light
solid
intuitive
expressive
lens cost
availability

focusing system learning curve
unpredicable
cost

not for the faint of heart.
the focusing system is autofocus with no visual confirmation (focus display is quirky and too kludgey for immediate feedback.) it's not really a rangefinder, but a veiwfinder.
most of the people who use this camera and choose to dis it probably haven't learned how to use it. it does take a lot of practice, something most people have no time or humility for anymore-- i really had to practice for a month of solid (30+ rolls) shooting to get the hang of it. use the focus lock! if you practice, it will make you a better photographer. sharp as you make it, and the zeiss lenses are fabulous-- the color and shadow details are pretty amazing-- and a serious bargain for what you get. i would recommend the shorter focal lengths and the longer ones over the 45; the 90mm sonnar has a large enough focus area for pretty accurate focus and the shorties (both biogons) have a big enough depth of field to obliviate the need for superfine focus.
summing up, i like the minimalism of the tool, finding that it is pretty much all you need for pj-style photography and art. i shoot this about 95% of the time, using my slr for hyper telephoto and macro, both of which i'm finding a lot less wonderous than i used to.
oh yeah, you can handhold it for about 1/2 second easily. i am amazed at that single feature.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

slrs, both af and mf

Many...see other reviews

One or two big ones

After reading some of the reviews it looks like the G2 is a love it or hate it kind of camera. I would have to agree as I have hated it and loved it both. When I first bought it I was very excited to finally have a rangefinder that could replace my M3. I have always thought that the Leica M series was one of the best cameras ever made and I had great hopes that the G2 would take over where the M left off. Well, I must say that in many cases it did and in some cases it didn't. The handling of the G2 is very nice. Controls are easy to find and I have never had a problem with moving one by accident. I think that Contax did a great job in their selection of options and design. There are some problems of course. That blasted auto focus is a pain. I have owned my G2 for two and a half years now and I am finally feeling comfortable with the autofocus. That is way to long of a learning curve. So what did I do, I just bought a second one. I can't get any photos like it from any of the other cameras that I have used, and I work for an organization that has used Canon, Nikon, and many other products. This camera is a very specialized camera that is NOT for everyone, but if it fits your style and liking, you can't find another product like it. I still own a Leica M3 and don't plan on selling it but it is now sitting in my cabinet and I only use it once or twice a year. I still really like the Leica but the G2 is so much easier to use once you have mastered it. No easy task in itself.

You must give this camera a lot of time so you can adapt to it's unique and very different ways. If you do, you will get some wonderful results.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M3

Lenses, speed of operaton, leigth weight

limited lens line, require batteries to shoot, smallish finder (although it's identical to old screw-mount leic finder in sizem and very clean (no lines)

After 6 months I like the G2 more than after 2 months. The lenses match Leica’s best (except 35mm) and it’s much smaller and lighter than equivalent SLR’s, and a little lighter (and far faster to operate) than a Leica M. I’m getting better pictures because the camera gets out of my way and lets me concentrate on what I’m shooting instead of on dials and levers and LEDs and split images.

I really like Contax’s engineering. Like all-metal twist-lock for back instead of plastic slide locks that wear out, jam, and/or break fingernails a la Nikon/Canon. Plus real machined-metal dials for shutter, aperture, exposure compensation, motor settings.

And I especially the little extras that show how much thought they put into designing the ideal picture-taking machine. Here are some Smart Camera Tricks you can do only with a G2:

1. Take off the lens. Point the body at a subject and hold down the focus lock button. The camera will focus WITHOUT a lens mounted! And tell you the subject distance on the top LCD readout! To the 10th (or 100th) of a meter! (Say, 1.74 meters). Show me an SLR OR a Leica that can focus with the lens off or with that much accuracy. The G2 isn’t just an AF mechanism, it’s a high quality electro-optical range finder. (But if you start walking around measuring your living space with your camera body, you need professional help...)

2. With the lens already off, open camera back and look through body at an operating TV screen. Set a manual shutter speed and fire the shutter, and you can actually see (and test) the shutter operation. Most other cameras with built-in motors won’t even fire with the back open, or will try and load non-existent film, or will give you a generic x-sync shutter speed regardless of what speed you set. Shutter test hint: speeds of 1/60th second or slower should show you a whole TV screen. Faster speeds should show you a partial TV screen, a glowing stripe, as the shutter is faster than the TV’s framing rate: 1/125 wil show 1/2 screen, 1/250=1/4 screen, 1/4000=1/64 screen, etc. This is also useful for checking that the flash sync is working right.

3. Switch to Manual Focus and set a distance using the distance readout on the top (say INFinity for aerial photos). Switch to Autofocus (say, to take pictures of pilot sitting next to you at .6 meters). Switch back to manual focus, and the camera instantly returns to INFinity (or whatever distance you previously set). Even if you’ve changed lenses in the meantime! The same for street photography: set 3.1 meters manually (10 feet) and take grab shots, switch to AF for a while and then switch back to MF and you’re set at 3.1 meters again.

4. Set camera to “Bulb” and open shutter while watching the exposure counter LCD. It starts TIMING your bulb exposure for you! 1-mississippi, 2-mississippi, etc. Reverts to correct frame count at end of exposure.

5. Turn on self-timer and press shutter button. The exposure counter starts COUNTING DOWN from 10 seconds! (Of course you never see this if you’re scrambling to get in the picture...)

6. While camera is on self-timer, turn on autobracketing and Continuous High motor. When the shutter fires you get a burst of 3 pictures in 3/4 of a second - a great way to “bracket” for accidental blinks or other foobahs that might wreck a single frame.

7. Mount 90mm lens and look through finder with BOTH EYES OPEN. The 90mm finder image is exactly life size, so you see the world in stereo with the framing area just a floating rectangle cropping reality. Great way to shoot sports, watching for action about to come into the frame with your left eye.

8. Change to 35mm lens (or 28/45). Mount 21mm finder. Now you can compare 3 focal-length frames without changing lenses: 35mm (or whatever) through regular finder, 21 through 21 finder, and 90 by using regular finder with both eyes open and watching where black edge of finder (right eye) falls on image of real world (left eye).

9. Mount 21mm lens, and shoot all day using just the accessory finder. With AE/AF there’s no need to keep checking the main finder for exposure and focusing á la Leica. I’ve tried M-Leicas several times over the years, and the dual-finder problem with my favorite 21mm focal length is what’s always driven me away.

Customer Service

- took 7 weeks to get first G2 body's focusing fixed, but folks were very nice and informative (and after 7 week rememberd who I was!)

+ Local rep gave me free Zeiss cap(!! ;-) )

Similar Products Used:

Leica M2, M4-2, M4-P, M6 (at some time or other)

Too many to list

Mounting lens is a bit hard, read the manual very carefully to see where to hold the lens when mounting it.

A great camera, but will test your photography skills.

The focusing "problem" is way overblown. I had no problem at all getting good focus, and I think anybody who have used AF camera will not find this difficult at all. Just like any single point AF in AF SLRs or point-and-shoots, you can half-press the shutter to achieve the focus lock, then recompose to shoot. What's the fuss? The auto zoom finder and auto parallax compensation is vastly superior to Leica M6's fixed framelines, and shouldn't make any SLR user complain.
My Zeiss 45mm/F2 for G is a sharp performer. But it has never been my experience that getting sharp pictures is the ultimate pursuit of photography. Photography is about capturing the quality of light and color, about that precise, magic moment. In this regard, G2 is just another very capable tool. If you are careless about composition, about timing, about the quality of light, the pictures will still come out bad.

Translating into actual use, you have to know that there is no matrix metering in G2. So be aware about where you are getting that exposure value. My experience with my G2 tells me that its AF point is slightly above the bracket inside the viewfinder, while the metering center is slightly toward the lower half of the viewfinder. Run a test roll with slides to see.

Before I finish, I have to compliment the beauty of this camera. It is a gem. Its heft, perfectly smooth finish, precise clicks of its controls, and the beatiful purple-red shine from the T* lens...It's a masterpiece of industrial design. I love it.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Medium format rangefinders, Canon EOS A2 and its lenses

the feel of the camera, the fantastic lenses, ease of operation, the way the thing looks (all right, that doesn't make me shallow, does it?) and on and on.

I swear, sometimes the viewfinder just vanishes. Where'd it go? And although this may be my ignorance, it's a little frustrating to be able to lock in the focus on the shutter but not the meter.

With quirky eyesite and a love of street photography and candids, I found the perfect companion.

I've got an excellent Canon system that works for some things, but this camera is, well, graceful under fire.

I was amazed at how much I liked the 45mm lens with this. The 90 is ok, but for that kind of perspective I use the Canon. I just bought the 35mm (the 28 seemed a wee bit too wide for what I do) and found it to be far better than some of the comments in other reviews would lead one to believe.

I'd love to have tried a Leica and still may -- but the film loading problems with the Big L (none with Contax) and the lack of an AF system makes Contax the choice.

Oh -- and I've had a few oddities in focusing, but really remarkably few. The more I use the camera the more I love it.

I worked from a specific need to a camera and would suggest that in the case of the G2 that's a good way to go.

Customer Service

haven't had to use it yet, thankfully.

Similar Products Used:

Similar? Rangefinders in the old days.

Canon EOS3, EOS1n, Yashica T4, etc.

Quality optics
Small size
Autofocus is no problem
The body has so many features for a compact rangefinder

I borrowed a friend's G2 and got perfect results...then I got my own and the light meter overexposes everything by about 1.5 stops...My three week old camera is being sent tomorrow for service

This is a solid Camera. I borrowed my friends and shot 5 great rolls. The lenses are so contrasty! I then bought my own and the light meter didn't work overexposing everything and causeing my TLA200 to give the hottest spots I have ever seen! I am upset with this camera...I now have two broken cameras sent out! But from borrowing my friend's I know you can get superb results from this camera on your first roll. (If the camera has no manufactuer defects) Hand over your money and hope it works.

Customer Service

Sending it out tomorrow after only owning it for 3 weeks...light meter overexposes by 1.5 stops

Similar Products Used:

I shoot Nikon N70, F100 (which lost the ability to focus after only 4 months) and Mamiya 645

- Superb Optics
- Small Size
- Manual Control
- Fast Flash Sync
- Great finish and feel in your hand
- AFFORDABILITY

- Focusing is tricky in the beginning but it’s just a matter of patience.
- Other then that, no real weaknesses at all given you’ll take time you know your equipment.

This camera requires a little getting used to but once you handle it for about 2 months you begin to truly appreciate it. There are some things I wish it had like spot metering but that will go for any piece of equipment and our expectations of being spoiled by the technology that is out there. Bottom line is that this camera is superbly built, has amazing optics, its small so you can take it anywhere.
This is not a camera if you need to take pictures fast. This is a camera where you'll have to get used to getting a feel for distance in meters and then verify it with your feel. The little distance metering works superbly IF you work with it. This camera is not to take shots right after another in a chaotic environment. Just like its built, it needs grace to achieve its full capabilities. Once you see your images, you'll be amazed with the optics. Once you get amazed with the optics you'll have the freedom to take this camera anywhere since its size. Also, I have to mention that its a lot cheaper to get a superb lens for this camera then lets say Leica M6. The availability of lenses for this Rangefinder might be limited but quite honestly the system covers all that you will need. This is truly a great camera to own given you'll take your time with it.
Although my first two rolls had some blurry pics in them but as I learned how this camera 'thinks' I got it to cooperate with me and I couldn't be happier.

Customer Service

Had not needed it yet.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F5

Outsatanding lens quality, everything at your fingertips, light

Noisy AF, small viewfinder

The G2 is an exceptionally well made camera, very light, with lovely handling.

Much criticism made about G2's focusing is, frankly, inaccurate. The rules for focusing a G2 apply to all rangefinders and are not hard to learn. A quick read of the user manual will enlighten (RTFM!).

The best thing about the G2 are the lenses. They really are getting a solid reputation for outstanding quality (not one based on hype either).

G2 takes great pictures?and that's what counts.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M4-P
Leica M6
Voigtlander Bessa L&R
Canon F1
Canaon A1

1. Watchlike build
2. Solid and compact
3. Ergonomic handling
4. Beautifully finished

AF is totally unreliable

This camera invokes strong feelings from its users. The lens quality (and therefore the image quality) is truly remarkable rendering great sharpness, contrast and color saturation, edge to edge at all apertures (I used the three "standard" lenses). The feel is a true joy to experience and the controls impart confidence and fine workmanship. So why did I finally sell my system after trying to stay in love with it for as many years as it has been sold? Because no matter how carefully I read the manual I found too many situations where I was unable to take a photograph, losing the moment entirely, because the camera would not focus. A quick change to manual produced similar results. No focus. When the camera does not want to focus, it will not and therefore you will be prevented from taking your shot. After nearly getting myself killed by traffic on Rue Saint Germaine in Paris while I was unsuccessfully fidgeting with the G@ to try and make it focus on a shot which I lost anyway, I gave up and decided that beauty of design is insufficient if it doesn't do the job reliably. And the G2 didn't. Great shame, because I have taken some really incredible images with it. But when I want to shoot, I need to be able to without fear of losing the moment. I actually moved to an EOS3. Not as elegant, but remarkably fast and eminently reliable. And the optics are not at all shabby. When you need to rely on your tools, you have have to have reliable ones. Sorry Contax. Almost is an achievement, but not good enough for me.

Customer Service

None Required

Similar Products Used:

Leica M2
Mamiya 7

Build quality
viewfinder info
lenses
speed

None so long as you treat it as a rangefinder and not as you would an AF SLR

An excellent camera. Having always liked the rangefinder idea, and having unsucessfully tried M2's, this was a breath of fresh air. Needing to wear spectacles viewing through the viewfinder was a revelation. Focus as you would with any rangefinder (check where the AF is telling you its trying to focus, or use manual focus) and its as fast as a Leica. Common sense stuff that I think a lot of people miss who try to move from an AF SLR.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Leica M2