jfarmato
Newbie
I have a Contax G1 that has been working great. Until recently. It started rewinding rolls at random times. Sometimes frame 11 then frame 22. Yesterday I found the winder going with no film in it and the camera turned off. When I opened the back the film holders were just spinning, while the camera was turned off.
Anyone experience such a thing. I’m assuming buying a new body is going to be way cheaper than doing a repair.
Thanks in advance.
http://www.armatophotography.com
Anyone experience such a thing. I’m assuming buying a new body is going to be way cheaper than doing a repair.
Thanks in advance.
http://www.armatophotography.com
Ste_S
Well-known
As far as I'm aware G1's (along with most Kyocera Contax stuff) aren't repairable so only really left with buying another.
santino
FSU gear head
There are no official spare parts. Your G1s behaviour is probably caused by oxidated electrical contacts.
Larry Cloetta
Mentor
It is possible a new body would be cheaper than having it repaired, then again, there are no “new” bodies, only different old ones.
Kyocera itself stopped servicing Contax bodies and lenses a few years ago, but it’s something of a widely believed myth that because of this they are not repairable, or that there “are no parts”. In a way, that’s a benefit to would be camera buyers as it has kept the prices of Contax bodies well below what they would merit if quality was the only consideration.
Nippon Photo Clinic in NYC became the de facto Contax repair center in the U.S. after Kyocera bowed out. Kyocera referred all repair work to them at the time. Whether or not Kyocera transferred all its remaining parts inventory to them, I don’t know, but they have always had the parts for every Contax camera I have sent them over time, including a 645 shutter assembly, and a new mirror box for a jammed ST on which they did a full overhaul for me two weeks ago. Odds are they can repair your G1, if you wanted it repaired. Odds are, yes, it would cost as much as finding another cheap used one, but it’s also possible the repaired one would last longer than another used one you found today. Like many things, you pays your money and you takes your chances.
As a point of reference, it cost me $326 to get my ST overhauled, and I could have purchased any of a number of different ST bodies off ebay for that amount, or less, but I like the camera, and thought repairing one I was familiar with would, hopefully, be more reliable than taking a chance on another, unrepaired, old one. Maybe so, maybe no, time will tell.
The point is, anyone wanting any Contax camera repaired, that option is almost certainly there, at least for now. They can generally service lenses as well.
Just contact them if you are interested. You send them your camera and within two weeks, usually, they contact you with a repair estimate. If it is more than you want to spend, they will return the camera, and all you are out is shipping. For your G1, it will probably be at least $200, and maybe as much as the cost of another used G1, so whether that makes sense for you is up to you.
Hope this helps.
DennisM
Established
G1 Problem
G1 Problem
G1 Problem
I had a similar problem with a Konica Hexar RF; check threads in the Zeiss ZM/Konica RF forum on this site. Cleaning battery contacts was not enough to correct the problem. A CLA including cleaning of the internal electrical contacts did the trick for me. My Hexar RF now performs as it did when I purchased it (used). You'll have to weigh cost of a CLA vs. the value you attach to the camera.
raid
Dad Photographer
I suggest to get a G2 if you have several lenses for the G1.
I bought a back-up G1 camera after I got my first G1. Both work well for me.
I bought a back-up G1 camera after I got my first G1. Both work well for me.
valdas
Mentor
Contax virus 
I had the same issue with my Contax Aria (although no rewind with no film). I sold it “for repairs”.
I had the same issue with my Contax Aria (although no rewind with no film). I sold it “for repairs”.Huss
Mentor
I had the same type of repair performed on one of my Minolta CLEs. Shutter just started to jam. No-one would touch it, including Nippon and DAG, saying parts no longer available. Dave Eastwood repaired it by opening it up and cleaning all the electrical contacts. These things just oxidize with age.
To the OP, I would get the G1 repaired, as then you know it has been gone through. Buying another old one may just mean it breaks in a short while too, as all these cameras are old now.
Steve M.
Mentor
"Yesterday I found the winder going with no film in it and the camera turned off."
You probably need a priest to perform an exorcism for that! The problem w/ these old electronic cameras is that when they go, they'e gone. I had a G1 w/ a bad shutter. The price to fix it was way more than just buying another camera. Even w/ a new shutter, it's still an old electronic camera that could go South at the drop of a pin if it felt like it. Think of these type of cameras as disposable.
You probably need a priest to perform an exorcism for that! The problem w/ these old electronic cameras is that when they go, they'e gone. I had a G1 w/ a bad shutter. The price to fix it was way more than just buying another camera. Even w/ a new shutter, it's still an old electronic camera that could go South at the drop of a pin if it felt like it. Think of these type of cameras as disposable.