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G2 general questions

> "FWIW, my G2 is currently being serviced by Contax for focusing > problems that developed after I dropped the camera from a height of > five feet (ouch). This is the second time that I have required such > service in the past 3 years." > This goes back to one of my original apprehensions about buying a G2, especially for travel. If you're on the road shooting dozens of rolls and the camera develops focusing problems, and you do not develop the film until you get home, you could be in for a horrible surprise. Maybe unlikely, but makes me nervous.

-Doug
 
Robert, I hope the following does not sound insufferably smug but when I was first allowed by my father at the age of about 6 or 7 to take a picture with either his 111c or Super Ikonta (Zeiss indoctrination started at an early age in our family) in place of my Kodak Brownie, the first thing he always said was "put the strap round your neck". It has now become automatic, with my father's ghost sitting on my shoulder, that the first thing I do when I pick up a camera is to put the strap round my neck or wrap it round my wrist if it is a neck strap or put my hand through if it is a wrist strap. I can honestly say as a result I have never dropped a camera in 50+ years. Wilson
 
Hi Doug,

I think that basically, with any all-electronic camera, auto-focus SLRs included, if damage does occur unbeknownst to the owner, a focusing problem won't be apparent until after the photos are developed. And I suppose the same could be said for manual rangefinders ala Voigtlander and Leica - if something is out of whack, you won't know it until after the fact.

Just my two cents worth.

Mark Edwards
 
Hi there

I'm planning to buy a second hand G2 with the classic lenses trio (28 - 45 - 90) Could you suggest me what should i check in the body or the lenses, I mean, except the standard checks use to do in a normal srl, there is something special, a particular part or piece that needs more attention or whatelse ??

Thanks Luca
 
I use an M3/50,2.0DR kit for a lot of my photography.Very often I consider getting a G-2 but...so many horror stories. I've read about poor focusing. Read about poor metering. Read about poor quality control in general. What's the synopsis of all this. MDLR
 
Manuel,
I have never heard about poor metering with the G2. I have heard about problem focusing. My experience with focusing is that is is excellent as long as you use it following the instructions (if you forget that the camera focuses on a tiny rectangle in the middle of the viewfinder image, you may get your subjet out of focus: photographer's fault).
My personal experience with the G2 is that it is a superbly made and reliable camera. With limitations, like any camera, but an incredible value for money.
It seems bigger than the M3, but in use it is much faster-- a different experience altogether that you may prefer or detest.
Good luck

Juan
 
Manuel,
To address some of your concerns, it might be interesting to know why you'd want to switch from the M3. If you'd like a bit more exposure automation, consider the M7, although you can't use a DR lens with it....

But, with the G2, you do get AF; a significantly higher shutter speed, so that you can shoot with maximum bokeh even in bright lighting situations, faster film loading, and film advance. The focusing 'issues' are, indeed, significant, even though the advice from advocates will tend toward: "make sure the rectangle is on what you want to focus on...." But, still, as someone who felt i understood how to operate the camera, i still had more than a few frames that weren't focused exactly where i intended. I'm not talking about having a person out of focus, and the wall 10 meters behind In focus.... I like to shoot wide-open/with shallow depth of field, especially with people. With the G2, i would sometimes get slight shifts in focus because i was re-composing to non-centered composition after locking focus. Of course, with a Leica, the same can happen if you don't adjust the axis of the camera to compensate for the focus shift, but in practice this never happened with the M7. The truth is, you're never as sure with the G2 of what will be focused. In practice, this is seldom a problem. I don't consider the G2 to have focusing "problems." Perhaps it can be considered a "quirk," but as it is said, focus problems are usually the operator's fault. That said, i would still, always, prefer a system that shows me in the viewfinder what will be in focus. And, with that admission, i would still consider buying (again) a G2, because i understand the 'limitations' of that system.

About focus speed - yes the lens racks to infinity after every exposure. But, still, it focuses faster than i ever could with a Leica. I don't consider it ideal for fast-moving subject matter, but then that really has never been the domain of rangefinder(-ish) cameras. Use an SLR for that. But, the G2 is probably better for shooting children, for ex&le. I was never very good at shooting children with the Leica, unless i was satisfied with keeping them in the center of the frame, and expanding the depth of field....

I've never heard horror stories or any bad comments about the G2 metering. I consider it accurate. And, quality control? No issues with any Contax or Kyocera product. Customer service, though, may be another discussion. In the US, it's not good. I've read recently that in Japan, it's excellent.

Well, that's my "synopsis." Hope it helps, but don't take any of it as 'truth.' Just my impressions, having worked with both systems.

Good luck
Derek
www.derekstanton.com
 
> As a newbie to this forum, and as someone who has no experience (yet) with > rangefinder type cameras (or maybe this is a general term), wondering if > someone can define the term "bokeh" for me?? > Thanks, Doug
 
The term refers to the characteristics of the out of focus areas in an image.

Different lenses render these areas differently. It's not something that can be quantified, and preferences are purely subjective, but there are some qualitative descriptions that have come to be 'accepted' as common. The discussion of bokeh usually concerns lenses in the 35 to 100mm range, as longer lenses by their nature can easily blur a background beautifully. And very wide lenses have so much depth of field that it becomes almost irrelevant.

The term "bokeh" is, i believe, the English spelling of a Japanese word that might naturally be spelled "boke." It's a relatively modern term, although, of course, the characteristic has been in existence since the birth of photography....
 
FYI for all of you purists, now any schmo can acheive what we have all striven for with our precious Zeiss lenses; Now Photoshop CS has a "Bokeh" filter that can mimic any lens and its bokeh as well as give the user full control over what is in focus and what is not. Ho-hum. Alas, we will all have the satisfaction that we have a real diamond in our midst and not a cubic zirconia. What makes one valuable and one not is the rarity of a perfect diamond. So too are our photographs, rare, pure, and perfect. -Lytton
 
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