The best quality you can ask for

Battery consumption

This is a fantastic camera Because every parameter can be controlled manualy. This is apeture shutter speed en focus. Mf is very very very accurate even with the 90 mm !! And ofcourse the main thing the lenses are just the best in the world.(in mine opinion)

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Contax slr's/Voigtlander/ Leica M

Looks, sturdy feel, casing, lens quality except for the 90 Size, I slip this in to my Barbour coat pockets, which beats carrying around a lowe magnum bag all the time. I take it everyware, so I get all the shots I want.

Flash is totally unsatisfactory and very expensive. I have the TLA 200 which is a laugh. For the same amount of money I bought a Metz 50 with SCA382. Manual focusing is unpractical. Battery lifespan is too short and replacements are expensive

Like marrying a beautiful wife that cannot cook .... It looks great, the touch and feel is excellent.... time between pressing the button and actual picture taking is to long, 90mm whatever one says is not satisfacory, no DOF, very very bad flash capabilities, manual focussing is vertually impossible, battery life is to short, but the pictures are great. Still use my Nikon more It certainly has a lot of Pro's, but an even number of con's... now does this make it a good camera ?

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Very light, solid built camera, easy to use, just the right features, and great lenses.

noisy auto-focus. wish they had a 28-105 telephoto lens coupled to the viewfinder. the ability to operate without battery power would be useful.

The Contax G2 is perhaps the finest camera I have ever owned, my previous favorite was my Nikon F4, which now mainly sits on the back burner. The camera is light, strong, dependable, and coupled with superb lenses that are unequaled when compared to any others available at this writing 10-28-2003. I have used the Contax G2 for over 2 years now. Previously I used the Contax G1 (which i still use) since 1994. I have the 28,45,90,and 35-70 lens with TLA140 and TLA200 flashs. The camera has virtually replaced my Nikon F4 (though i still use this for macro and extreme telephoto). The G2 is a dream camera, lightweight, sturdy, fast focusing, very easy to use, and results are outstanding. I have sold many freelance photos with this camera taken at just point and shoot, as a matter of fact the camera and equipment has paid for itself many, many times over with just the spur of the moment photos sold. As for the focusing problems i read about all over the internet.....I have had no problems with any of the superb lens that i have used as far as focus. The focus is much easier and sharper than my Nikon F4. I think many of the focus problems have probably been with the photographers, the camera came with a book on focusing, which detailed the focus strengths and weakness, anyone reading this little book would have no problem focusing, period. The G2 series of Lens are, by my standards (which are very critical)the best lens i own. My wish is for a longer telephoto, and perhaps a 28-90, or 105 telephoto coupled with the camera viewfinder. Of course the noise of the auto focus is annoying, but most times i am the only person who hears it......most subjects never realize i had taken many photos of them. The camera is so easy to use my wife uses it also and has totally given up her point and shoot. She has her own G2, which is my back-up camera. I strongly suggest that any serious photographer, pro or serious amatuer try this camera. Would I buy it again? Yes, for even more money than i originally paid!

Customer Service

Cant rate since i never had occassion to use them.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M7

Great optics, unobtrusive and quiet when shooting people candidly. Not as formidable or heavy as the bigger, bulkier Canon EOS 3 with the straight f2.8 lenses, which is still my main camera.

I've shot for years with Canon EOS (Have an A2 and EOS 3) and always wanted a rangefinder. This camera is everything they say it is. Compact, quiet, unobtrusive with spectacular Carl Zeiss optics. It feels great to hold. I have the black version with 35-70 and 45mm lenses. Looks great, too.

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Never had a rangefinder.

Solid Great handling Uses the best quality 35mm lens in the world

Urm - looks expensive and is therefore attractive to theives.

The G2 is a vast improvement on the G1 - my favourite improvement being the larger viewfinder, and (to my mind anyway) the faster and quiter focussing. A solid camera that handles as well as it looks, and those lenses - well, what can I say!!! For what you get, this is an absolute bargain - roll on the digital G3.

Customer Service

never had to use it

Similar Products Used:

G1

Ergonomics, build quality, & great glass. Despite what some other users have said, good metering capability in aperature priority mode.

I wish the lens didn't reset every time you focus and snap a picture. This would make focusing faster, and allow for less battery usage.

The G2 provides a very different photographic experience from my Nikon F3 and FM2. I like it for street photography, and find the 45 Planar lens to be more than adequate in terms of sharpness, contrast, and available light shots. I know there are some users out there who wish the G system had a bit more Zeiss glass to choose from, but I guess I am one of those who really enjoys the "normal" perspective. I also purchased a 90mm for it, to do more head and shoulder portraits, but use the 45mm the most. I develop and enlarge my own pictures in a home darkroom (black and white only), and really like the fact that this autofocus camera has a built in feature to keep the film leader out. Nikon makes you purchase a separate film back for the F5 and F100 to the tune of a few hundred bucks, just to have this feature. I have never had a problem with the focusing system, or any lack of sharpness when coupled with the 90mm lens. The camera does feel very solid in the hands, lacking the cheap feeling so many modern plastic cameras embrace. I know this doesn't affect picture quality, but I also really like the retro look of the camera. Perhaps I am a bit superficial, but if I don't like the way a camera looks and feels, I don't bring it with me very often...and no matter how good the glass is, if I am not shooting with it, it isn't worth much to me. The Contax makes me feel like I am using a work of art so to speak, and that inspires creativity. I still shoot quite a bit with my F3/FM2 combo, but I probably do an equal bit with the Contax G2 now. I have been consistently pleased with the quality of the negatives and prints in my home darkroom. I purchased it with the TLA 200 flash and the 45 planar about 2 years ago.

Customer Service

Never had occasion to use it.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F3/FM2, and Hasselblad 503CW

Compact yet versatile. Superb optics. Light for travel. A camera for discerning people (who have cash!).

Batteries don't last long. The autofocus resets each time, so focus is a tad slow, and which likely is the reason for high battery drain. No depth of field, because the camera computes the exposure electronically. Pet peeve - could use a larger viewfinder. Cannot use without batteries, and all functions are auto (eg auto-rewind) (would be nice to have manual rewind - save battery)

I have owned TLR, SLR, RF cameras by Nikon(f4), Leica, Canon, Olympus, Agfa. The G2 is the best so far. The optics are superb - best rated lenses in the world (rated better than Leica and Hasselblad by Photodo). Best photos taken in 20 years are by the G2/Zeiss lenses. Sturdy camera. Now that I'm used to the Zeiss results, all other results (eg from Nikkor) look poorer. Camera body is easy to use, and has options to customise.

Customer Service

good. no repairs needed after 3+ years.

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Leica M7 - a dinosaur when compared to Contax technology/materials.

Sharp lenses

Noise while focusing

Good and reasonably priced RF camera available on market. I have two G2 bodies plus 28,40 and 90 lenses. The important factor to me is to feel fit in my hands while photographing. It is not too heavy to carry around all day but heavy enough to get sturdy shots. Is this camera ideal for professional work, like Leica M ? ? ? To my opinion, YES to a certain extent. Why? The lenses are extraordinary sharp. I used the bodies and lenses in both extreme cold and hot (humid) environment and they functioned without any problem (maybe it was a pure luck so don’t consider this as an official test result). Though I am happy with over all performance of this equipment, I am not too excited about the noise when focusing. Thus, it is not ideal when shooting in very sensitive situations. You can view some of the images I shot with G2 at http://www.yoshi-shimizu.com/adivasi_index.htm . All the images except the one with a squire format were shot with Contact G2 with 28,40 or 90mm.

Customer Service

I do not know. So far they are functioning well and no need for services.

Great lenses Build quality Size Autofocus, autowind & advance, easy film loading (I realize these are relativley standard on SLRs, but since these are often compared to Leicas...)

Yes, it's noisier than a Leica The fact that the autofocus resets each time is mildly annoying on occasion.

I am very happy with this camera. I have been using it for about one and a half years, have the 21, 45 and 90 lenses. All of the lenses are spectacular. The camera itself is beautifully built, and a pleasure to use. It is relatively small, and easy to carry around with all three lenses. I haven't had any problems with focusing the 90, that some have mention. The AF seems to work well for me. While it would also be nice to have a genuine manual focus option with visual confirmation, I bought this knowing it was autofocus and so don't feel too bad about this. While there times I miss a true manual focus option, there are also many shots I would miss if I did not have the autofocus. I have also used a friend's Leica on occasion - love that as well. Both cameras have top notch lenses. The Leica lenses in general do seem to me to have a different feel than the Zeiss lenses, though I would have some difficulty describing the difference - both are great, and it would be nice to have both cameras, but the Leica is awfully pricey, so Contax it is, for me.

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Leica m6, m7

Quick focus Superb lenses Quiet operation Compact package - excellent for travel assignments.

If you REALLY need to confirm that you are in focus and have the depth of field that you want: this camera is not for you.

I love this camera so much, I'm trading-in my SLR. I've been working with my G2 for over three years now, and I rarely use anything else. I migt also add that I've bumped into several professional photographers at weddings and parties who use the G2 because it focuses well in low light. The image quality is fantastic, and I use it an awful lot with the TLA 200 flash for fill-in shots outside (you have to get used to flicking the Auto Exposure Lock switch beforehand - not a big adjustment). When I began to research rangefinders, I took both the G2 and the Leica M6 out for a test drive. This was a fun experiment, and if you do it as well, you'll see for yourself that each camera is geared to two different styles of photography - and they are completely different in their own ways. The G2 suited my need for quick and accurate focusing (I have children I need to photograph), and quick film changes. I primarily do travel photography, and some of my work I've enlarged to 30 x 40 with stunning results. I once lamented the lack of depth of field indicators on the lenses, but I've used this camera so much now, I know what I'm going to get. You will too. This is such a fun camera to travel and work with, I think its great. And the results... well, they speak volumes of accolades for this camera. The combination of the Zeiss lenses and the film I use gives me the great contrasty photos I prefer. As for the focusing? No problems unless I'm trying to focus on something tiny. If I'm worried, I can guess the distance and close down the aperture a bit - but I rarely do this. Your best option: rent one for the weekend to see if it is for you.

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Contax RX, Canon EOS Elan II