Contax G2 Review: Why the Hype Is Warranted

The Contax G2, an interchangeable-lens autofocus rangefinder camera produced by Kyocera from 1996 to 2005, remains a unique and highly sought-after film camera. Jaron Schneider, writing for PetaPixel, tested a used G2 and found it lives up to its reputation. The camera features a body-driven autofocus system using infrared triangulation and a passive external twin-window optical sensor, offering both single-point and continuous AF. Schneider primarily used single-point AF with a focus-and-recompose technique, praising the camera's speed and accuracy for street photography. He used two Carl Zeiss lenses: the 90mm f/2.8 and the 45mm f/2, both noted for their sharpness and compactness. The camera's design includes a unique lens mounting system where only the metal barrel twists, and the optical viewfinder automatically adjusts to the lens's field of view. Schneider shot mostly in aperture-priority mode, adjusting only exposure compensation and aperture, which he found liberating. He praised the ergonomics, noting the comfortable grip. Criticisms include a small, dim viewfinder prone to haze, and difficulty seeing minimum focus distance indicators. The camera and lenses are expensive, with bodies around $3,000 and lenses from $800 to $1,500. The G2's popularity persists due to film's revival and celebrity use, and no other manufacturer has produced a similar camera since. Schneider suggests Fujifilm's X-Pro series is the closest modern equivalent.