Leica Cl VS Contax G1

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

Little update!
The Leica arrived today!
It's in very good condition. Lenses are in perfect condition and look like never used. Theres not even dust inside. The Leica Cl body has also only some very minor signs of use.
The RF-coupling and viewfinder are also working good. I can't test the lightmeter yet as the batteries didn't arrive yet but I'm confident that it will work.

The Summicron-C is smaller than I expected! The focus- and apertue rings are a little too small for my hands Crying or Very sad

. Not testes it on my NEX yet. Might be easier to handle for me there.
The viefinder is also smaller than I expected from a Leica M, and I'm also a little wondering why the 50mm viewfinder frame is also visible when the 40mm lens is attached!?!? But except that the tiny camera makes a very good impression so far.

I also measured the shutter speeds with Florin's shutter tester.
From 1/1000 to 1/60 the timing is perfect like a clock, but 1/30 (look at the pic) and onwards it's much to slow (I didn't measure times longer than 1/30s because I was able to see with my eyes that they are wrong.
Might this be normal to compensate the Schwarzschild-effect? No, right?

As I usually stay above 1/60s it's should be not a real world issue but I wonder why 1/1000 to 1/60s are perfect while the slower times are too slow!?

rbelyell · Expire: 2014-01-31

the size of the cron was a big plus for me; i never want to take that one off my camera!

i believe the 50mm framelines stay in the vf for some reason.
tony

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

The CL range/viewfinder is less sophisticated than the M3 or the later M variants which is partly why the 50 and 40 frames are both there together. The purists ( some might say "pedants" ) will be quick to say that the CL is not an M by any means but nevertheless it's a great little camera.

When it came out there were plenty of purists who went on about its not being a "real" Leica but I never agreed with that way of thinking. To quote a friend's comment at the time "Barnack would have liked it".

As for the shutter speeds being slow, that's probably down to age and lack of use. A shutter clean and relubrication might be needed if your films come out unevenly or erratically exposed. Forgive my ignorance, but I don't know what the Schwarzschild-effect is Embarassed

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ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

Thanks for the information there!

I don't think the shutter of any camera has been calibrated to allow for reciprocity failure - as you say, the degree varies from film to film. Interesting htought, though !

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

Reciprocity failure should be of little concern at 1/1000 sec.
About 10 years ago I got a very large bulk lot of tmax100.
It is one of the most sensitive films in regard to reciprocity failure.
On the fast end of things it was safe to calculate exposures that involved up to 1/2000 of a scec (yes fast lens in bright light).
When a reading would call for 1/4000 on my Contax RX the film would underexpose. I never saw any issues at 1/1000.
Maybe some other films would show an issue but, I have not experienced them.
The slow end was a different story where even 1 second required an extra 1/2 stop to be safe.
Very long exposures could be tripled at times with results improving.
Oh, sorry I'm way off topic. Rolling Eyes

yinyangbt · Expire: 2012-12-27

hi, ForenSeil how do you feel about your decision after half year ? Do you have some pics of the camera and made with it?

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

I bought the Leica Cl and was happy with its lenses and size but RF-base and viewfinder were small, use of TTL was a little cumbersome.
Finally I kept the lenses and sold the body and bought an Minolta CLE instead which had better haptics due exposure automatic but it wasn't usable for fast 50mm lenses and now I've finally ended up with an Leica M3, dreaming of an Zeiss Ikon ^^

Final conlusion would be

Bodies:
Leica Cl < Contax G1 < Minolte CLE < Contax G2 < Leica M3 < Zeiss Ikon
or something like that Wink

Lenses:
Sonnar 90/2.8 T* @ F4 is a tack better than Elmar-C 90/4, size is and are price almost identical
Summicron 40/2 is imho better (and smaller) than Planar 45/2 T* but that might be a matter of taste; both are great.

Big advantage of the Contax G System is the cheap 28/2.8 Biogon T* imho - You won't find such a good and "cheap" wide angle for
Leica M. But except that Leica M has a better repertory of lenses.