Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1994/10/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hey, anybody seen the Contax G1 yet? I haven't but the brochure (and the price) are very interesting. The G1, first of all, is a Yashica/Kyocera product made in Japan. The lenses say Carl Zeiss (that's all--not, e.g., Carl Zeiss Jena or whatever). The G1 is an auto-focus, auto-exposure interchangeable lens focal plane shutter camera. The body is die-cast aluminum with a titanium cover; the lens mount is a bayonet; the finder is a parallax-corrected zoom (not bright-line_ finder. There is no rangefinder of the classic type, being replaced by the AF, but the auto-coupling of the AF to the lens can be defeated, and the lens can be manually focused (with or without the aid of the AF system). THe AE system is either aperture or speed-priority, and manual exposure adjustment is also possible. Lenses currently available include a 16mm (requires external viewfinder), for about $2200; a 28/2.8, 90/2.8, and 45/2 for about $500. each. The body is $1299. A small accessory-shoe-mounted flashgun is available. These prices are as per the manufacturer's price list. These prices, considerably less than M6 and Leitz lens prices, make one wonder about the optical and mechanical quality; if good, the price/performance ratio is superb. But maybe it's just for status-conscious amateurs? Will Wetzlar be stimulated to put AF in the M7? Jeff