looking for a digital equivalent to a Contax G2

[eitanwaks]

this past weekend I decided to venture out of my house for some casual shooting in the vicinity. Although I currently own a Nikon D200 I decided to take my Contax G2 instead. This is probably because I noticed that I had half a roll of film left inside and I was curious to what it contained.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I was reminded how much fun it is to carry around such a small camera and yet get such excellent results. It must've been the most productive shooting I have done in the past several months. There is just something about carrying a small camera that doesn't make you stand out in a crowd (I was walking around in Tel Aviv [my hometown]). It's also a lot more fun not having to carry around large lenses. I shoot mainly prime lenses on my DSLR so that you don't miss the zoom lenses.

After a wonderful day out in beautiful weather I came home. And then it struck me. I would have to develop the slide film, and then scan it to work on it or view it on a computer. [As a side note, I took the projector out of the closet to view these slides and there is nothing like viewing projected slides (including the hassle :-))].

I would love to purchase a Leica M9 and a set of lenses but unfortunately it's not in my price bracket. Furthermore, I'd really love autofocus like I have on my Contax G2 (due to handicap I don't think manual focusing is a good solution for me).

So after this story, does anyone have any digital recommendations for me. I don't mind waiting is something should come down in the pipeline. I've already waited this long. I guess my dream camera would be a Leica M9 with autofocus [and a matching high-resolution digital projector :-)].

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Eitan Waks

PS interesting, I just read Michael's M9 short review. Too bad no autofocus.

[spotmeter]

this past weekend I decided to venture out of my house for some casual shooting in the vicinity. Although I currently own a Nikon D200 I decided to take my Contax G2 instead. This is probably because I noticed that I had half a roll of film left inside and I was curious to what it contained.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I was reminded how much fun it is to carry around such a small camera and yet get such excellent results. It must've been the most productive shooting I have done in the past several months. There is just something about carrying a small camera that doesn't make you stand out in a crowd (I was walking around in Tel Aviv [my hometown]). It's also a lot more fun not having to carry around large lenses. I shoot mainly prime lenses on my DSLR so that you don't miss the zoom lenses.

After a wonderful day out in beautiful weather I came home. And then it struck me. I would have to develop the slide film, and then scan it to work on it or view it on a computer. [As a side note, I took the projector out of the closet to view these slides and there is nothing like viewing projected slides (including the hassle :-))].

I would love to purchase a Leica M9 and a set of lenses but unfortunately it's not in my price bracket. Furthermore, I'd really love autofocus like I have on my Contax G2 (due to handicap I don't think manual focusing is a good solution for me).

So after this story, does anyone have any digital recommendations for me. I don't mind waiting is something should come down in the pipeline. I've already waited this long. I guess my dream camera would be a Leica M9 with autofocus [and a matching high-resolution digital projector :-)].

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Eitan Waks

PS interesting, I just read Michael's M9 short review. Too bad no autofocus.

I recommend the Canon G10.  Easy to use, superb quality and RAW files.  I have printed up to 40 x 60.

[James Godman]

Perhaps the Panasonic GF1 is the closest digital equivalent to your Contax G2.  I haven't tried one yet, but I intend to.  http://bit.ly/PanGF1

[paratom]

I also would say gf1 or if you like the viewfinder maybe gh1 together with the 20 and 45mm primes.

[BJL]

Along with the GF-1, I would also suggest the Olympus E-P2, if you value
- the option of attaching a good EVF: the one for the E-P2 is by all reports far better than that for the GF-1
- the ability to use lenses other than the initially limited 4/3 selection through an adaptor and have stabilization work with them, due to the Olympus in-body approach to IS.

The GF-1 has its advantage too, like faster AF and a pop-up flash, but I am not quite sure why it seems so overwhelmingly preferred to the Olympus m4/3 alternatives in these forums Maybe it is just the E-P1 that is less popular, for lack of an EVF option and such.

[250swb]

The GF-1 or Olympus EP-2 would be my choice. You can use either Panasonic or Olympus lenses on each camera, but the EP-2 has the advantage of in body IS that is suitable for all m4/3 lenses plus legacy lenses used with an adapter. The Canon G10 doesn't even come close as a substitute for the Contax G2, nor does it come close to the quality of an m4/3 camera.

Steve