Does Fujifilm Still Service GA645's?

[RattyMouse]

Hello All,

I just bought a used GA645 and I notice that the mode dial is acting a bit weird. As I flip through the apertures (in Av mode) I see that sometimes, not all the times, they pass by in the wrong order.

Example: I can go from f/4, to f/5.6, to f/8, to f11 and then right to f/4.8, then f/16, f22, f5.6.

It just seems weird that the apertures flip around like crazy. I cannot select them as I desire, except by just flipping and flipping until I hit the right one.

I think the contact point on the dial might be dirty or something.

Does Fujifilm still service this camera?

I can go back to the seller and try to get them to repair it, but I'm in China and I have NO idea what their skills are. The camera is in fantastic shape and I'd rather Fujifilm fixed the camera if that is all it takes to get things right.

Or, might this be some fatal flaw?

Please let me know what you think!!

Thanks!

[Dante_Stella]

Send it back. It doesn't matter whether they can fix it or not; it would cost $200 to do anything (GA645 repairs - at least in the U.S. - have always been fixed cost for little or big problems).

Dante

[RattyMouse]

Originally Posted by Dante_Stella

Send it back. It doesn't matter whether they can fix it or not; it would cost $200 to do anything (GA645 repairs - at least in the U.S. - have always been fixed cost for little or big problems).

Dante

I am going to call Fujifilm here in China. Labor costs are a fraction of what they are in the US. So I can get the fix for much less.

On another note, I am not sure selecting aperture is that important for a GA645. The lens is only an f/4 and it does not particularly focus that close, so bokeh is not its strong point. So just leaving the camera on full automatic seems to be not as objectionable to me as it would normally be. Most of my lenses for other cameras open up to at least f/2 or more. Full automatic would be terrible in such a case. But f/4? No big deal.

[RattyMouse]

Well, I just heard back from Fujifilm....Nope, they dont service film cameras anymore.

So no need to waste your time calling them!

[Pablito]

Originally Posted by RattyMouse

Well, I just heard back from Fujifilm....Nope, they dont service film cameras anymore.

So no need to waste your time calling them!

That does not seem right. They still SELL film cameras, new ones.

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/...670/index.html

[funkydog]

IMO return the camera unless you got it for very good price. Or live with the problem.

Even if you could get one of the Fuji service centers in HK,Taiwan,Singapore, or Japan to look at your camera, the repair cost would likely be prohibitive.

My personal experience sending a dslr and a digicam for out of warranty service with Fuji is not encouraging. Parts had to be ordered from the mothership and the "techs" only know how to do board swaps. As to the cost, they're indirectly telling you to go away. For the digicam that I paid to have repaired, the camera never did work the same again.

[RattyMouse]

Originally Posted by Pablito

That does not seem right. They still SELL film cameras, new ones.

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/...670/index.html

Cosina made that camera, not Fujifilm so my guess is that Cosina does the repair work.

[RattyMouse]

Originally Posted by funkydog

IMO return the camera unless you got it for very good price. Or live with the problem.

Even if you could get one of the Fuji service centers in HK,Taiwan,Singapore, or Japan to look at your camera, the repair cost would likely be prohibitive.

My personal experience sending a dslr and a digicam for out of warranty service with Fuji is not encouraging. Parts had to be ordered from the mothership and the "techs" only know how to do board swaps. As to the cost, they're indirectly telling you to go away. For the digicam that I did pay to have repaired, the camera never did work right again.

I agree with you on Fujifilm's servicing. I wasnt pleased with the one time they worked on a digital camera of mine.

This GA645 is in such great shape, aside from the issue at hand, that I am loathe to give it up. P mode works fine and even Av mode works, I just have to spin the dial more than usual to find the right aperture.

There's a guy in the US who works on these cameras all the time. From folks I have talked to, the problem I am seeing now is both common and easily fixed.

So if I go back to the shop I bought this from, the guy is going to say, let me fix it and then he will open up the camera and see what he can do. Not sure I can trust a shop owner with this. He would try whatever it took to make it work so he would not have to give me my money back. China has virtually no consumer protection laws so I am taking all the risk here.

Sort of a tough call, but I am not letting it get me down.