M6 vs. Contax G1

["Richard W. Hemingway" <n5xrd@telepath.com>]

Well is isn't a Leica, but it isn't all bad.

Took a series of pictures with the M6 and 35/1.4 ASPH (just to keep things
fair) and my new G1 with used 45mm/2.0 lens.  Got the film back yesterday -
Kodachrome 64.

1) M6 all slides in good focus and exposure. Great for hand holding (as we
all knew) in low light.

2) G1 of 26 slides, 17 were very good, one of an outside fountain, is better
than with the M6 (all hand held and examined with a 10x loupe and projected
with a Leica Pradovit with 90 Superplan lens on matt surface.) Moved the
camers on one. Exposure was off on four, it seems that I had the AE lock on
and kept changing the F stop but kept the shutter at 1/30 (all inside mall
shots of store with Christmas tree like lights).  Three slides seemed to be
soft - all closeups at 2.0.  With very close examination it seems that the
focus plane it not where I wanted it, in front in one slide and in back in
the other two.  Parts could be found in focus and sharp. On slide I can't
explain, of my wife in a chair, the whole thing was fuzzy.  Not quite like
moving the camera, but that may be what it was.

G1 45mm lens seems pretty sharp.  Two problems: (1) close focusing at large
f stops, and (2) camera movement due the way the autofocus works, ie, it
parks at infinity until the shutter is depressed part way and then moves to
focus.  It is slow and, apparantly, much harder to take available light
pictures than I anticipated.

3) The G1 is a better camera than most P&S, don't know if it is any better
(shoot better pics) than say a Nikon N50 with a good zoom lens.  I had one
and it sure autofocused fast and pretty accurate.

Sure makes me appreciate the M6 on all but moving targets (and don't use the
G1 either). The G1 will work well for travel out the car window (has
infinity lock and passive autofocus) and my wife can take picutres of me
with it!!! Can't see where Popular Photo came up with the test results for
the 45??

Sorry, this is partly off subject.  But when an possible alternative to the
Leica comes along it is interesting to see how they compare.

Dick Hemingway
Norman, OK