in my heart. Trouble was, the G2 was deliriously expensive for me and I never got the chance of owning one, until today. I am a patient man, I’ve waited 20 years for my camera and I was rewarded with a black version, the exact model for a black camera fetishist.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not any richer than I was 20 years ago, quite the opposite. These cameras cost know a fraction of what they cost back then and I decided to trade in most of the cameras that I don’t like or want. So gone were all my SLRs except for the Nikons, Prakticas and Contaxes. I needed to free some space and this Contax G2 was the perfect excuse for getting rid of cameras that I will not use.
I got the whole set, the body and the Biogon, Planar and Sonnar lenses plus a nice carrying metal case. Holding the camera is like holding any other Contax camera, just the feeling is a warning of the things to come. For a compact AF camera, the G2 is substantial, not too heavy, but heavy all the same. Now, this is no M camera ersatz, it’s an AF compact with interchangeable lenses and a real changing viewfinder according to the focal length, not some framelines. The viewfinder quality concerning brightness, sharpness is not up to the M standards, but again, it offers a completely different concept. I immediately fell in love with the idea of the camera showing inside the viewfinder the precise focusing distance and on top of the camera, making hip level shooting a breeze. This is one camera thought out for people who like street photography. I will not bother you with tech details, but having 1/6000th of top speed in a compact is unheard of. The camera is extremely refined, bearing in mind that it is autofocus, auto advance and auto rewind. There is a nice touch, although not very efficient that is the manual focusing system. That front wheel, mimicking the great Contaxes of old is the manual focus control. It isn’t very good, plus it robs the photographer of the experience of turning a lens barrel.
The Planar 45/2 that equips the camera has an outstanding reputation, some people say it’s the best ever lens produced for a film camera. I really don’t expect less from Kyocera/Tomioka/Zeiss, apparently some stomachs didn’t feel very well in Wetzlar, achieving such a performance with an AF lens was always a Leica tabu.
Time will tell if the G2 lives up to my 20 year old dream or not. I soon will let you know.
Contax G2
Everybody knows about my fondness for Contax cameras, from the original Zeiss Ikon models to the Japanese reincarnations. The Contax G was my dream camera back in the 1990’s, when the G2 came out in 1996 it carved the words “I love you” in my heart. Trouble was, the G2 was deliriously expensive for me and I never got the chance of owning one, until today. I am a patient man, I’ve waited 20 years for my camera and I was rewarded with a black version, the exact model for a black camera fetishist.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not any richer than I was 20 years ago, quite the opposite. These cameras cost know a fraction of what they cost back then and I decided to trade in most of the cameras that I don’t like or want. So gone were all my SLRs except for the Nikons, Prakticas and Contaxes. I needed to free some space and this Contax G2 was the perfect excuse for getting rid of cameras that I will not use.
I got the whole set, the body and the Biogon, Planar and Sonnar lenses plus a nice carrying metal case. Holding the camera is like holding any other Contax camera, just the feeling is a warning of the things to come. For a compact AF camera, the G2 is substantial, not too heavy, but heavy all the same. Now, this is no M camera ersatz, it’s an AF compact with interchangeable lenses and a real changing viewfinder according to the focal length, not some framelines. The viewfinder quality concerning brightness, sharpness is not up to the M standards, but again, it offers a completely different concept. I immediately fell in love with the idea of the camera showing inside the viewfinder the precise focusing distance and on top of the camera, making hip level shooting a breeze. This is one camera thought out for people who like street photography. I will not bother you with tech details, but having 1/6000th of top speed in a compact is unheard of. The camera is extremely refined, bearing in mind that it is autofocus, auto advance and auto rewind. There is a nice touch, although not very efficient that is the manual focusing system. That front wheel, mimicking the great Contaxes of old is the manual focus control. It isn’t very good, plus it robs the photographer of the experience of turning a lens barrel.
The Planar 45/2 that equips the camera has an outstanding reputation, some people say it’s the best ever lens produced for a film camera. I really don’t expect less from Kyocera/Tomioka/Zeiss, apparently some stomachs didn’t feel very well in Wetzlar, achieving such a performance with an AF lens was always a Leica tabu.
Time will tell if the G2 lives up to my 20 year old dream or not. I soon will let you know.