Voigtlander vs. Contax Opinions needed

Hello all,

 

I am an avid amateur photographer and use both film and digital equipment

(35mm, Canon 5D, Mamiya 645, 4x5 and 8x10)and shoot mostly landscape, macro

and some portraiture. I am thinking about getting into the world of

Rangefinder focusing. I want a rather modern camera with metering capabilities

and the option to have AE program available.

The modern Leica offerings with that type of functionality are out of my

league. I looked at the Voigtlander and modern Contax G2 cameras and found

them quite appealing - well until I held a Contax G2 in my hands and listened

to the focus motor wine away - it is very noisy and defeats the prupose of a

rangefinder in my opinion.

I would like to hear from folks who use the Voigtlanders (especially the RA

series) how they like their cameras and lenses and also from Contax G users -

because the fact is that I could always shut off the autofocus system.

Any other manufacturers I should look at?

 

Thank You for your help and Happy Holidays

Zeiss Ikon M-mount rangefinder. Half the price of the Leica, or less.

 

But no M-mount camera has "program" exposure, because the body cannot control the f-stop. Aperture Priority (AV) only.

Juergen, I wouldn't discount the G2 until you've seen what its lenses can do. I just shot my first roll of Kodak E100G slide film with the 35-70mm zoom, which, btw is considered inferior in the G lens lineup, and I must tell you, the quality of the images simply took my breath away.

 

I had the CV R3A and liked it performance but found it too angular in build to hold comfortably (being picky). Surprisingly, I enjoy the R-D1 (similar body) and the R2, so go figure. I have many CV lenses and think the 50mm Nokton is amazing (lots of samples here and on RFF), the CV 40/1.4 is a great value, and the most surprising lens of all to me was the 15mm Heliar, which I take with my R-D1 just about everywhere. Btw, the CV 75/2.5 is superb, there are is a thread on it on RFF with examples.

 

Andy

I did mean Aperture Priority - sorry for the confusion!

You can turn the G2 to manual focus, but it doesn't turn off the autofocus sound - that will still be there when you press the sutter button.

Zeiss Ikon.

When new Zeiss Ikon costs as much as used mint Leica then I'll choose the Leica.

Interesting enough: when I first played with my new G2 and focussed here and there, my wife noticed the new sound in the house. But i spent hours with zoom zoom focus ... that day.

 

Now I know to use the focus lock button in the back, recompose and shoot. There is one swift zz sound every once in while. It is noticable to the shooter, but nobody a few feet away blinks or notices. Just on the first new-camera-day i made this whining sound all the time playing with the new toy.

 

Once you are over that and have gone through the first set of batteries, the G2 is almost unperceivable (and batteries will last many dozens of film). The G2 is very easy to use after day one and after learning the ropes with a dozen films shot quickly,. The learning curve is first somewhat steep, read the manual and websites etc, but this curve flattens out quickly as you rethink your technique.

 

And when that first week is over, your films will have about twice times the keepers as before. The lenses are one part of the success here. Have you seen MF pics? You will get such with the 21, 28, 45, 90 mm G lenses in droves. For the first time I can see what Kodak 400UC can really capture, the microcolors and microcontrasts look stunning on 8 by 12 prints. You can count needles on pine trees, leaves on oaks. I compare with Nikon optics here and the F100 which was the greatest camera I had after an OM 2 ...

 

The G2 offers a simple, lightweight system with results unparalleled. A whole (used) system with 4 lenses from 21 to 90 mm, filters, hoods, caps, flash, strap, RRS plate, bag etc will come in at almost $ 2000 (keh, ebay, contaxg pages, ... ). You may get one used Leica lens at that price or one beat up M4 body.

 

Leica will give you equivalent results: yes, but with a viewfinder that is not glasses wearer friendly at all. You might be able to use glasses with the ZI, but the frameline finders just will not show me much at the wide side, and that is where rangefinders excell optically. The Bessas suffers the same frameline finder lack of a high eyepoint, too.

 

I keep my F100 for macro and tele shots, of course. But for travelling, digging around for pics, the G2 is best for the money.

Juergen

 

Forget the focus motor wine. There are lots of cameras that are noisier than a G2.

 

As someone who uses Leica's M4/M6/M7, Voigtlaender's R2A/R3A and the Contax G2 here are my two cents: Keep the G2, it's a wonderful and versatile camera with excellent lenses. I use two G2-bodies with the 90, 45, 28, 21 and an "adopted" Voigtlaender 15/4.5. The Zeiss lenses are good as Leica lenses but for a fraction of their costs. They are a steal! Working with a G2 means no rangefinder photography but photography with an AF camera. Nevertheless you will soon enjoy the G2.

 

The Voigtlaender R2A and R3A are rangefinder cameras for photographers who are on a budget. I like them very much as allround cameras, but M- ans ZM-bodies and M- and ZM-lenses are the way to go for available light photography. BTW, I use my G2 with the 45/2 for low light photography. No AF problems so far.

 

I would never sell a G2 in order to buy a R2A or a R3A.

This is not at all what I expected - boy, am I glad I posted this question! Not a single poster came forward for the Voigtlander cameras - even those who own both, the Contax and the Voigtlander, vote for the Contax - these Zeis lenses really must be something else! Thank You all very much - I think I will get the Contax G2 and see how I like it - the fact is that even if I can't live with it, I can easily see it again without losing a lot of money. Thanks again - this is a great site!

Leica M2 and <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/5315393">automate the focus and the exposure on your head</a>... ;-)

If you don't like it then try the Leica M4-P and a 35mm Summicron or 50mm Summicron (your choice). Keep in mind that Leica gear is built to industrial caliber, ie, professional use. The others, while nice, not built to take punishment.