Look at it this way, how much would it cost to buy the same glass you have for the Nikkors and what else could you do with the money for a photo adventure?
Btw, I too lusted for one at one time. Maybe someday.
Zeiss glass will give sparkle to you negs & slides--Nikkors won't. I'd gladly trade my rather extensive Nikon systems ( af & mf), for a Contax slr kit anyday. I already have a G1 & G2 and 5 lenses and all accessories.
I've been drooling over a Contax IIA but they sound like more heartache than they're worth!
I got in to the G1/G2 system while the getting was good - right about at the bottom of the prices. Now that all those micro 4/3 cameras and mirrorless digitals are out there and folks are mounting good glass in front of them with adapters, the price of used Contax and Leica lenses have climbed steeply. Same with the SLR lenses getting re-mounted for Canon or Nikon DSLRs.
I did cure my Contax SLR hankering a couple years ago with a very nice RTS III which I had always wanted but could never afford when they were new, and a 50mm 1.4.
I thought about the G2. There are literally dozens of those available in the stores for far less than the S2b. But the G2 is too p & s-ish for what I want. I really enjoy manual focus and love knowing without a shred of doubt where my camera is focusing.
The S2b is a bit of a rare bird - they never sold well, as they were very expensive for the feature set they offered compared to other comparable cameras at the time. That alone would explain the price differential.
My mentioning the G2 was not intended to try and sell you on one - if you don't like the type of camera, or that camera specifically, you don't like it. 'Nuff said. As I said in an earlier post, I have an RTS III that I went out of my way to buy, to have a 35mm SLR for the times that I need a smaller-format SLR. Their SLRs are terrific and you'd be very happy with any of them, I think. I would dispute the point-n-shoot-ish character you ascribed to the G2 however - while they have autofocus, which is extremely convenient, even if not quite as easy to precisely focus as an SLR, they're far more capable than a point-n-shoot (1/6000th top shutter speed, 16 seconds slow speed in AE mode (4 seconds manual), plus B, TTL flash, manual or auto-focus, interchangeable lenses which happen to be some of the best glass ever made for 35mm).
That explains the price. The S2B I found was something like $900 or more. It's absolutely mint and might even come with the box. It looks gorgeous, even without a lens on it. Put one of those c/y beauties on it and I'm not sure how much more I can resist it.
I have a Fuji GA645, which really reminds me of the G2. Sure there are some differences, but it's an autofocus rangefinder. I'm sure the G2 puts out images that are wonderful, as does the GA645 with its blazing sharp lens. But the whole shooting experience is (to me), somewhat empty.
Anyway, there's gear available for everyone's needs. I think the G2 looks like a really sharp set up, and I still view it as a less costly way to get my hands on some Zeiss glass, so who knows....maybe?
Look at it this way - a G2 with a 45 or a 28 will set you back less than the price of an S2b without a lens. Put a 50mm on the S2b and you can have a G2, the 45 AND the 28. And I think that if you try a G2 for any length of time you'll find it quite different from the GA645. For one thing, the G2 is about HALF the size of the GA.
The best thing would be to borrow one from someone before you commit. You already know more or less what the S2b will handle like - it's an SLR. But you haven't shot with a G2. Maybe the store will let you take one on a secured loan for two weeks or something.
I've been drooling over a Contax IIA but they sound like more heartache than they're worth!
There are other CY mount bodies that are excellent, and much less expensive.
Try one - you can probably re-sell it for about what you paid for it, so if you use it for a couple months and don't like it, well, it would be a cheap rental. And in the meantime, the S2b will probably still be sitting there if you use the G2 and don't like it. It's an exotic enough beast that the right person will have to come along to buy it.
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