Fuji GW690II on the way

[cliveward]

Hi All,

Expect plenty of bone questions from this new member

My last forays with film were with a Kodak 110 as a boy and then with a Canon IXUS APS 10 years ago.

So on the never ending quest for image quality and not being able to afford an M9, I zeroed in on these bargain Fujis.

However my research was a little short sighted and the accumulation of accessories in the hallway now includes, light meter, Metz 45, tripod and rucksack to hold it all


Cheers





Clive

[scottyb70]

Did you buy one? If so where did you buy it from?

[cliveward]

Hi Scotty,

Yes from Japan via Ebay

Fingers crossed...


Cheers





Clive

[benlees]

Awesome cameras! Pretty much all Fuji MF is fantastic value. Some of the sharpest glass around. Enjoy!

[scottyb70]

Oh I misread. I am looking forward to the gf670w 55mm. Can't find them in the states yet>

[mathomas]

You'll love the GW690. I have a model III, and it has given me some amazing results, both B&W and color. Mine also traveled over from Japan via eBay. Have fun!

[kuzano]

Originally Posted by scottyb70

Oh I misread. I am looking forward to the gf670w 55mm. Can't find them in the states yet>

I saw a GF670W for sale on eBay last week. I was concerned about price on this camera. The one listed on eBay was $3999 Buy It Now.

That's pretty amazing since the camera may be largely built with parts already designed and built for the Folder.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Fuji-Fujifil...item2a10a7436c

Not truly confirmed, but I had some concerns it would be priced substantially more than the GF670 folder from Fuji. Frankly for that money if I actually wanted one more frame per roll, I'd buy a $500 to $700 GSW670III or a GSW680III..... or SIX of them.

I never thought I would say this about Fuji, since I largely use and respect their cameras, but the new X100 from Fuji and now this 670 wide, are both extreme examples of Fuji raping the market for the gullible. If it turns out that the Wide 670 is actually WAY less than I have seen on price, I might retract my statement.

[scottyb70]

Originally Posted by kuzano

I saw a GF670W for sale on eBay last week. I was concerned about price on this camera. The one listed on eBay was $3999 Buy It Now.

That's pretty amazing since the camera may be largely built with parts already designed and built for the Folder.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Fuji-Fujifil...item2a10a7436c

Not truly confirmed, but I had some concerns it would be priced substantially more than the GF670 folder from Fuji. Frankly for that money if I actually wanted one more frame per roll, I'd buy a $500 to $700 GSW670III or a GSW680III..... or SIX of them.

I never thought I would say this about Fuji, since I largely use and respect their cameras, but the new X100 from Fuji and now this 670 wide, are both extreme examples of Fuji raping the market for the gullible. If it turns out that the Wide 670 is actually WAY less than I have seen on price, I might retract my statement.

I think the guy is gouging the prices on ebay, I saw that to. I read from a Japanese retailer that they are selling for 250,000 yen. It is hard to me to try to purchase from the site because I am from the states and can't understand all the Japanese writing on the site.

[cliveward]

Hurrah! Giant comedy camera arrived in the post today.

Had a tinker and the rangefinder seems accurate and 1 second seems around one second, maybe a little longer on the shutter.

Gingerly loaded my first roll of Acros 100, keeping plenty of tension and then came the moment of truth would the film advance work properly or just pull the whole lot through the feed. I watched the counter as I pumped the advance and luckily its stopped and locked up on 1

Now to find 8 things that need a picture taking of them.


Cheers





Clive

[kuzano]

Originally Posted by cliveward

Hurrah! Giant comedy camera arrived in the post today.

Had a tinker and the rangefinder seems accurate and 1 second seems around one second, maybe a little longer on the shutter.

Gingerly loaded my first roll of Acros 100, keeping plenty of tension and then came the moment of truth would the film advance work properly or just pull the whole lot through the feed. I watched the counter as I pumped the advance and luckily its stopped and locked up on 1

Now to find 8 things that need a picture taking of them.Cheers
Clive

Or one thing with 8 different exposure settings....
or two things with 4 different compositions.....
or four things with.......

Well, surely you get the idea.

In actuality, it's not a bad idea to bracket three different exposure settings on one object with no change in composition. Keep an accurate record... so much easier to do with only 8 frames to track.

Good on the keeping tension on film while loading. Most Fuji big rangefinder newbs blow two rolls before they figure this one out or put the camera back on eBay.

Good Shooting to you.

Oh, and the guy who's worked on over half of my Fuji's is Frank Marshman in Harrisburg VA.... Camera Wiz. Forty years in the biz.

Frank Marshman = Camera Wiz Camera Repair
169B Pleasant Hill Road
Harrisonburg VA 22801
800/471-8133; 540/434-8133

[atlcruiser]

congrats...great camera

you might consider bracketing by roll, you only have 8 exposures ....go out one day with normal sun/shade and burn 3 rolls at all sorts of different subjects. first roll at the "correct setting" , next one a step above and another a step below. Easy to do with a meter. This way you get a range of scenes to compare and it will give you a good idea of how you interact with your meter and how you and your meter interact with the camera in different scenes.

[JamesFromSydney]

The GF670W is selling in Japan for $3000 USD according to the Map Camera site:

http://www.mapcamera.com/shopping/it...=4547410174632

[cliveward]

Well 4 rolls of 100 Acros and 1 of 50 Velvia in the post to the lab today.

Fingers crossed

I know of at least 2 failures, one lens cap and the other flash not turned on

There could be a lot more. Some idiot put 3 rolls of the 100 Acros in his suitcase so they may very well be ruined by the x-ray machines.


Cheers





Clive

[t.wesley]

Originally Posted by cliveward

Yes from Japan via Ebay

That's how I got mine as well. I was a bit nervous, but traded a bunch of e-mails with the guy & that gave me a lot more confidence. Turned out to be a good camera.

--wes

[cliveward]

Hi All,

Finally got the film back from the lab. Luckily it seems to have survived the x-ray machines.

I was gutted that a couple of the first rolls had bad light marks running vertically on the right 1/8th of the last couple of frames. I'm guessing that this is due to my unloading practice.

What I've been doing is immediately after the last frame, winding the film off the spool, then unloading when I get indoors later. It seems that the unaffected rolls are when I have pretty much immediately unloaded the camera after the last frame. Could it be that leaving the film unspooled in the camera for a while lets it get loose and then contaminated when chaged later?

I'll bung a couple of scans up on the 6x9 thread when I work out how it's done.


Cheers





Clive

[cliveward]

Originally Posted by Luna

Saw your post. Great stuff.
What do you mean light marks? Do you mean light leaking in? Do you have a scan of this or perhaps a photo of the negative to show us?
Are they are regular speeds or long exposures?
T Setting perhaps?
Give us more info.

Hi Luna,

Heres a crop of the right hand edge of the frame:

Normal shutter speeds in daylight.


Cheers





Clive

[cliveward]

Luna,

In reply to your comment on the 6x9 thread:

I'm really enjoying using the camera. Especially the 'manual' aspect of it all. It's the first proper film camera I've used and the first fully manual camera.

The viewfinder it indeed excellent and the immediacy of it over a digital system is a massive advantage. I can take the picture, just when it needs taking, not shoot, chimp, shoot, chimp checking to see if anyone blinked or looked away.

Out of the 40 frames developed I would say 34 are technically 'good' photographs (light contamination issue aside for the moment), as in correctly exposed, framed, focused, engaged subjects, etc. The obvious duff ones were: 1 x lens cap and 1 x flash not switched on
Then a couple of out of focus shots (DOF too shallow) using the flash. And lastly a couple where the DOF for the subjects again was just a little too shallow.

So the hit rate is very high. I suspect though that may have something to do with the fact that at nearly £2 a frame you get a bit choosy about what you want to take a picture of

If there's anything interesting going on I'll take the camera and don't find it a problem carrying it around for hours on end.


Cheers





Clive

[cliveward]

Hi Luna,

I think it's just that.

I left the roll loose in the camera completely unwound off the delivery spool so vibration, etc before unloading let the film get loose.

In future I'll try just winding on past 8 when the roll is finished and not completely winding the film off until I'm ready to change it.


Cheers





Clive

[roboflick]

Clive
Di your flash work directly form the hotshot or did you have to use a cord to the pc terminal?
Thanks
Nik

[kuzano]

I've been shooting long frame mf for years. My preferences start at 6X9. At the end of the roll, I turn my back to the sun and hold the camera close to my body, or get in the back seat of the car in subdued light.

I run the end of the roll off the spool, onto the takeup, immediately open the camera, get the roll out and pull the tail tight and use the tape closer to secure the roll tight.

Have never had a light leak problem this way. Waiting to get into the dark is paranoid. Get the film out of the camera in subdued light. Doing it as soon as the roll is rolled COMPLETELY onto the takeup seems to be your best protection. Subdued light means NO DIRECT sunlight on the process. It doesn't have to be complete darkness as long as you proceed immediately at the end of the roll and get the roll taped tight.

[cliveward]

Originally Posted by roboflick

Clive
Di your flash work directly form the hotshot or did you have to use a cord to the pc terminal?
Thanks
Nik

Hi Nik,

Sorry for the very late reply to this. The flash I use is a Metz 45 so uses the PC terminatl being a hammerhead flash.


Cheers





Clive

[cliveward]

Originally Posted by kuzano

I've been shooting long frame mf for years. My preferences start at 6X9. At the end of the roll, I turn my back to the sun and hold the camera close to my body, or get in the back seat of the car in subdued light.

I run the end of the roll off the spool, onto the takeup, immediately open the camera, get the roll out and pull the tail tight and use the tape closer to secure the roll tight.

Have never had a light leak problem this way. Waiting to get into the dark is paranoid. Get the film out of the camera in subdued light. Doing it as soon as the roll is rolled COMPLETELY onto the takeup seems to be your best protection. Subdued light means NO DIRECT sunlight on the process. It doesn't have to be complete darkness as long as you proceed immediately at the end of the roll and get the roll taped tight.

Hi Kuzano,

That's exactly what I've been doing recently. Thanks for the advice and confirming my suspicions.

No more light damage to the end of the rolls now


Cheers





Clive

[cliveward]

Hi All,

Just got some more rolls back from the lab. The hit rate is getting even better with this. Thanks to the advice on here, no more light damaged frames...happy days.

The camera is just awesome. The photographs that it takes are in another league completely from my digital gear.

I don't find it a pain to carry. I've spent hours walking in the woods with the camera and a full size tripod. Spent whole days on family outings carrying it, it's not a problem at all.

If you are going to sling one over your shoulder for a day out, be prepared to be stopped every so often by a fellow photographer asking WTF it is .

I really like the way the aperture and shutter speed rings can be turned together to retain the exposure.

I'll update some newer pictures to the 6x9 thread.


Cheers





Clive

[Texsport]

Just a note for those who might have an interest in the big Fujicas-----there's a "mint" condition Fujica GM670 with 100/3.5, 180/5.6, and the rare 50/5.6 for sale on eBay.

The asking price is steep, but what's money for, except to spend?

Texsport

[ssmc]

Originally Posted by cliveward

Hurrah! Giant comedy camera arrived in the post today.

Now to find 8 things that need a picture taking of them.

Cheers

Clive

Haha! That's exactly how I feel when I pick up my GW690III - only getting 8 shots to a roll makes you very selective!

Regards,
Scott