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This is a superb camera, which has been tailored for a very specific niche. It is not the panacea to all photographic problems (there is no camera that can do everything) and should not be judged as if it was attempting to be that. Clearly several of the greatest detractors of this camera on this page either did not understand the benefits and weaknesses of the format and were surprised to find that indeed the camera can not do everything. Worse are those who bought the camera and did not bother to read the manual. Basically this is a wonderful camera and a superb tool for what it was intended for. It does take practice to get the most out of it but most good tools do best with a little practice. I have not had focusing problems and own all the lenses except the 16mm all of which I’ve found to be excellent.

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Good ergonomic layout.
Very compact body and lenses.
Carl Zeiss lenses quality.

Focus lock should operate "hands-free" .
No DOF scales on lenses.
Fidly lens mount requires care.

I wasn't very interested in the G1 or G2 when they came up because of the negative press reviews. I bought the G2 black kit with 3 lenses (28, 45 and 90) because I got a very good price on a 1 week used kit.

I have to say the camera is excelent for travel/reportage style of photography. I found the AF very fast and useful when photographing people on the street. No problems autofocusing the 90mm---results are allways spot on where I want them.

The Carl Zeiss lenses are simply amazing: it's not that they are sharp, what's amazing is the very high local contrast and detail you get on the shadows.

The 45mm and 90mm also have a very delicate out-of-areas (called 'bokeh' by japonese photographers) that makes b&w portraits gain a three-dimensionality quality that has to be seen to be believed.

The 28mm and 21mm (which I also bought) are absolutely distortion-free due to their symetrical optical formula--truely the best wide angles for 24x36 I've used. They are also very small and light.

The camera body is very solid and every control fits your hand in the right place. Only one caveat: the lens mount requires care when mounting and dismounting lenses; if you're not carefull the lens might not work or you may even damage the electronic contacts (never happend to me).

I found the metering system to be very reliable -- when shoting chromes the results are allways spot on. Also the Zeiss lenses made me want to shoot chromes again after I had narrowed to b&w!

The G system is great if you like travel or do people photography and want to carry a light, compact system that exceeds optical quality of current pro level Canon or Nikon reflex.

Customer Service

n/a

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Compact, sturdily built, contorls well laid out, great lenses.

Viewfinder small, focus on every shot unless locked, must lock focus before shooting, somewhat noisy.

Nothing touches it for the money. Somewhat heavier than the G1, but faster focusing. The Zeiss lesnes are just super. I never use a polarizer anymore and this formerly was commonly used. The contrast and color are very special, not to mention the sharpest lens, except for Leica, that I have used. Can't say enough about the special quality of the lenses.

Customer Service

None needed.

Similar Products Used:

Konica Hexar, Minox, various SLRs from Konical, Nikon, Canon and Leica. Medium Format.

Zeiss Lens
Auto focus, faster than the G1.
Titanium Body
Awesome for low light photography.

Battery Life

I bought this camera because of the optics, until now, I still say "WOW"! everytime I get my pictures from the lab.

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None

- size and weight
- beautiful titanium finish
- simple knobs and dials instead of mode buttons
- classic rangefinder qualities and advanced electronics all nicely packaged
- good value (got the G2 and the 45mm lens for half of what an M6 + 50mm lens would cost)
- very fast and accurate shutter speed (up to 1/4000 and up to 1/6000 I've read in automatic mode)

- autofocus takes getting used to
- "fly-by-wire" manual focus isn't as nice as using framelines in an M6
- mode dial (single shot/continuous/timer/etc) to easily moves to different positions
- battery life indicator quite spartan, usually only activates when batteries near life support
- refocuses each time you prepare to take a photo (workaround is to use focus lock button)
- focusing somewhat loud (but not terribly)
- strange translations from Japanese to English, occassionally confusing (also sometimes rather humorous)

This is a great camera. I take this and my EOS 3 on many trips around the Western United States, and many of my best photos were taken using the G2. Its size makes it the perfect travel camera, far superior to any P&S camera and considerably lighter than even the smallest SLR kit. It is especially appriciated on long (and very vertical) hikes, such as to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. It can save your back and give you incredible pictures.

As for price, I had actually thought about purchasing a Leica M6. For an M6 and a 50mm Summicron (or for big $$$ a Summilux) would have cost me more than twice what the G2 and the Planar 45 would cost. More useful features, good price and Zeiss glass made more sense.

The G2 is not for everyone. It is not a true rangefinder in the sense of the M6. Photographers who've started with SLRs will have to adjust. The G2 can be frustrating at times. It is quirky. In fact you may grow to hate it. It takes time to learn to use nothing but fixed length lenses. However with patience the G2 grows on you until it becomes almost an indispensible photographic tool. Even with a nice array of Canon "L"-class lenses, I can clearly see that Zeiss glass is quite superior. Transparencies clearly look more vibrant, sharper and more dense in detail and contrast. They have a "3-D" look that is hard to explain (it is also evident in slides taken with the Zeiss Planar 80mm for the Contax 645). Rangefinders excel at wide angle photography because the distance from the lens to the film plane is not dictated by a mirror (as in SLR cameras), thus it is able to use designs such as the Zeiss Biogon. Image sharpness from rangefinders as I've heard (and have yet been able to disprove) is superior to any SLR camera in same film format.

If you are thinking about getting this camera, you should try it out somewhere first. It's not for everyone. Not as versatile as an SLR system (no super telephotos, no macros, no T-S lenses, hard to use filters). But it is a very capable tool and performs exceptionally well for what it is good for (still photography, landscapes, travel, street).

Customer Service

Didn't respond to my e-mail questions. Their web site seems rather lacking.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 3
Minolta 400si
Contax 645
Leica M4

Great ergonomics, this camera feels like it belongs in your hands. It has made the pursuit of capturing images a joy. I take it with me almost everywhere I go. I have a great manual Nikon system, but found that I did not want to lug it around with me, and because of this I missed many shots.This entire system fits in a small Tenba bag and is always ready to go. The G2 has so many features that it would be too lengthy to go over all, but the feel of quality,and the numerous features that are packed into this camera are amazing. But the real wonder is the blending of a great body and the stunning image quality of the Zeiss lenses.

This is NOT a camera that you take out of the box (be you a novice or a seasoned pro)and start shooting without some practice. The Auto Focus takes time to get used to, and the view finder needs to be looked at as a working tool, and not just as a window for composition.
The lenses take a little practice to change efficently,and the first thing that needs to be checked is, did you remove the lens cap!

If you are willing to put in the time required to get familiar with this camera, and not jump to conclusions about the unique way that this system works,you will be rewarded for the effort.
The first thing to do is read and reread the manual. Then take the camera WITHOUT film and practice with the Auto Focus system. Shoot different distance objects and observe the measurment values that are shown in the viewfinder. After a few practice sessions of this you will realize that this camera really knows what it is looking at!! Also practice with the manual focus system before loading film, it is more accurate and functions better than people have reported.
After going through all the camera and lens functions without film,try it live and view this as another step in getting in tune with the system.You may have mixed results at first, but with each roll, the results will energize you.
A couple of last thoughts are, learn to use the focus lock button, keep in touch with the viewfinder information at all times, enjoy the sound of the quality shutter(sounds like closing the door on a Mercedes),buy lots of film and happy shooting.

Customer Service

So far, so good

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F
Leica M6
Yashica T4 Super

Size
Unbelieveable photo quality
Lenses

None

THis is one very cool little camera. I bought this from a friend, with the 35 and 90 lenses, the TLA 140 flash, and all the lens caps and shades for short money, not knowing what to expect but hoping I could have something comparable to my F5 at 1/3 the size. I took my first roll with it this weekend, and I cannot believe the quality of the photos I got back. Unbelieveable contrast and sharpness. Deep blue skies, ice white clouds, stunning colors from the flowers I shot..no filters (other than UV) used..I was floored at how nice they came out. This is my first experience shooting with a rangefinder type camera, and I love it!!

Customer Service

excellent

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Nikon F5
Nikon F100
Nikon N80
Nikon N90s
Nikon N6006
Canon EOS-1N

Size, ease of use (i.e. speed), makes me want to take pictures again.

battery life too short, moterdrive/multiple exposure dial too easily turned when removing bodies from bag.

This camera has made photography fun for me again (as opposed to the “work” that it had become). I've been a professional photographer for 17 years and I've never enjoyed making pictures as much as I have with the G2. I bought a body at the beginning of last year with the 21, 35 and 90mm lenses and after assignments in 14 countries on five continents, it's the only camera I ever want to use again. I would happily sell all of the heavy Hasselblad, Mamiya and Nikon kit and buy more G2 bodies but unfortunately my clients might not take it to well if I showed up with only this tiny silver gem in hand.

However, let me make something clear – as others have mentioned, there is no “perfect” camera. The G2 does have it's faults - relatively short battery life, moterdrive/multiple exposure dial is too easily turned when removing the bodies from the bag, (slightly) too noisy, etc. Also, there really is a steep learning curve for this camera and complete reading of the manual from front to back is an absolute must. After some time and a few practice rolls, your patience should be rewarded with images of amazing, breathtaking quality. In my humble opinion, these Zeiss lenses are the best ever produced – stunning clarity and subtle yet bright contrast (yes, even better than Leica).

I wrote to Contax and asked them if there was going to be a G3 released soon - they said there wasn't one planned (but I guess they would say that so people will keep buying the G2 for now). That's okay – except for the minor complaints (again, there is no perfect camera), the G2 is the dream camera I've been waiting for.

As many others have said before me, Thank You, Contax.

Customer Service

None needed yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon, Canon, Mamiya, Hasselblad,Bronica, Leica

Lenses
Build quality

Viewfinder
A/F focus (inaccuracy)
A/F focus (time lag)

SO my Leica is in for repair (don't carp - it has performed flawlessly for 18 years - it's in for a cleaning). Dealer didn't have a body to loan me so gave me a G2, 45 & 90mm for three weeks.
What do you see in this camera?
Viewfinder is great - if you're comparing it to my Konica Big Mini p/s...no wait...I think I like the Konica's better, at least it didn't cost 2 grand!
And sorry, what's with the time lag between when I press the shutter and it takes the picture.
Unacceptable!!
Maybe if you are used to an SLR and want all the auto features, it's worthwhile, but compared to a Leica the viewfinder sucks, the A/F has horrible time lag and is not always accurate (plus you don't get to find this out till your photos are processed).
The plus is that when everything works the Ziess lenses are great, on par with Leica.
But on the whole - it's a dud.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Leica IIIG, CL, M4, M6, Hexar (the original) and a passel of SLRs

Build Quality
Lenses
Size
Ergonomics

Tricky Autofocus
No built-in flash

A great camera at a reasonable price compared with Leica. Has a truly quality feel and is a pleasure to use. The Zeiss lenses are as good as it gets and vastly superior to most others on the market with the excpetion of Leica which are as good but up to three timres the price. THis is the camera for the photographer who appreciates the ultimate in quality and precision and who does not want a complex SLR that requires frequent references to the manual to work the thing.

Customer Service

Don't know

Similar Products Used:

Nikon