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Contax G2

I recently purchased a zoom lens for my G2. When inspecting the lens later, I found that the rear element housing seemed somewhat loose. I took it back to the dealer who sent it back to Contax to allign and tighten. The lens was returned but the rear element was not as loose but not really tight, there was still some "wiggle room". The manager of the local dealership then pulled out a new lens and took a look at that. That too seemed a bit loose. He stated that he would never purchase a CZ lens like that.

It would seem that any loose movement in the rear lens mounting would cause some image aberations to say the least plus a loss of sharpness. If you own a zoom lens (28-70 G2), please take a look at the rear element and see if it is at all "loose".

Has anyone else had the same experience?

Is this simply poor quality control? I find it hard to believe that CZ would allow such a lens to hit the market.

Am I missing something?

David
 
I have checked my vario lens and would say that the rear element does feel a bit 'loose' but I don't think it would in any way affect the optical quality of it as it is not loose enough to move forwards or backward, just side to side. I personally don't think this is anything to worry about. Unless there is an evident problem in your pictures then just forget about it. Anyway that particular part of the lens is not designed to withstand any force or be moved around, it just 'sits' when mounted on the camera.

On a different note, I would like to hear people's comments on the 21mm biogon lens. Are there any s&le galleries out there, and would people like to talk about it's suitability / uses etc. Also any comments on the 16mm hologon, apart from it's price!!!
 
I'm not aware of any 21mm "galleries", although I'm certain there probably are some.

I love the 21mm Biogon lens. When wide-angle is called for, I find myself always reaching for the 21mm instead of the 28mm. The images are sharp and you quickly find you can shoot almost into the sun with no risk of flare. I shot some images of fall foliage last October, looking up thru the red and yellow leaves into the afternoon sun. With almost any other lens (I still occasionally use a Canon F1N with good Canon lenses), the image would have been overcome with flare. You almost have to use the Biogon in this way for awhile in order to appreciate this characteristic.

Some have commented on the need to use a seperate viewfinder which clips onto the hot shoe. The viewfinder is easy to use and provides an excellent preview of the image. I don't find it either inconvenient or clumsy at all.

If you get a 21mm Biogon and use it a few times, my guess is you'll "fall in love" as well!
 
Not to be nit picky but I do find it weird that David mentions the vario-sonnar to be a 28-70, I believe it is supposed to be a 35-70. And yes the one's I've seen the the stores also shows some play which made me shy away from this particular lens. But from all the reports of people using this lens the image quality rivals primes - although you do lose some speed. So it may be nothing to worry about.
 
Yeah, I said the same thing about 28-70. I own one. I have no problem at all with my zoom. no looseness at all. What country are you in?
 
James,

I can second Paul's comment on the 21 Biogon.
Falling in love with it is not the right word however as falling in love means that you do not see the flaws of your beloved.
Adn the 21 has (IMHO) no flaws except for the finder which is far less convenient then a SLR finder with a 21 on the body. You get used to it but it is not as convenient. But still I do not want to trade the 21 Biogon for any other SLR 21 mm. For the reasons Paul described.
 
Ok the biogon 21mm sounds very tempting, but what do people who have purchased it tend to use it for? My work is social documentary / reportage / urban orientated which usually requires tight framing of the subject, but I am interested to use something like a 21mm to change my perspective and working practise. Basically, what do people shoot using this lens and do you think would be suited to my kind of work?

Regards,

James > http://www.urban-exposure.com > http://www.focalfix.com > http://www.momag.co.uk ebay: focusnetwork - editor@focus-net.co.uk
 
k Michael - I live in the U.S.A. and saw 2 s&les. Maybe I am a bit picky
happy.gif
I still may give the 35-70 lens a try though.
 
Please excuse my combining responses to more than one topic in a single post...

* My 35-70, on inspection, does indeed have a little play in the rear element housing, certainly less than a millimeter travel in two axes. I have no reason to suspect that it affects performance, which has been fine. Note that this isn't a fixed bit, it moves in and out, so some play is probably to be expected. I wouldn't be concerned by it. I presume that these autofocus lenses can't be too snug, nor the lubrication too viscous, lest the little focusing motor bog down driving them.

* The 21 is my favorite of all the G lenses--a tiny marvel. Just look at any SLR lens of a similar focal length, it's gigantic by comparison, and likely as not won't be as well corrected for rectilenear distortion nor as sharp. The Biogons *do* have noticeable light falloff in the corners which isn't eliminated by stopping down, I'm told it's inherent in the design. Also, Contax didn't see fit to add parallax correction to the finder, which I consider a regrettable oversite.

There's got to be a reason that Hasselblad chose to design an entire camera around the Biogon. I feel lucky to have its little brother at a fraction of the price. I primarily use mine for landscapes, architecture and abstracts. On a properly exposed chrome, the colors simply go POW. It doesn't get much better than that.

--Rick
 
James,

Wise words from Rick Dreher.

I have the D21, which is a C/Y lens of different design, but angle-of-view is the same. For sure, 21mm will change your perspective and working practise! Using two common scenarios, let me describe the issues.

First scenario is urban landscape. The ultra-wide view is a good fit, but standing on the ground means you will capture acres of detail right to your feet. This better be interesting, or you will need to crop it out. If you angle the shot upward to avoid ground coverage, then you must accept serious convergence of vertical lines, and a lot of sky.

Second scenario is interiors. This is an easier place to operate since there tends to be comfortable detail everywhere. You will also have some dramatic perspective lines (unless you shoot inside a yurt). Ultra-wides deliver huge DOF: an important feature for interior work.

In all scenarios, you must be cautious how you place people in the frame. Organic shapes are stretched unpleasantly at the edge, and a face in the corner is frightening indeed. I extensively use a full-frame fisheye with another system to address this problem.

The following scenic shows coverage of a 21mm lens. Sorry for the dust and lack of artistic content (this was a film scanner test):

http://patternassociates.com/rico/contax/misc/d21s&le2.jpg
 
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