Just a few comments on the use of a Contax G 45 on my GF1. I've had the jinfinance adapter for a few days and have used it a bit on a day out when I was probably more concerned with drinking wine. That said, I can make a few comments on the lens/adapter/body combo and I have a few images by which people can judge the performance.
First, focusing:
I initially found focusing VERY difficult, particularly as it was a hot, humid day when I got the adapter (in excess of 30 degrees). I am getting used to it, however, and it is not so bad as I first thought. I mostly use the detachable EVF and zoom in and out as necessary using live view mode. It may be feasible to focus without zooming in on the back LCD, but I've been shooting in bright daylight, so I prefer the EVF (which is pretty good, IMO - perfectly usable and much better than the reviews that said it was awful would indicate).
The wheel is quite small, and when your hands sweat, they don't get any traction on the wheel. You sometimes have to resort to using your fingernails. The lens's focusing mechanism seems to take a bit of loosening up, as it appears to have become smoother over time. The jury is still out, but I am coming around to the idea that it is a manageable solution. Jogging back and forth is not so hard, but going from close focus to infinity is a pain.
Exposure:
I have found that exposure starts to become a problem from 5.6 and smaller. Automatic exposures under expose by around 1.5 to 2 stops from f8, and the GF1's exposure compensation function is pretty awkward, as far as I can tell. I haven't tried any different exposure settings other than the default, however, so it may be solvable using other exposure settings. Strangely enough, exposure is fine up until the point you take a picture. Only the pictures are underexposed, the liveview feed is spot on.
The lens:
Is pretty amazing, particularly at middle distances stopped down. I'm not going to put up any portraits apart from the one which is obscured by the loupe as my girlfriend probably doesn't want a million photo nerds poring over her pixels, but I'm not blown away by the performance as a portrait lens as yet. I'm still getting used to focusing, and my girlfriend was moving around quite a bit, so I wouldn't take that as gospel, however. The Panasonic 20 holds up well in this regard, even in comparison to the legendary Contax 45, particularly as it is automatic and does a great job of face recognition. However, the 45 looks to be a brilliant landscape lens. This discrepancy may have mainly to do with my getting used to focusing with this wheel thingy, however.
Here are some samples - they are just nothing test pictures taken while waiting for a ferry, but the light is good and they show what the lens can do. Assume they are all at 5.6.
Thanks for the comments and shots. I'm considering this lens for my E-P1 and this helps a lot. There is another type of adapter on the way that uses a gear in the focusing wheel assembly. Instead of 4-5 revolutions from mfd to infinity it'll be about 1.5 revolutions. From your review this seems like a better solution, as long as too much force isn't needed to turn the wheel.
Just checked alternative exposure settings and the one with the brackets only works fine at all stops... I haven't read the manual, so I assume it's average rather than centre weighted average...
Calvin, I know of the other adapters and I am considering them as an alternative... But they are more expensive and I am getting used to the jinfinance adapter, though and the extra expense may or may not be worth it... For what it's worth, I have found jinfinance's service to be excellent and that is worth a bit, too...
