Fuji GW690 rangefinder- I compared to III?

[Dan Daniel]

I have a Fuji GW690, first edition. In very good condition, so there is no real reason to be looking at another one.

Except that I have read that the rangefinder on the III is a different design. So this gets me curious. I do wish that the rangefinder on the I was a bit more obvious and the patch had a bit more contrast. Of course a hard edge Leica-style patch would be great.

Has anyone handled both designs? Is there a difference? Is it a significant difference? Is it worth getting a III for this?

[ssmc]

I too had read that the RF was different on the III but when I got mine, instead of the "vernier patch" described on some sites, it just had a fuzzy-edged round spot. So maybe there was a production change somewhere along the line with the MkIII to the improved version (if mine is representative of the improved RF, I'd hate to see the original). If it's any consolation, it's considerably better than a Nikon S3 Millenium...

One thing though - the II and III have a shutter lock around the release button on the front plate which is lacking on the original version and (IMO) is extremely useful to prevent accidental exposures when you only get 8 shots to a roll! But if I had a really nice GW690 I would probably not "upgrade" it just for the lock.

Regards,
Scott

[ColSebastianMoran]

Dante Stella, who also participates here, has a nice page about these cameras.

[Dan Daniel]

It is Dante Stella who says that the rangefinder is a different style on the III. I was hoping to get some info on what this exactly means in practice.

I wonder if the 'vernier' is a myth and all GWs have the same basic design, or if it did change in the middle of production.

[Dante_Stella]

All of my GSW690IIIs (3 of them) had a Leica style spot. I have heard that the 90mm variant (GW690III) still had the old fuzzy spot. I will clarify that page. It was a surprise to hear about the difference, but the last GW I had was a Mark II.

Dante