Contax G2 - First Impressions
This weekend I ran two rolls of Ilford HP5 Plus through my new Contax G2. (It is a new one, not the second-hand one I was going to buy. Longish story). Moving to this camera was a bit of a shock to my system. Actually, moving to a rangefinder 35mm camera is a big shift, and the G2 throws in a couple of new features of it's own. It's a bit like becoming a raw beginner again. I'm used to using cameras that I've used for years, so I don't think even once about technical details - the camera disappears and I just take the picture. I'm a long way from knowing the G2 at that kind of level, but I am patient.
One thing that has caught me out a few times is that I (wrongly) felt that a semi-depressed shutter release should lock the focus. Out of the box, it doesn't. There is an option to enable this, but I haven't turned it on. Auto-focus lock is carried out using a thumb operated button on the back of the camera. It's a perfectly good way to handle this function - actually it's better than using the shutter release, as there is not chance of tripping the shutter accidentally when fixing focus, but my awareness of how to use this feature evaporated when giving all of my attention to taking a picture. I know I will soon get used to it, but expect a couple of the shots I was most excited about will be out of focus.
I also took a picture a couple of times when I was only trying to depress the shutter release halfway. Again, I will soon get used to the required pressure. Actually I really like the shutter release - it's quite light and almost switch like, so camera-shake should be less of a problem. The Nikon EM has a very different feel - smooth, slightly fat, and (this is going to sound weird) sensual. Both are great. The Canon AE1-P is somewhere in the middle of the two.
The speed and quietness of the film advance is great. I've not had a motor-drive 35mm camera before, and this camera exposes and winds on really fast - in what seems like less than a quarter of a second or so from the end of the exposure.
I also made one exposure with the lens cap on. I can't remember when I last did that. It's a rangefinder, you see, so the only indication that you've left the lens cap on is the shutter-speed LCD display in the viewfinder. If you are in a creative frenzy and not paying too much attention to the shutter-speed, you too may be left wondering what's up with the camera. Then the truth and your palm hit your head almost simultaneously.
Other thoughts - the camera handles really well. It sits in the hand nicely, and is robust without weighing like it has been milled from solid uranium. Starting out with my first film in the camera was quite intimidating, especially since my Nikon EM test roll came back so successfully. I was feeling that every picture I took with this camera had to be pretty damn good to justify the cost. Suddenly everything I looked at through the viewfinder didn't look quite good enough. I got over this by just treating these pictures as a couple of test rolls, just to get to know the camera - which is what they are, really.
I'll pop them in the post to Ilford tomorrow. The service is a bit slow (5 working days) but reasonably priced and I can't fault the prints I got back last time. The only thing that rankles is that they use those little stickers telling you where you went wrong with an image. I find these things quietly infuriating, especially when stuck on a successful but experimental shot. I suppose I should be using a pro-lab. Maybe I will. Either way, I'm sure it's going to be an interesting and (I hope only) partially frustrating experience when they come back. You'll be the first to know how they come out.
12:39:03 AM 
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