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User comments btil June 2003

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Till,

The Leica M7 Has much better fill flash capabilites than the Contax G2 (save the TTL synchro speed).

Try to dial -1 2/3 fill flash with a G2.

Try to fill flash at 1/1000s with a G2.

Lucien

>
 
Posted by Till on Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 7:43 am:

A seldom considered difference between the Contax G and the Leica M system is weight.

Stated below are the weights of two comparable, ready-to-operate systems.

Contax G2, Biogon 28, Planar 45, Sonnar 90, TLA 140 = 1220 g Leica M7, Elmarit 28, Summicron 50, Elmarit 90, without flash! = 1860 g

This among other things, mostly lacking fill-flash capabilities, detains me from travelling to Leica.

Till
 
Till sez: A seldom considered difference between the Contax G and the Leica M > system is weight. > >> > This among other things, mostly lacking fill-flash capabilities, > detains me from travelling to Leica. > > Till

Till, While it is rarely valuable to make Chevy vs Ford discussions on a dedicated list, I'll point out a couple problems with your post. First, The M6ttl and the M7 both have fill flash capabilities, and if you know what you are doing, so do all the M cameras, and many of the screw mount Leicas. It is all in how you define fill-flash. You are probably thinking auto-fill flash. That is available in the M6ttl-M7.

As to weight, some of that is from a difference in build quality. The lenses for the Leica system are a bit more robust in weight, and I think the bodies are about the same. Doesn't matter, I even add the weight of a Motor-M to mine.

I also do not carry my entire kit with me everywhere. The inclusion of the 28mm is questionable in this comparison, as the Elmarit 28 (which I have owned) is not a particularly popular lens, not nearly so much as the Summicron 35, about half the weight and a stop faster.

Which brings me to this point. Most Leica shooters choose Leica just becasue it is so good at available light photography. A comparison of viewfinders will reveal a much larger window in the M, with a choice of magnifications. Alas, no Auto=focus. But you didn't bring that up, so I'll let it lie.

I think maybe you were trolling, but I won't accuse you of that, since this is a generally well-behaved list. It does strike me funny that you would arrive at a dedicated Leica list, and deliver a taunt.

Enjoy your Contax, and hey post some pictures you took with that puppy, OK?

Sonny http://www.sonc.com
 
The weight issue wasn't something I considered when I used Contax G1's. I can't say I noticed a great deal of difference. The fill in flash thing isn't an issue if you know the maths involved in fill-in(US readers note the S on the end of maths, that's because it's "mathematicS" - moan over). Must be because I'm old that I don't rely on circuits for working out my flash. But then I never (or hardly ever)hardly ever use it with my Leicas anyway; same applied to the Contax.

The real drawback with the Contax for me was the noise and sluggishness (I know the G2 is generally quicker in autofocus than the 1, but I tried one and it's not quick enough).

Oh, and I HATED the titanium finish SO much. I found it marks like there's no tomorrow. I confess to being unkind to cameras in some unkind environments, but the Leica is a much more durable, non-battery reliant (if it's not an M7) beast.
 
>I had 2 instances of the body just going dead due to an internal=20 >connection and 3 instances of focus needing to be recalibrated. I=20 >gave up and went back to M's.
 
> This thread is great! I have a working pro friend that is a Contax "die hard" He teases me quite a bit when I use my F3HP but is relatively silent about my M3...sometimes asking me if I would be interested in selling it to him. Bleacher Bum Olympia, Wa.
 
Hi all,

firstly I would like to add that I am well aware of the differences of the two systems. I am not an absolute Contax devotee, and there are things I hate about it (e.g. noise and lack of focus confirmation).
AF is not that important for me, but fill flash actually is, since I use it quite often to enhance colours, reduce contrast etc. That being said, with a G2 it absolutely works not as it should, but it works (in a dirty way). And there is a really portable, for that purpose sufficient flash (TLA140).

AFAIK there is no comparable lightweight thing for the Leica? (54 MZ-3 may not be the answer)
A serious question:
How do you fill-flash at 1/50? (ND-filter? GN-calc?)

Till
 
This thread is great! I have a working pro friend that is a Contax "die hard:

I agree!! I have a Contax G2..and a brand new M6 that I don't get to use until my birthday. This thread is like a fight between a bear and your mother in law. Interesting, and you don't really care who wins...

Colorado Jeff
 
Jeff: great, great comparison. Very, very funny. I own both systems and… I would really like the bear to win (whoever that is).

Eduardo
 
Thanks Colorado Jeff for the LOLOL. Everyone, please keep this in mind when reading my comentary on the weight issue. )Cathy in Atlanta
 
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