What is the standard length lense for a Contax G1. Mine has a 35 mm and I want to get a wide angle. Going for a 28mm does not seem to offer a great deal of increazse in field of view or am I mistaken?

-- Paul Ashton (paul@crocus.demon.co.uk), April 17, 2001

Answers

The standard lens for the Contax G system is the 45mm f/2.0. Many users of rangefinder style cameras like to use the 35mm lens as a standard... I do on my Leica M6. The addition of a 28mm lens would not likely be that big of a jump from 35mm. For the effort to switch lenses to be worth the time, there would have to be a bigger shift in angle of view. Many people that like the 35mm lens would be more inclined to jump to the 21mm lens, which has quite a different look than the 28mm, when judged in relation to the 35mm standard.

Had the camera come with the usual normal lens (45mm), then a 28mm lens would offer a major change of view and be a good "next" lens.

In most situations the difference between a 35mm and 28mm lens would be a couple of steps. Yes, this would alter the perspective a bit, but not enough to justify carrying and changing lenses that close to one another. Your feet are a pretty effective "zoom" for tweaking compositions... especially for only 7mm in focal length variation.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), April 17, 2001.

Al has explained it beautifully.... I second that.

Though I started with 45mm from my 'migration' from SLR, 35mm is too close to 45mm and so my choice was logically 28mm. 45mm or 35mm is up to personal preference.

-- Kwen Wan (kwen@fucx.co.uk), July 29, 2001.

As others have correctly noted; the standard lens on the G series is the 45. I didn't bother with the 35 and when for the 28. Of course cost played a factor in the decision but also the fact that the 35mm focal length was covered by my Yashica T4 and (now) my Contax T3 was the major reason for passing on it.

The good thing is that whatever Zeiss lens you get, you are going to get a good one!!

-- Meryl Arbing (marbing@sympatico.ca), October 19, 2001.