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Welcome! You are the visitor to the Contax G User Pages. Please note: This is a privately-maintained site. It has no connection with the manufacturers of Contax cameras or any other organization. To reach the official Contax camera web site, click here. To jump directly to our table of contents, click here.
Photo from Contax USA website
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Ever since the Contax G1 first appeared in late 1994, these unique "autofocus rangefinder" cameras have stirred curiosity and even controversy. The Contax G isn't just a new model of camera, it's a completely different type of camera -- and because of this, photographers often have trouble understanding its characteristics and weighing its merits.
As someone who has owned both the G1 and G2 since their debuts, and has used them extensively for serious picture-taking, I often find myself giving advice to people interested in them and trying to respond to misconceptions about them. On this Web site, I've tried to collect the information that I feel will be useful to people who are thinking of buying a Contax G or just want to know more about this interesting approach to 35mm photography.
Note, though, that while I enjoy using my Contax G's and have been very pleased with their performance, this is not intended to be a "rah-rah" site. The G is not for every photographer or every style of photography. I'm an admirer of fine "classic" rangefinder 35s -- I've owned and used Zeiss-Ikon Contax models (a prewar III and a postwar IIa), a Nikon S2, Leicas M3, M4-2 and M4-P, and now work with the Canon VI-T and 7s -- and feel that the Contax G deserves to be considered separately from, not indiscriminately compared to, this illustrious breed. And having worked extensively with several autofocus and manual-focus 35mm SLR systems, I'm well aware that these are a better solution to many photographic problems. In other words, in this site I'll try to tell you why I like the Contax G... but I'll also try to be frank about why it isn't always the best answer!
I hope you'll find the Contax G User Pages interesting and useful. If you have any comments, feel free to email me by clicking the link at the end of this section. By the way, if you'd like to see some of my dance and performing arts pictures (taken with Contax G's and other cameras), take a look at my BalletWeb site at www.novia.net/~jlw.
Thanks for visiting the Contax G User Pages! --Jim Williams, Webmaster (click to email)
Note: This section goes into considerable detail. You may want to save it for reading offline.
I'll admit this right up front: I'm not an engineer or a camera designer. But I've always been interested in the technical side of cameras, have read as much as I could in this field, and whenever possible have studied and pondered the mechanisms of cameras I came across. While I don't have access to any specialized technical information about the Contax G's, I think the principles of their basic systems are apparent from careful study of their operation, experience with other cameras, and plain old mechanical common sense. In short, the following section is definitely not an "authoritative" engineering review of the Contax G -- but I hope it will at least stimulate thought and interest for other technically-minded photographers who enjoy knowing the "inside story" of how they work.
Topic Index:
General characteristics: The Contax G1, introduced in late 1994, and the G2, debuting in late 1996, represent a new category of 35mm camera: the autofocus, interchangeable-lens, non-SLR. Combining traits of classical mechanical rangefinder 35s with conveniences drawn from high-technology electronic SLRs, the Contax G series offers photographers a unique blend of desirable traits:
Still, camera design is always a compromise. To get these desirable features into the Contax G, its designers have deliberately de-emphasized other areas that may be important to some users. These intentional limitations include:
What's the difference between a Contax G and a typical autofocus SLR camera? In terms of technical features, many of their features are similar. But the Contax G has several unique systems that give it a distinctive set of handling and performance characteristics.
The Focusing System: Basically, there are two ways to focus a camera lens: examine the image directly and adjust the focusing until it looks sharp; or, measure the distance to the subject and set the focusing control accordingly. Traditionally, we think of 35mm SLRs as using the first system, and rangefinder 35s as using the second. Autofocus SLRs, though, have blurred the distinction between these two methods of focusing, and the Contax G takes advantage of this.
To understand how the G's "electronic rangefinder" focusing system works, let's start by considering the traditional optical rangefinder -- a device that was used by surveyors and military men long before its application to photography!
The optical rangefinder works by an application of trigonometry. Suppose you're a surveyor and want to determine the distance to an object across a river. You'd start by setting up your transit (a telescope that rotates on a calibrated base) and taking a sight on the object. Then, you'd move the transit to one side by a known amount (the "base length"), making sure to keep the base exactly parallel to its initial position, and take another sighting. You'd find that you have to turn the telescope at a slight angle to line up the object. Knowing this angle and the base length would allow you to calculate the distance to the object.
Instrument makers quickly got the idea of designing optical rangefinders to simplify this process. Instead of making you take two separate sightings, a typical rangefinder uses two windows, plus a system of mirrors that lets you view the target through both windows simultaneously. You rotate a control on the instrument, which varies the included angle between the mirrors, until the two images of the target coincide. Since the "effective base length" (the distance between the windows, multiplied by the magnification of the optical system) is designed into the instrument, the rotating control can be calibrated to read out the distance directly.
Many older cameras, including early scale-focusing Leicas, accepted this type of rangefinder as an accessory. The photographer used the rangefinder to measure the distance, read it off the rangefinder's scale, then set that distance on the camera's focusing scale. Soon, camera manufacturers got the idea of coupling the rangefinder's distance knob to the camera's focusing mount, so that ranging the object set the camera to the proper distance automatically. (The first consumer camera to use this system was -- no, Fritz, not the Leica! -- the Autographic Kodak 3A Special of 1917.)
Precise and quick to use, the coupled rangefinder quickly became popular on cameras ranging from the 4x5 inch press workhorse Speed Graphic to the classic Leica, Zeiss-Ikon Contax, Nikon and Canon 35mm cameras of the 1930s, '40s and '50s.
In theory, 35mm SLR cameras took the opposite tack, letting the photographer focus visually by examining the image for sharpness. In practice, though, it's difficult to do this quickly and accurately -- especially with wide-angle lenses, where the image is so small that details are hard to see, or slow lenses, where the image is too dim to see clearly. One common gambit for making things easier is the so-called "split-image rangefinder" focusing screen -- which actually turns the SLR into a rangefinder camera!
The split-image screen consists of two small, nearly flat prisms, angled so that the photographer can simultaneously examine light rays from the two opposite edges of the camera lens. If the lens is out of focus, the rays cross in front of or behind the focusing screen, and objects seen through the prisms appear "split in half" horizontally. When the lens is in focus, the rays coincide at the plane of the focusing screen, and objects see through the prisms appear "unsplit." It's the principle of triangulation again -- measuring distance by viewing the target simultaneously from two separated points. You can see that what the split-image screen actually does is turn the camera lens into a rangefinder, whose base length is the diameter of the lens!
Exactly the same triangulation principle is used in today's 35mm autofocus SLR cameras, which rely on a system called "phase detection." Again, a prism system is used to scan light rays from the two opposite edges of the lens. But instead of being directed to the viewer's eye, these rim rays pass through the semi-silvered main mirror, bounce off a secondary mirror, and pass into a module on the floor of the mirror chamber, where tiny lenses and prisms focus them onto two arrays of charge-coupled devices (CCDs.) Each CCD has a long row of light-sensitive segments. The light and dark patterns in the image cause each segment to generate a slightly different signal. If you graphed the signal values from all the segments of a CCD on a line, you'd wind up with a wiggly waveform whose peaks and valleys corresponded to the light and dark areas of the image.
A microprocessor in the autofocus system compares these two waveforms from the two CCDs. If they are exactly "in phase" -- that is, if all the peaks and valleys from CCD 1 line up exactly with those from CCD 2 -- the system knows the lens is in focus, just as you know a split-image rangefinder is in focus when the two halves of the image line up. If the waves are "out of phase," the microprocessor can determine how far they're shifted relative to each other. By determining the direction and distance of the shift, it "knows" how far the lens is out of focus and which way it needs to be moved to focus the image.
The autofocus system in the Contax G cameras works exactly the same way as the one in an AF SLR, with a pair of CCD arrays whose phase is compared by a microprocessor. The only difference is that instead of viewing through the camera lens, the AF peers through its own pair of windows next to the viewfinder. To keep the camera body compact, these windows are fairly close together -- giving a short base length, which normally would limit the system's accuracy. To boost it, the Contax G ingeniously uses optics like those used in binoculars to "fold" the light path inside the autofocus system, giving the effect of a much longer physical base length.
(In the Contax G2, this "passive" CCD system is supplemented by an "active" infrared system like those used in many compact point-and-shoot cameras, such as the Contax T2. Again, the basic principle is triangulation -- but here, an infrared beam emitted by the camera bounces off the subject and is captured by a detector that determines its angle, measuring the focusing distance. This system has the advantage of working in complete darkness, but -- since the power of the infrared beam is limited -- it's only effective at short ranges. The G2 uses both systems together, each "backing up" the other.)
In principle, this non-through-the-lens autofocus system should be capable of greater accuracy than an autofocus SLR's -- there's less chance for distortion or absorption of the light rays, since the light path is so much simpler. In practice, though, the winner depends on the situation. The Contax G is clearly ahead when focusing wide-angle lenses, since the magnification of its autofocus system is independent of the lens. (Optical rangefinder cameras have always beaten SLRs in focusing superwide lenses for the same reason.) At longer focal lengths, though, the SLR gains the edge -- since its autofocus system operates through the lens, longer lenses deliver more magnification and give the CCDs more detail to work on. The traditional wisdom in the rangefinder-vs.-SLR debate is that a rangefinder camera focuses more accurately with lenses up to about 90mm, where the SLR gains the edge -- so that it's probably no accident that 90mm is also the top of the Contax G lens range!
Coupling Lenses to the Focusing System: This has always been a challenge for rangefinder cameras with interchangeable lenses. The problem is that while the rangefinder mechanism always turns through the same angle to zero in on a given distance, lenses of different focal lengths require different amounts of extension to focus on that distance. (You've probably seen this yourself with manual-focus lenses; as you focus closer, the lens barrel extends -- but a tele lens extends more than a normal, which extends more than a wide-angle.) Interestingly -- although undoubtedly by coincidence -- the Contax G's Kyocera designers settled on a solution conceptually similar to the one used on the Zeiss-Ikon Contax series of optical rangefinder cameras!
First, though, let's look at the coupling system used on Leica rangefinder cameras, beginning with the original rangefinder Model II of 1932 and continuing all the way to the present-day M6. In the Leica system, the rangefinder mechanism couples to the lens via a pivoted arm with a roller on its end. This roller rests against the rear of the lens. As the lens focuses in and out, the arm follows its motion -- and transfers it mechanically to the rangefinder optics.
The system's geometry is chosen so that the coupling matches the normal in-and-out movements of a 50mm lens. So how does Leica handle other lenses, with their different extensions? On the back of each lens is a precision-cut cam, connected to the focusing ring and rotating as the ring is turned. The shape of this cam is chosen so that when the focusing ring is set to a particular distance, the coupling arm is positioned exactly where a 50mm lens would put it for that distance. By choosing the right shape for the cam, Leica can "translate" the in-and-out movements of any lens to match those of the 50mm lens for which the rangefinder is designed.
Clever as this system is, it has a few drawbacks. The cams require costly, incredibly precise machining -- often the final finishing is done by hand -- and even almost invisible damage or debris on the cam can be enough to throw off focusing accuracy.
When Zeiss-Ikon introduced the Contax I camera later in 1932, it used a different system. The rangefinder was still coupled by a pivoted, roller-tipped arm -- but it was well-protected deep inside the camera, where it was permanently mated to a built-in focusing mount for normal 50mm lenses. Longer or shorter lenses, which had their own focusing mounts, were connected to the camera mount by slotted tubes, so that turning the lens' focusing ring turned the camera mount by the appropriate amount.
In effect, the Leica system coupled by measuring the amount of extension as the lens was focused -- while the Zeiss-Ikon system coupled by measuring the degree of turn of the focusing ring.
Now jump ahead some 60 years to the Contax G system. The problem is still the same: one focusing system, several lenses. And the method used is basically the same as on the Zeiss-Ikon Contax: measuring the degree of turn as the lens is focused.
On the Contax G, of course, lenses are focused not manually by a ring, but by a motor and coupler in the camera body. Whenever the focusing system is deactivated, the lens parks at the infinity position -- this "indexing" is necessary so the focusing system will always "know" where it's starting from. Then, when the AF system is activated and the CCDs have determined the correct focus point, the autofocus coupler spins... while the autofocus system "counts the turns" until it "knows" the lens has been turned far enough to bring it into correct focus!
The Viewfinder System: The SLR's through-the-lens viewing makes it simple to match the viewfinder image to any lens you want to use. But since a rangefinder-type camera uses a separate viewfinder, another traditional problem for camera designers is adapting the finder view to the lens in use. The first solution was to make a separate optical viewfinder for each lens and mount it in an accessory shoe on top of the camera -- but this wasn't very convenient. Again, the Leica and Zeiss-Ikon Contax took two different approaches... and again, even though there's no connection between Zeiss-Ikon and today's Kyocera-designed Contax, the Contax G solution is similar in concept to the vintage Contax of yore.
The simplest kind of optical viewfinder is just a backward telescope. A rectangular negative lens at the front shrinks the scene to match the picture area; a small positive lens at the back makes it easier for the photographer's eye to view this "minified" image. Although cheap and effective, it has three major drawbacks: the edges of the picture area are blurry rather than sharply defined, making exact composition difficult; it "sees" a slightly different area than the camera lens, making it vulnerable to "parallax error" in close-ups; and in its simplest form, it can't show the picture area of more than one lens.
Both those problems were solved by the "multiple projected frame" viewfinder system, which apparently made its 35mm camera debut on the Steinheil Casca II of 1948, was popularized by the Leica M3 of 1954, and later found its way onto the Nikon SP and Canon 7-series cameras. In this type of finder, the viewing areas of various lenses are defined by precisely-cut slots in a plate. This plate is illuminated by a frosted window on the front of the camera; an optical system within the viewfinder projects an image of the slots into the viewfinder image, where they form a sharply-defined "bright frame" that outlines the picture area in white lines. A linkage to the rangefinder moves the plate diagonally as the lens is focused, compensating for parallax. And different lenses can be accommodated by cutting several different sets of slots in the plate, with a masking system to block off all except the one that matches the lens in use.
The projected multiframe finder was a hit, but some photographers (especially SLR fans) found it confusing. The bright frames struck them as distracting and interfered with their concentration on the subject. And since the finder's overall optical magnification never changed, the frames for longer lenses -- such as 90mm and 135mm -- were so small that it was hard to compose with confidence. Camera designers also had to cope with the fact that the projection system took up a lot of space and required a lot of precisely-made parts -- more than 150 for a Leica M rangefinder/viewfinder module.
Zeiss-Ikon had relied on an alternate approach since the 1930s. Their Contax cameras had a conventional, fixed, non-projected viewfinder for 50mm lenses. But for other lenses, the Contax system offered a sophisticated "real-image" auxiliary viewfinder. This type of finder was not based on the inverted-telescope principle. Instead, a positive objective lens -- like a simple camera lens -- formed an inverted, sharply focused image at a specific plane within the finder. A mask at this image plane gave the picture area a sharp, precisely defined boundary. Next, an internal prism turned the image right-side up; finally, an adjustable eyepiece assured the photographer a clear view, and also moved vertically to compensate for parallax. To handle different focal lengths, the Zeiss-Ikon finder had a turret with five objective lenses that matched the camera's most-used focal lengths -- a range from 21mm to 135mm. The longer lenses gave a magnified view, shorter ones a wide-angle view -- so the view through the finder always matched the final picture area, with no distractions. Optical authority Dr. Rudolf Kingslake described this type of viewfinder as being "ideal to use," with its widespread use discouraged only by its high cost. (Still, Bell & Howell's Filmo movie cameras adopted a similar system, and in recent years molded plastic optics have enabled the real-image finder to become popular on point-and-shoot cameras.)
The Contax G cameras use an update of exactly the same principle as the Zeiss-Ikon turret finder. Instead of five separate objectives on a turret, the G finder incorporates a tiny zoom lens controlled by a pin at the top of the camera lensmount. When you mount a Contax G lens, a lug on its backside pushes this pin sideways, zooming the finder lens to the correct position. The finder lens forms a sharply-focused image in the plane of a mask that defines the edges of the picture area, and also moves diagonally (via a micromotor) to compensate for parallax. A miniature version of an SLR's pentaprism turns the image right-side up, and an eyepiece -- adjustable to the photographer's vision -- brings it into view.
This clever system does have a few drawbacks. The small size of the objective lens keeps the view from being quite as bright as, say, a Leica M finder. The high magnification of the eyepiece requires you to develop the knack of keeping your eye centered fairly accurately behind it, or the view deteriorates. And depending on your eye's focusing ability, you may have to "touch up the focus" of the eyepiece via the diopter control when changing from wide angle to telephoto or vice-versa...although most people find they can reach a "compromise setting" that's acceptable for both extremes. Even within these limitations, though, the Contax G finder system is both amazingly compact and impressively effective.
The Shutter and Meter Systems: While the Contax G's focusing and viewing arrangements are unique, the shutter and exposure metering systems are based firmly on contempory practice.
The G's focal-plane shutter module is a standard vertical-travel blade type, similar to the ones used on almost all current 35mm SLRs. SLR owners are accustomed to the careful handling required by these shutters, but those coming to the Contax G from a "classic" rangefinder camera such as Leica, Canon or Nikon may need a warning: the sliding blades are more delicate than what you're used to. A traditional focal-plane shutter's horizontal curtains -- rubberized cloth on a Leica M, epoxy-coated stainless steel on a 7-series Canon, quilted titanium on the late Nikon SP -- can stand an occasional finger-poke or film-leader jab without much trouble. But such treatment of a blade-type shutter can knock the blades out of their tracks, causing expensive damage. A very light flick of a fingertip or film-end most likely won't hurt it -- but it's still best to learn to keep fingers and film tip clear while loading or unloading. Be especially careful never to trip the shutter if the film tip is resting on it, as sometimes happens after rewinding.
One small difference between G and SLR shutters is that the Contax G has an extra set of blades on the front (lens) side; they're needed to keep bright light from the lens from filtering around the blades and fogging the film, since (unlike an SLR) the Contax shutter doesn't have a reflex mirror in front of it!
These auxiliary blades are also finished in neutral gray to act as a target for the metering system's sensor, a silicon photo diode (SPD) at the top of the camera "throat." On the Contax G1, the entire front face of the shutter is gray; on the G2, the outer set of blades is finished in black, giving a slightly more centralized metering pattern. It's essentially the same principle used in the metering system of the Leica M6 -- although the Leica's meter "target" is a round white dot rather than a gray area. (Both cameras, though, fall a bit short short of the sophistication of the 1983 Minolta CLE -- which metered a dot-patterned shutter curtain as a pre-exposure check, but controlled the final shutter speed by reading light from the film plane itself during the actual moment of exposure!)
The Contax G (like the CLE) does use off-the-film metering for its TTL autoflash system, which works with any Contax TLA-series electronic flash unit. The flash meter cell is a separate SPD, this one on the bottom of the camera throat. The continuous-light and flash metering systems work together to provide automatically balanced fill flash, up to the limits imposed by the camera's maximum X-sync speed (1/100 on the G1, 1/200 on the G2.) Both the continuous-light and TTL flash meter cells, by the way, give straight centerweighted readings -- no segmented, multiple-zone "evaluative" meter systems here to second-guess the photographer's intentions!
Overall, the dominating trait of the Contax G cameras' design is balance: a carefully-considered balance between tradition and technology, between portability and features, and between technological sophistication and operating simplicity. What results is, admittedly, a "niche" camera rather than a broad-spectrum, general-purpose instrument -- but the niche that the Contax fills, it fills superbly!
This chart, drawn from the specifications pages of the G1 and G2 instruction manuals, summarizes the features of the two cameras.
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Contax G1 |
Contax G2 |
Comments |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Type |
35mm AF range finder camera with focal plane shutter |
35mm AF range finder camera with focal plane shutter |
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Picture size |
24 x 36 mm |
24 x 36 mm |
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Lens mount |
Contax G mount |
Contax G mount |
Early-production G1 requires ROM update for 21/2.8, 35/2 lens |
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Shutter |
Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter |
Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter |
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Shutter speeds |
16 sec. to 1/2000 in aperture-priority auto mode; 1 sec. to 1/2000 + B in manual mode. X sync at 1/100 |
16 sec. to 1/6000 in aperture-priority auto mode; 4 set. to 1/4000 + B in manual mode. X sync at 1/200 |
Note that the G2's X sync speed is twice as fast |
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Sync contacts |
Hot shoe w. dedication contacts; PC terminal |
Hot shoe w. dedication contacts; PC terminal |
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Self-timer |
Electronic; 10 second delay |
Electronic; 10 second delay |
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Shutter release |
Electromagnetic release button plus special socket for electrical cable switch |
Electromagnetic release button plus special socket for electrical cable switch |
The cable socket looks like it would accept a standard mechanical cable release, but Contax warns this may damage the socket |
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Focusing |
Auto or manual |
Auto or manual |
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Focusing method |
Extended base length external (non-TTL) passive AF; red AF assist beam for low light; focus lock via shutter button |
Combination of extended base length external (non-TTL) passive AF and infrared active AF; focus lock via shutter button or rear switch |
The G1's very bright focus assist beam is effective, but can startle skittish subjects; the G2 system emits no visible light |
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AF sensitivity |
ISO 100: EV 3 ~ 19 |
ISO 100: EV 3 ~ 19 for passive subsystem |
The G2's active infrared subsystem can focus in complete darkness, but its range is limited (about 4m) |
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AF modes |
Single-shot; continuous after first frame when motor is in 2fps continuous mode |
Single-shot or continuous in any motor drive mode |
Both: focus priority in single-shot mode; release priority in continuous mode |
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Exposure control |
Aperture-priority auto; manual; TTL auto flash; manual flash |
Aperture-priority auto; manual; TTL auto flash; manual flash |
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Metering system |
TTL, centerweighted averaging off first shutter curtain at working aperture for most lenses; auto-switching to external meter cell with 16mm f/8 Hologon |
TTL, centerweighted averaging off first shutter curtain at working aperture for most lenses; auto-switching to external meter cell with 16mm f/8 Hologon |
The Hologon requires external metering because its rear elements extend so far into the body that they obstruct the internal meter sensor |
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Metering range |
EV 1 ~ 19 with TTL metering at ISO 100 and f/2; EV 3 ~ 19 with external meter |
EV 1 ~ 19 with TTL metering at ISO 100 and f/2; EV 3 ~ 19 with external meter |
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Film speeds |
ISO 25 ~ 5000 via DX code; 6 ~ 6400 with manual setting |
ISO 25 ~ 5000 via DX code; 6 ~ 6400 with manual setting |
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AE lock |
Stores shutter speed; via locking switch or (optionally) partially depressing shutter button |
Stores shutter speed; via locking switch or (optionally) partially depressing shutter button |
Custom function allows AE lock to be activated when shutter button is half depressed |
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Exposure Compensation |
+2 to -2 EV in 1/3 EV increments |
+2 to -2 EV in 1/3 EV increments |
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Auto bracketing |
3 exposure in 0.5 EV or 1 EV steps |
3 exposure in 0.5 EV or 1 EV steps |
Custom function allows changing order of auto bracketed exposures |
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Flash control |
Off-the-film TTL (averaging) with films ISO 25 - 400 |
Off-the-film TTL (averaging) with films ISO 25 - 800 |
Note G2's faster maximum ISO speed for TTL flash |
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Flash dedication |
X sync set automatically when flash is charged; Finder flash-ready and flash-OK signals |
X sync set automatically when flash is charged; Finder flash-ready and flash-OK signals |
Auto-fill and slow sync supported. Fully compatible with Contax SLR dedicated flashes. |
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Second curtain synchronization |
with TLA flash units so equipped |
with TLA flash units so equipped |
Some larger Contax flashes support this feature; the TLA140 and TLA200 do not |
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Viewfinder |
Real-image type; zooms to show field of lenses 28-90mm; 0.57x magnification and 90% coverage w. 45mm lens at infinity; auto parallax compensation via moving mask |
Real-image type; zooms to show field of lenses 28-90mm; 0.57x magnification and 90% coverage w. 45mm lens at infinity; auto parallax compensation via moving mask |
Both have same image size, but G2 provides slightly more eye relief; 16 & 21mm lenses use external viewfinders |
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Diopter correction |
Built in; range +0.3 to -2 diopter |
Built in; range +0.3 to -2 diopter |
G2 also accepts external lenses for greater correction; G1 does not |
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Finder LCD displays |
AF frame; focusing scale; shutter speed; manual metering pointers; exposure compensation warning; flash ready/OK signal |
AF frame; focusing scale; shutter speed; manual metering pointers; exposure compensation warning; flash ready/OK signal |
Finder LCD illuminates automatically |
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Top LCD displays |
Shooting distance (meters), film speed, drive mode, battery warning |
Shooting distance (meters), film speed, multiple exposure, battery warning |
G2 does not require drive mode display as it is set by a knob |
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Film loading |
Auto loading, auto advance to frame 1 |
Auto loading, auto advance to frame 1 |
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Film advance |
Auto; built-in motor; LCD frame counter |
Auto; built-in motor; LCD frame counter |
Sprocketless film metering via IR LED may cause some fogging of infrared film |
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Film rewind |
Auto via built-in motor; midroll rewind possible |
Auto via built-in motor; midroll rewind possible |
Custom function allows leaving leader in or out |
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Drive modes |
Single, continuous, self-timer, multiple exposure |
Single, continuous low, continuous high, self timer, multiple exposure |
|
|
Framing rate |
Up to 2 fps |
Up to 4 fps |
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|
Power source |
Two 3V lithium batteries, type CR2 |
Two 3V lithium batteries, type CR2 |
Both also accept optional power adapter GP-1 and external power pack P-8, which allow use of four AA-size batteries |
|
Battery capacity |
About 80 24-exp. rolls at ordinary temperature, tested according to Contax standard method |
About 80 24-exp. rolls at ordinary temperature, tested according to Contax standard method |
|
|
Dimensions |
133mm W x 77mm H x 42mm D |
139mm W x 80mm H x 45mm D |
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|
Weight |
460g without batteries |
560g without batteries |
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Contax G NON-Comparison ChartWe've said it before and we'll say it again: the Contax G cameras aren't just a different family of camera models, they represent a completely new 35mm camera type. It doesn't really make sense to ask (as is sometimes debated on the rec.photo newsgroup), "Which is better, a Contax G or a [insert name of your favorite dream camera here]?" any more than it makes sense to say, "Which is better, a Jeep Grand Cherokee or a Porsche Boxster?" Like vehicles, cameras are specialized tools, designed to fit different niches in terms of identity, purpose, and user profile. Still, even though comparing the Contax G to other cameras is comparing "apples to oranges," most of us have to face the fact that we can't afford both apples and oranges -- we have to pick one or the other. To make that process a little easier, here's a "non-comparison" chart listing some key characteristics of the Contax G2 and a couple of other "niche" cameras that are often discussed alongside it:
So, bearing these philosophical points in mind, here's our apples-to-oranges-to-grapes NON-comparison chart:
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|
Contax G2 |
Konica Hexar |
Leica M6 |
Typical AF SLR |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Materials |
Aluminum-alloy chassis, titanium outer panels, stainless steel lens mount. |
Aluminum-alloy chassis, rubberized composite outer panels. |
Aluminum-alloy chassis, brass and zinc outer panels, chromed brass lens mount. |
Most have plastic or metal-and-plastic "hybrid" chassis, plastic outer panels; reinforced plastic or stainless steel lens mount. |
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|
Finder |
Always sharp, non-focusing image; zooms to show coverage of 28-90mm lenses;compensates for parallax. 16mm and 21mm lenses use separate accessory finders. |
Always sharp, non-focusing image. Projected bright framelines show coverage of lens, compensate for parallax. |
Always sharp, non-focusing image. Projected bright framelines switch automatically to show coverage of 28-135mm lenses; compensate for parallax. Frames for other lenses can be previewed via selector lever. 21mm lens uses separate accessory finder. |
Focusing image; out-of-focus areas appear unsharp. Shows actual view through lens in use, so parallax compensation is not needed. |
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Focusing |
Automatic via hybrid system combining non-TTL active infrared and passive CCD. Manual focus possible with in-finder focus assist. |
Automatic via non-TTL active infrared system. Manual focus possible by LCD scale. |
Manual via optical rangefinder combined with viewfinder. |
Automatic via TTL passive CCD system. Some have visible focus assist beam for dim light. Manual focus possible with in-finder focus assist. |
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Film handling |
Auto load; auto DX speed setting w. manual override possible. Motorized single or continuous film advance up to 4fps. Motorized rewind. |
Auto load; auto DX speed setting w. manual override possible. Motorized single film advance plus slow-speed "silent mode." Motorized rewind. |
Manual load via removable baseplate; manual ISO speed setting; manual advance via thumb lever. Accepts accessory winder. Manual rewind via crank. |
Most have auto load, auto DX speed setting, single or continuous film advance; motorized rewind. |
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Lens range |
Seven interchangeable Carl Zeiss lenses in Contax G breech-lock mount: 16mm f/8; 21mm f/2.8;28mm f/2.8; 35mm f/2.0; 45mm f/2.0; 90mm f/2.8; 35-70mm f/3.5~5.6 zoom. Limited use of Contax SLR lenses via GA-1 adapter.
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Non-interchangeable 35mm f/2 lens. |
More than a dozen Leica lenses in Leica M bayonet mount, including: 21mm f/2.8; 28mm f/2.8; 35mm f/1.4 and f/2; 50mm f/1.0, 1.4, 2.0 and 2.8; 75mm f/1.4; 90mm f/2.0 and 2.8; 135mm f/4.5; trifocal "Vario-Elmar"; longer lenses via (discontinued) reflex housing. Some 3rd-party lenses available. |
Extensive selection of manufacturer and third-party fixed and zoom lenses in a wide range of focal lengths, prices and quality levels. |
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Metering |
Center-weighted through-lens measurement via SPD cell reading off gray-finished shutter curtain. |
Center-weighted or limited area measurement via non-TTL SPD cell. |
Limited-area measurement via SPD cell reading white dot on shutter curtain. |
Most have multi-pattern metering via SPD array reading off focusing screen. |
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Exposure setting |
Aperture-priority auto; metered manual. |
Program or aperture-priority auto; metered manual. |
Metered manual. |
Most have program plus some combination of aperture-priority, shutter-priority and/or metered manual settings. |
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Shutter |
Electronically timed vertical blade-type focal plane shutter. Speed range: 1/6000 - 16 sec. on auto exposure, 1/4000 - 4 sec. manual exposure. |
Electronically timed between-lens leaf shutter with combined shutter and aperture blades. Speed range: 1/250 - 30 sec. |
Mechanically timed horizontal focal plane shutter with rubberized cloth curtains. Speed range: 1/1000 -1 sec. |
Most have vertical blade-type focal plane shutters with speeds ranging from 1/2000 or faster to 1 sec. or slower. |
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Flash |
Full dedication and TTL control with Contax TLA flash units. Maximum sync speed: 1/200. |
Limited dedication with special Hexar flash unit, but no TTL metering. Flash sync at all speeds. |
"TTL" model offers dedication and TTL control. Maximum sync speed: 1/50. |
Most have fully dedication and TTL control at maximum sync speeds in range fo 1/100 - 1/250. |
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Power |
Two CR2 lithium batteries power AF, metering, shutter, film advance and rewind. Will not operate without batteries. Accepts accessory "cold weather pack" that uses AA batteries in an external case. |
Internal batteries power AF, metering, shutter, film advance and rewind. Will not operate without batteries. |
Internal batteries power metering system and LED readouts only. All other functions operate without batteries. |
Most use 2CR5 lithium battery powering all functions; some accept AA batteries in an auxiliary grip; will not operate without batteries. |
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Approx. US price (body) |
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Approx. US price, working system |
28mm f/2.8, 45mm f/2.0, 90mm f/2.8: $2,500 |
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28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2, 90mm f/2.8: $6,780 |
$1,170 |
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![[pola pic]](Images/polar.jpg)