#Repair contax g2 how to
#Repair contax g2 full

As these cameras are modern, everything is electronic, including shutter and focus. A mechanical or electrical failure could be repaired, but if the electronics die there is little hope. That means the newest of these cameras available today are already ten years past their last expected birthday. Why is that relevant for these cameras? The last Contax G2s and T2s were made in 2001, the last T3 slightly after. I am not sure if any of the chips in your Contax are constantly running even when the camera is off, so how this 10 years of continuous operation works out is dependent on how intensively the camera is used, and of course chips can continue working for decades longer than they were tested for. For automotive, industrial, medical, and military itвЂ™s longer. For consumer electronics, that testing lifetime is less than 10 years of continuous use. There are carefully modelled formulae to accelerate this aging process by overstressing with high voltages and temperatures. This simulates the accumulated wear and tear to the silicon pathways in the chip. Now let me share you with an electronic industry insight from my day job: Before a newly designed chip goes into production, a few hundred of them go through lifetime testing. In general when I say electronic I mean something with a complex and specific function, typically made by one or two companies, which is not easily replaced. If I wanted to use the meter, it could be fixed with a soldering iron.Д®lectronic components are infinitely more difficult to repair, particularly when they use proprietary parts which are no longer supported by the original supplier.В I donвЂ™t want to get into the difference between electrical and electronic components, as there are various definitions and itвЂ™s not relevant to this post. Luckily it doesnвЂ™t really affect the usability, as the light meter is the only non-mechanical element. My Canonet QL17 has an electrical failureвЂ¦ For some reason the light meter is not working.

#Repair contax g2 how to

The most difficult element to source for this repair is someone who knows how to do it. My Pentacon Six is fully mechanical, so when it experienced shutter bounce and a slow shutter, it was possible to repair it with some screwdrivers, tweezers and grease. In general there are three types of issues or failures which can occur in a camera body, apart from simply dropping it: Mechanical, Electrical and Electronic.

Those who believe the price will continue to rise and see it as an investment.

Those who can afford to pay a lot of money to be fashionable.

Those who truly want, and can afford, a top notch film experience, using a robust and high quality camera.

So who is buying these and why do I say you shouldnвЂ™t? I believe there are three general groups buying today: They were expensive when new, and very highly regarded. These cameras are made of titanium and glass, with excellent Zeiss optics. Contax was a high end brand in the 1990s. I should also make it clearвЂ¦ these are not cheap, plasticky, toss-it-in-your-beach-bag compact cameras.

If you think this is insane, you are correct. A T2 goes for around the same, and a T3 for even more! The current auction price on eBay is ~в‚¬1.5k.

#Repair contax g2 full

It is hard to get historical pricing data for these cameras in the second hand market, but the King of Velvia does mention that in 2009 it was possible to buy the full G2 kit for one tenth the price of a new Leica system, so I am guessing around в‚¬500. I am adamantly not a fan of his website, however it does have archival value. Of course Ken Rockwell also claims the G2 is the best camera in the world, but I do not want to overstate his influence on the situation. The Olympus Mju-ii and various Yashica T cameras may fetch a few hundred euro, but these two Contaxes regularly exchange hands for north of в‚¬1k. These two cameras can generally be considered as вЂњpeakвЂќ compact bubble.

Richard Gere and Emily Blunt have been photographed with their Contax G2вЂ™s, while Kendall Jenner, Chris Helmsworth, and Milla Jovovich prefer the more pocketable T2 or T3. Some of this is driven by analogue nostalgia, helped by filters on Instagram and VSCO, and some is driven by celebrity influence. In the last seven to ten years this has seen a steep rise in prices of some previously bargain-basket cameras. FYI, there are screenshots of eBay listings in this article, they are not ads!Д¬ompact and Point-and-Shoot film cameras are experiencing what some would call a boom and some would call a bubble.