CONTAX G1

Contax G1 film camera review and photo examples

Photo example
Review
Specification
Dedicated lenses
Options
Reference links

Photo example

Lens is PLANAR 35mm, film is AGFA CT Precisa 100

Lens is HOLOGON 16mm, film is Fujifilm ASTIA 100

Review
The Contax G1 is a 35mm film camera released by Kyocera/Contax in 1994.
Three dedicated lenses (28mm, 45mm, and 90mm) were released simultaneously.
Perhaps because Contax was behind the trend toward autofocusing (AF) in SLR cameras, the company chose to build its camera system in a somewhat aggressive way, by not incorporating a distance-measuring system into a camera system without a mirror and substituting it with an AF system. This choice ended with the G1 and G2, so it is difficult to say that it was a successful system, but it seems to have a strong fan base.

The G1’s AF accuracy was adequate for subjects with a well-defined distance measurement area, but in situations that would be difficult even for an SLR camera, such as over bushes or fences, the G1 was out of focus at a considerable rate. In particular, the accuracy of focusing at the long focal length of 90mm was quite difficult.
The G1 is a well automated camera, and the shutter response is excellent. The camera indicates that the autofocus is in focus, so I believed it and took a few pictures and developed them, but the result was a fair amount of out-of-focus pictures. Cats, which were then and are still the main subjects of the G1, were behind fences and in thickets, making them somewhat difficult subjects for the G1.
The AF sensor at the time made it impossible to focus on what people wanted, so professionals would have hesitated to use the G1 (although there were some who still used it, I don’t think a camera with a low yield rate is a wise choice when you are trying to eat a meal), and even amateurs would have been hesitant to use the G1 because of the cost of a single shot. (Still, it is not a wise choice for amateurs to choose a reliable SLR camera considering the cost of a single shot.

The G1 requires an update of the camera by the manufacturer in order to use the 21mm and 35mm lenses released with the G2, and the updated units have a green label in the film chamber. 16mm Hologon can be used with the non-updated G1 since it is manual focus and has no aperture. The 35-70 zoom is a G2-only lens and cannot be used with the G1.

The G2 has a black body that comes with the lens. The G2 also comes with a black body that comes with the lens. In line with this, lenses other than the 16mm Hologon lens are also available with black barrels, but since only a small number are manufactured, they are more expensive than regular titanium-colored lenses on the second-hand market. I have a 28mm and a 90mm lens with black barrels that have been converted to M-mount.

In terms of design, the G1 and G2 are similar, but I personally really like the G1’s clean, minimalist style with the bare minimum of camera functions, and I also used the G2, but I think the slightly larger body and the additional dial for manual focus on the front are negative design features. G1

The G2 was also available for about 50,000 yen. This is a reminder that the value of things fluctuates.

Lenses of 16mm, 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 45mm, 90mm, and 35-70mm are available for all necessary focal lengths. Although the lens lineup is a bit lonely compared to that of a single-lens reflex camera, it should be enough for ordinary photographic enjoyment. Yashica Contax lenses can be used via the GA-1 mount adapter, but since AF is not available, the distance measurement function is used to set the focus position, which is not very practical.

Specification

Camera name	CONTAX G1	CONTAX G2
Finder	Real-image zoom finder	←
Viewfinder magnification (Infinity, 45mm, Diopter -1D)	x 0.57	←
Field of view (Infinity, 45mm, Diopter -1D)	90%	←
AF system	Passive Continuous not supported	Passive/Infrared Active Combination Continuous support
Continuous shooting rate	2 frames/second	4 frames/second
Shutter system	Electronically controlled, longitudinal running focal plane shutter	←
Shutter Speed	1/2000 – 16 sec (aperture priority) 1/2000 – 1 second (manual)	1/6000 – 16 sec (aperture priority) 1/4000 – 1 second (manual)
Battery	CR2-3V 2本	←
Size(mm) W x H x D	133 × 77 × 42	139 x 80 x 45
Weight(g)	460	560
Price(Yen/No-tax)	¥143,000-	¥163,000-

Dedicated lenses

Focal length	Lens name	Release date
16mm	HOLOGON 16mm	Year 1994
21mm	BIOGON 21mm	Year 1996
28mm	BIOGON 28mm	Year 1994
35mm	PLANAR 35mm	Year 1996
45mm	PLANAR 45mm	Year 1994
90mm	SONNAR 90mm	Year 1994
35-70mm	VARIO SONNAR 35-70	Year 1999