#FLICKR CONTAX G2 MANUAL#
#FLICKR CONTAX G2 SERIES#

If AF is the only way youвЂ™ll shoot, shoot this lens on a G camera with a super-fine grain film like Kodak Ektar, and your digital scans will render much the same as shots from your mirrorless camera.

#FLICKR CONTAX G2 MANUAL#

The manual adapters work well enough, practice makes perfect, and the AF adapter will miss as many shots on its own as weвЂ™ll miss shooting manually. Is the trade worth it? In my experience, no. These are loud, slow, expensive, and imprecise. There are also adapters that allow autofocus. Even though itвЂ™s more expensive, thereвЂ™s no question вЂ“ of all the manual focus G lens adapters the Metabones is the one to own. Its large diameter focusing ring works better than its less expensive counterparts from Fotasy and Fotodiox at transferring our manual input to the lensвЂ™ autofocus screw. The Metabones adapter does the best job at creating a seamless setup. This is bad news, twofold it raises the price per adapter, and typically results in a less-than-ideal focus methodology. Instead, shooting a G lens on a digital camera requires the use of special adapters that incorporate a focusing mechanism.

#FLICKR CONTAX G2 SERIES#

ThatвЂ™s because the physical design of the G lens makes no allowance for on-lens manual focusing (this is done via an admittedly disappointing electronic focus-by-wire system on the G series cameras). Usability for Mirrorless and Film ShootersДЄs mentioned in my review of the 45mm Planar G mount lens, these Contax masterpieces donвЂ™t play well with todayвЂ™s mirrorless cameras. If youвЂ™ve ever held a Zeiss G mount lens, youвЂ™ll know what to expect. Light is channeled through seven elements in five groups, with ZeissвЂ™ world-famous T* coatings doing their best to mitigate optical anomalies such as chromatic aberration, flares, and ghosts (to a limit вЂ“ more on this later). Minimum focus distance (from front element to subject) is about seventeen inches (44 cm), and special attention was paid during development to ensure minimal distortion at even close focusing distances. The all-metal accessory filters and lens hood are similarly dripping with style. Knurling and engravings throughout are precise and refined, providing excellent grip-ability on all surfaces and high legibility where needed. The barrel, mount, filter threads, and aperture ring are all metal (painted in titanium finish or black), and with physical dimensions of 56mm in diameter by 31mm in length and a weight of 150 grams, itвЂ™s a compact and lightweight lens. Similar to all G series lenses, the Biogon is a masterfully built, beautifully finished, and impeccably designed assemblage of glass and metal. In my review of this lensвЂ™ 45mm counterpartВ I wrote of incredible quality and precision build, and much of that is true of this 28mm as well. It remained the systemвЂ™s standard wide-angle lens when the Contax G2 was introduced, and went on unchanged until the G series was discontinued in 2005. Its combination of incredible resolving power, excellent build quality, and low distortion made it as a must-have lens for any G camera owner. Originally released in 1994 alongside the Contax G1, Contax G Mount 28mm helped establish the G system as one to rival the best cameras being produced at that time. ItвЂ™s as near to perfect as a wide-angle lens gets, and itвЂ™s the only 28mm prime lens available for the system.ДЇor other photo geeks, specifically those who donвЂ™t own a G series camera and are looking instead for a legacy lens to shoot with their digital mirrorless camera, the 28mm Biogon (and all G series lenses, to be frank) is a harder sell. Do you like a wide field of view and own a Contax G1 or G2? If so, buy this lens right now. For the right photographer, recommending the Carl Zeiss Contax G Mount 28mm Biogon in G mount is about the easiest piece of consumer advice IвЂ™ve ever written.

Flickr contax g2