Davide Caniatti

Contax G1 cameras come in two versions: silver label (also called sometimes “white labels”) and green label. The white label version s the original one, while the green one was introduced a couple of years later to support the new lenses: the 21mm and the 35mm. For a while, it was possible to send the first version to the factory or a repairer to get the camera updated. Now, it seems no one offers this service anymore.

Some heroes are celebrated more than others. They gradually enter the legends and remain etched in the collective imagination. Much the same happens with lenses. However, there are also some equally deserving people who for one reason or another never rise to the status of legends. Not that they’re much worse, but they’re just not flashy enough to make headlines. Also in this case there is a parallelism in photography. The Contax G 28mm Biogon is exactly that: a great performer, who is never talked about well enough.

There are things in life that are rarely done, and graduating is for sure one of them. A few weeks ago, the inevitable happened to me too, thus concluding my academic career. Just in those days, my trusted dealer listed a 16mm Hologon, the widest lens ever made for Contax G. Like most 16mm, it is not something one ever really needs. At the same time, it seemed like a curious coincidence, and I was looking for a small gift to buy myself: in other words, I could not resist.