Contax G1 - Camera

The Contax G1 and G2 were produced by Yashica/Contax parent company Kyocera in the 1990s. These cameras use a hybrid rangefinder autofocus system with two windows that triangulate the focus distance passively. It's an automatic version of the rangefinder system found in other 35mm cameras.

Upon release, the G1 was criticized for the speed and accuracy of this system. The G2 fixed many of these issues by adding an active AF system on top of the passive one. The passive system controls general focus and the active system fine tunes things before the shutter is pressed.

One of the defining features of the G system are the lenses. The seven G lenses are widely regarded as some of the best lenses ever made for film or digital cameras. From the ultra-wide 16mm Hologon to the world’s only zoom lens for rangefinder cameras, there are many interesting options in the G mount.