I finally got a Contax G1!!!

[LeicaFoReVer]

After adoring this camera a year, finally I got a white sticker one with 45mm...

My first impressions: this camera is so elegant! I know this is not a technical adjective but I really liked its shape and features compared to my M6...The grip makes you feel the body and the weight is just enough. I was imagining it a plastic feel camera because of its color but not, it feels sturdy! This is also the first zeiss glass I own...

I wish they continued to make those cameras today (as every contax user would say...)

I have some questions. what is the lever under the shutter speed dial? when I select it towards left, left digit of counter blinks and a plus sign appears on the green screen...

how about the square kind of symbol when you switch in drive button?

I had also some difficulty in mounting the lens as the red dot is inside and hard to align and see...what is the right procedure of mounting and unmounting it?

Thanks!

[nonot]

congrats, it's a great camera!

"The lever under the the shutter speed button" Do you mean under the dial? if so that's for exposure compensation, you should see the +- increments there?

I'm not sure what you mean about the other function.

As for mounting, it's a bit fiddly, you'll get the hang of it, just make sure to turn the knurled metal part, and not the plastic part.

have fun with it.

[kdemas]

You're going to be amazed with that 45mm. Razor sharp.

Enjoy!

[nonot]

oh also you can find the manual at butkus.org, it will help you with some of the more "mysterious" functions of the camera.

[LeicaFoReVer]

oh now I see the exposure +- letters hidden

The other one appears on the led when you switch using the drive button, First S, then C then timer and the next one that I dont know...I will check the manual. Thank you very much!!!

[digitalintrigue]

Excellent.

[LeicaFoReVer]

Originally Posted by nonot

As for mounting, it's a bit fiddly, you'll get the hang of it, just make sure to turn the knurled metal part, and not the plastic part.

have fun with it.

I was trying to turn the plastic part

[LeicaFoReVer]

oh that is the multiple exposure symbol

[nonot]

Yeah, keep fingers away from the plastic.

Right, the multiple exp, it's a bit different on the g2 which is what I use now.

post some pics when you have 'em.

[LeicaFoReVer]

Definetely I will post images!!!!

I did not know that there is an adaptor for SLR lenses! that might be interesting. Any experiences?

[ReeRay]

On the large dial +- is ex. Comp. The lever underneath is bracketing (1/2 or 1 stop) S = single shot, C= continuous and self timer (10 secs) AEL = exposure lock. bracket you mention is multi-exposure Hope this helps

[cidereye]

Congrats on your new G1!

As nonot indicated make sure you read the manual thoroughly to get the most out of using the camera especially the sections on auto-focus. Many, many people have tried these cameras in the past and could not get on with them complaining they got too many out of focus pictures. Understand how the AF works and you will not be one of them I assure you.

Have fun with it, they truly are fantastic cameras with great (and cheap!) glass too.

[whitecat]

Good choice. Great camera.

[Cron]

great choice!
great camera with exellent lenses!

[nonot]

I bought my kit with the slr adapter included - it's only good with Contax lenses and it works perfectly fine if you don't mind measuring out all your shots (it's not coupled with the rangefinder obviously, and they aren't supported by the autofocus) - it's not useful for the type of shots I use the camera for though, so it collects dust. It's a cool oddity that you might find useful if you do studio work or a lot of landscapes I think.

More useful would be one of the adapters being made for the micro 4/3 cameras - pity you can't use them with the wides as of yet though.

[LeicaFoReVer]

The manual helped a lot. It is so thorough,,, I understand the focusing and hopefully I will get nice shots. I will post them in here...thanks for helping everybody...

[ianstamatic]

I also just got a G1 +45 +90 = $440 incl shipping on fleabay

I cant wait to get a 28mm !!

this camera looks and feels just brilliant.

[whitecat]

You won't be able to sleep at night if you don't get the 21mm and the finder.

[Steve M.]

The next time you have the lens off look and see if there's some blue deposits on the camera's lens mount, the electrical contacts, and the lens's mount as well. If there is, clean it off w/ some alcohol. The camera relies on a good contact there to get accurate focus information, and the blue stuff will give you hit or miss focusing and possible shutter lag unless it's wiped clean.

Great little camera, and you should try the 90 2.8 on it. Probably one of the best, and cheapest, portrait lenses in 35mm.

[nonot]

Originally Posted by whitecat

You won't be able to sleep at night if you don't get the 21mm and the finder.

It's a nice lens indeed.

[akremer]

buy the tla 200 and give us your best juergen teller

[Talex]

I also picked up a G1 plus 90/2.8 last week. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but can't wait.

[LeicaFoReVer]

Originally Posted by ianstamatic

I also just got a G1 +45 +90 = $440 incl shipping on fleabay

I cant wait to get a 28mm !!

this camera looks and feels just brilliant.

That is a bargain!!! OMG.

[Bob Michaels]

3 ContaxG tips:

1) The ability to autofocus is greatly impacted by the cleanliness of the viewfinder windows. A smudge from a thumbprint will really mess up the autofocus.

2) New batteries fix almost all of the funky behaviors if they happen. Low voltage batteries will mess us functions that you never imagined would be impacted.

1) & 2) came directly from Contax factory support back when it existed. I have found them to be very true.

3) The 21mm, 28mm, 45mm and 90mm lenses are spectacular. I have found equals but nothing better. the 35mm lens is very very good.

I shot with the ContaxG for seven years and wonder why I ever set it down.

Oh, the ContaxG is a marvelous autofocus camera. Use it's strengths and don't try to make it a manual focus.

[froyd]

I'm a recent owner myself, and after a 4 rolls learning curve I'm getting results I'm proud of. Don't give up if the first roll only has a handful of keepers or the viewfinder looks too dim compared to the M6. You will soon get the hang of it.


Note on the lens mounting question: DO NOT turn the black plastic part or you will strip/bend the lens contacts! As a mnemonic device look at the way the black plastic part looks when the lens is mounted. Note how the flat edge lies parallel to the camera's bottom plate. Always mount the lens keeping the plastic part oriented parallel to the bottom of the camera and you won't have any problems.

Good luck and share some shots (also on zeissimages please!)