Built very well,compact
excellent for travel pics

None yet

The best little camera I,ve ever traveled with.
excellent optic,s

Customer Service

Not needed yet
Contax people very helpful with question,s
that I had

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Nikon N90
Canon elan 2

Small size, great lenses, inexpensive (especially with the current promotion where you get the G1 body, 35f2 and TLA-200 flash for $799.)

Auto focus a bit slower then an SLR, but adequate!

Focusing in low light can be a problem if your not careful.

Manual focusing wheel needs a bit more drag to keep it from moving once set. This is only a problem for hip shooters doing 'sreet' candids.

This is without a doubt the best 35mm rangefinder I have ever owned!

It's great for candid street photography, being both inconspicuous and quiet. Some complain about its noise level, but I find that ambient street noises cover it nicely.

I have a G2 but find the smaller size of the G1 best for people street candids when traveling. The G2 is great for my jazz club work, where it's passive and active focusing system handle these dark venues a bit better. The lenses are some of the best optics made for any 35mm camera. Tech types can prove this with the MTF numbers at Photodo.com which will really impress you. Better yet, just go shoot some chrome!!! The G1's balance is very nice, with just enough mass and lack of mirror flapping which allows hand held shooting to one half second if necessary. Easily makes extremely good hand held prints to 16x20".
I would highly recommend this camera to anyone wanting a small, fast, versatile tool capable of high quality work. The bottom line, it's a gem that's a pleasure to use.

Customer Service

Never Needed.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M2, M3, M4, M6
Hexar
T4
T2
TVS
35Ti
28Ti

Speicalized optics
Control logic
Positive ergonimics

Lenses easily mis-mounted

The lenses are among the best available anywhere. Basic use is very similar to the Contax T-2, so I was used to the required autofocus and exposure techniques already.

Although focus and exposure can be automated, this camera is best for the experienced and knowledgable. Although technically a point and shoot, this camera probably cannot be fully utilized by the casual or the random.

If you intend to do high-quality, low distortion wide angle photograpy, these are a wise and appropriate choice.

Similar Products Used:

Contax T-2
Minolta RC
Leica IIIc

Small, solid, sleek, inspiring. Accepts excellent lenses.

Like all rangefinders, it can't replace an SLR for some things (e.g. for telephoto or macro photography).

The most well-made, solid and downright beautiful automated rangefinder on the market (together with the G2).

Buy it for the lenses it allows you to use.

Customer Service

?

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Konica Hexar

Sharp lens.
Nice Design.
Very solid feel.

Autofocus - but I often turn the autofocus Off on SLR's.

For it's compactness and un-compromised optics, it is an exceptional value. With some practice the auto focus, I am able to lock it on exactly what I want. Also, the ability to lock the meter is invaluable. Last, the ability to over-ride exposure with REAL DIALS - makes the camera a joy to use.

Fact: This camera takes exceptional photographs in a small package. Does it focus as fast as my Nikon F5 or D1 with the S series lenses? No. Are the optics sharper than the ED glass in my Nikon? No. I would say they are equivalent - beautiful in both cameras. Does it replace a 35mm SLR for professional use? No. Does this camera take Medium format quality images? Of course not - my medium format puts all 35mm to shame for obvious reasons.

To quote Ansel Adams: "What camera do you use?" A: "The biggest one I can carry." The G1 goes in my pocket with the 35 mm, polarizer, and produces un-compromised images.

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G2

size, weight, quality, quality/price ratio, very high quality lenses

fairly loud, fiddly manual focus, lack of spot meter, not too god on energy consumption

It's simply a great camera!

I got tired of lugging around my SLR equipment (Minolta XD 7, 700, 300), and wasn't too thrilled about the picture quality my lenses gave me (most of them bought when I was still at school, so price was a big problem). The Contax solved all these problems. It is fairly small and light, and the quality is superb. Getting used to a rangefinder does take a little time, and it is obviously useless for some kinds of photography (e.g. macro), but it is great for people or landscape. You'll love the rangefinder when working b/w with colour filters (but polarizing filters are tricky).

The autofocus works very well most of the time, but in low light or with little contrast it has its problems. It is also not the quickest one on the market, and you cannot pre-set the lenses in manual mode (they always return to base setting), so it is not the best choice for sports photography. Unfortunately, the mechanism is not silent. Not very loud, but clearly audible. The same holds true for the motordrive and rewind. The batteries hold for quite a while, but they tend to be temperature sensitive. And without the batteries, of course, you are completely stranded (with the XD7, I'm not).

The manual focus is fiddly, but it works. When you switch to manual mode, the you can set the lens (on the camera body) to a given distance, but it's easy to change this accidentally.

So, on the whole, there are some minor drawbacks, some of them range-finder specific, some of them G1 specific, but they are definitely minor in comparison to the strengths: small size, light weight, strong build, reliable metering, total controll of all parameters.

Of course, the camera body is useless without a lense, and the Contax G-lenses are equally great (as most reviewers agree)!

Customer Service

not yet needed

Similar Products Used:

none

Lenses
Size/weight
Price

Autofocus
Meter
Manual Focusing

I prefer narrative format:

I'm a photography student here at UC Berkeley (BTW, really awful program here; go elsewhere if you want to study photography), and us students are always comparing equipment. In my lighting class this term, one kid had a EOS 1v-n, another had a Leica R8, some girl worked with a Mamyia 7. It's like a pride thing with being able to take the best pictures, and you don't want your equipment slowing you down when [unspoken] bragging rights are at stake. I'd been using an EOS system prior to this year (using non-"L" lenses), so I would invariably be the most frustrated person in the darkroom: "where did the shadow detail go?!" "Why the f*ck can't I get a decent 8x10?!" I needed some vindication.

Feeling disparaged one day, I walked to the local photography supply store looking to check out the Fuji 690. I walked out with a G1 and a 45/2, for only $525.

Fast-foward to the present: I now take substantially better pictures. All the hype about clarity, contrast, etc.--it's true. I look at pictures I've taken before I got my G1, and I'm agog. To be informed, you should know that it’s a combination of the lens and the rangefinder design, and don’t let anybody else tell you different. The lack of the mirror mechanism found in SLR’s allow for the film plane to be much closer to the lens, enabling designers to make a lens with fewer elements.. and subsequently less distortion. Bottom line, life is much easier now.

I should mention that for someone in my position, price is of primary importance. For most assignments I rent my equipment, and buy only what I have to; for someone in my position, there is NO better value on the market that the G1. I would love to have the G2, but what can you do? (Besides, it's precisely because of the G2 that you can get the G1 at such a good deal.) But for now, I'm convinced. Once I start my career as an investment banker, I’m going all Contax—N1 and 645.

Some quick notes:
For the amateurs out there: despite what others may say, the G1 is a decent portrait camera. With the 90mm you can get that flattering focal length, and you get to capture detail like nothing else. I’ve produced immaculate prints with some rental strobes and Agfa 25 at a fraction of the professional cost.
It is considerably less intimidating for your subjects, especially out of the studio. Nothing ruins a good candid shot like lugging out one’s huge SLR outfit.
It’s made of titanium. This is good for impressing gadget-junkie friends, as the camera almost glows under the light.
Can handle flash cords and cable releases, which is a HUGE advantage to EOS/Nikon systems that require you buy proprietary remote controls or hot shoe adapters.
Most of the time, the camera gives you two extra exposures per roll of film. Saves cash in the long run.

Sheesh.. I sound like a Contax propagandist.

Here are some drawbacks, so that it’s (somewhat) objective):
- composition: the camera corrects for parallax with sliding crop bars in the viewfinder. It is not always accurate, because they only move in one direction. I like to print full frame, so I like to know what’s going on in the pictures borders, which is tough to do with this camera.
- Manual focus: while it is somewhat “revolutionary” to have one’s focus dial on top, it’s not necessarily to anyone’s benefit. You can’t check distance through the viewfinder, which is not so much the G1’s fault as it is a generic rangefinder drawback.


So last month, I’m waiting at an airport with the G1 strapped around my neck. A lawyer notices, and starts talking to me about it, because ha also has a rangefinder setup, the Leica M6, on which he got for great price ($3000). We compare notes, swap information about the specs. I tell him about the features, the autofocus, the titanium, the lens quality, etc. And then I tell him the price. He’s bewildered, stutters a little before he finally gets out a “maybe I’ll get one for my wife,” to save himself some face. Heh. Vindication, at last, for the poor photography student.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

None

Tiny, light, extremely user friendly. Fool-proof metering, very convenient LCD rangefinder scale for manual focusing. Zeiss Planar 2/45 is awesome. Ingenious viewfinder coupling system. All automatic functions can be easily overriden.

No DOF scale on lenses or in a viewfinder. Does not accept 35-70mm Vario-Sonnar. No spotmetering. I would prefer both LCD and optical rangefinder. If you do not pay attention, AF can lock on something very unanticipated.

This is a great camera. At first I could not help thinking of it as a point-and-shoot because viewfinder looks very point-and-shooty without a double image. Very rapidly, however, this feeling was completely gone. This camera is very intelligent and it requires careful and thoughtful approach. It offers a photographer total control over the shot, and yet can do everything automatically in aperture priority mode. Despite its near pro-SLR flexibility and control, G1 is so small and light (yet rather durable) that I carry it with me all the time. I am not going to discuss quality of Carl Zeiss lenses here because we all know what it is.

Customer Service

did not need so far

Similar Products Used:

Zorki-4, Contax IIa, FED 5

Very pleased with the product. It has all the features you need for excellent photos. I just got my second roll back and no problems with autofocus as some have mentioned. Very good for candic shots

I am still keeping my Nikon for macro shots

Excellent purchase for those looking for a modern, high quality rangefinder. The auto features allow you to concentrate on photographs not equipment.

Customer Service

Not needed to date. Seems solid and dependable.

Similar Products Used:

Many SLR systems

Small, relatively lightweight. Sturdy build quality.
Fantastic lenses. Good value now

Small viewfinder, lack of visual focus feedback, lens return to base position after every exposure.

While all the naysayers have valid points, this camera has significant advantages which outweigh them by a long shot.

First off, the Zeiss lenses need no further description. They are what they are, which is comforting. This system allows you to access this family of lenses without 000s of dollars out the window.

The camera is built like a tank, and one gets the feel from the titanium and steel, that its built to last.

I bought the camera to supplement my SLR system, which it does nicely. It will never take the place of a system camera, with its huge number of interchangeable lenses, flashes, etc., but it is a hell of a lot more portable, making it perfect for street photography, personal occasions, traveling, etc.

In terms of operation, one only needs to be careful of any parallax issues, and focusing. Focusing is generally straightforward if one keeps in mind that the center screen must be on the object in focus. There have been times that I've tried to photography two people, with the focus screen in between, and ended up focusing on some wall behind them. I obviously should have reframed, but I forgot to. Its these little things you have to be careful of, but otherwise the camera is terrific.

The camera is everything I wanted it to be, and right now its a great value. Its a camera you'll have for a lifetime.

Customer Service

Never used

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