fuji GS645S
 

Got one of these on the way and looking for feedback from people who have
used one. I had a GSW6X9 and while it's 65mm lens was amazing, I found the
perspective too wide for everyday use. I hope this camera has a lens as
good as the 6X9 did and thought having a meter built in and the FOV a 60mm
lens has on this format would make for a good travel/all purpose MF camera.
--

Stacey

fuji GS645S
 

Stacey wrote:

Got one of these on the way and looking for feedback from people who have
used one. I had a GSW6X9 and while it's 65mm lens was amazing, I found the
perspective too wide for everyday use. I hope this camera has a lens as
good as the 6X9 did and thought having a meter built in and the FOV a 60mm
lens has on this format would make for a good travel/all purpose MF camera.

I borrowed one for a week a couple of years ago. It has an excellent
lens. The FOV is comparable to a 35-40mm lens on a 35mm film camera.
So yes, it will make a pretty good travel/all purpose MF camera.

A word of warning; take care with the framing. As with any viewfinder
camera, especially when you are coming from SLRs, it takes a little
practice to know how the viewfinder frame relates to what is included
in the image on film.

fuji GS645S
 

"Stacey" wrote in message
...
Got one of these on the way and looking for feedback from people who
have used one. I had a GSW6X9 and while it's 65mm lens was amazing,
I found the perspective too wide for everyday use. I hope this camera
has a lens as good as the 6X9 did and thought having a meter built in and
the FOV a 60mm lens has on this format would make for a good
travel/all purpose MF camera.

I like mine a lot, and it is the MF camera I take when I have room for no
other. The lens is perhaps not _quite_ up with the Fuji 6x9s, but it is
very close: this is one of the cameras where I can take a sheet of slides to
the guy who does my drum scanning and he'll be muttering "Mmmm, sharp..." as
he peers at them through his 12x loupe.

The 60mm lens gives a nice perspective, and is a very useful angle for city
scenes. The meter is pretty good too - as averaging meters go - and
cetainly is a useful thing for quick snaps. It's also one of the simplest
roll film cameras to load that I know - perhaps only a Rolleiflex is easier.

I got a Fuji soft case for mine. It is far from being an "ever ready" case,
but it is very light and offers useful protection against dust, scratches,
etc. Also stops the camera looking quite so like something someone would
want to try to run off with.

I think my only real complaint is that the Fuji original lens-cap doesn't
feel as secure as it should, but I've only lost one cap for it so far.
Presumably you know about the way the shutter works for long exposures: some
people find that a nuisance, but since anyhting long enough to need it is
done on a tripod anyway, I don't find it a major issue, just a quirk.

The GS645 with its 75mm lens is also very nice, and is more compact.
However, the bellows on these are not very good, and on a majority of used
examples they seem to need replacing. Subject to that though, it's another
excellent travel camera with a slightly narrower AoV.



Peter

fuji GS645S
 

The lens is superb. I've used one of these as my "grab and go" camera
for the past 15 years. Despite the lens being ripped off in bicycle
spokes (which I put back together myself with simple jewler's
screwdrivers and tweezers), it still works great. Some of my best
photos over those years have been with this camera. It's seen extensive
action throughout France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Sicily, and now
back in the US. Best $650 (new price) I ever spent on any camera. I'm
now looking for another in newer condition so that when this one finally
bites the dust, I'll still have one to shoot with.

I also have the newer higher-tech sister the GA645zi, and the zoom lens
is absolutely as sharp as the fixed lens--- I certainly can't tell the
difference in an 11X14 print. But I actually like the all manual model
better and faster to shoot with (unless you use the programmed exposure
mode, which I don't usually in B&W).

Larry

Stacey wrote:

Got one of these on the way and looking for feedback from people who have
used one. I had a GSW6X9 and while it's 65mm lens was amazing, I found the
perspective too wide for everyday use. I hope this camera has a lens as
good as the 6X9 did and thought having a meter built in and the FOV a 60mm
lens has on this format would make for a good travel/all purpose MF camera.

fuji GS645S
 

Bandicoot wrote:


Presumably you know about the way the shutter works for long exposures:
some people find that a nuisance, but since anyhting long enough to need
it is done on a tripod anyway, I don't find it a major issue, just a
quirk.

Yes it's more of a quirk than a problem.


The GS645 with its 75mm lens is also very nice, and is more compact.
However, the bellows on these are not very good, and on a majority of used
examples they seem to need replacing. Subject to that though, it's
another excellent travel camera with a slightly narrower AoV.


I already have a couple of good 75mm lensed folders, I wanted something
wider.

Thanks for everyone's responces..

--

Stacey

fuji GS645S
 

Stacey wrote:

Got one of these on the way and looking for feedback from people who have
used one. I had a GSW6X9 and while it's 65mm lens was amazing, I found the
perspective too wide for everyday use. I hope this camera has a lens as
good as the 6X9 did and thought having a meter built in and the FOV a 60mm
lens has on this format would make for a good travel/all purpose MF
camera.

Hmm, what about the GS690?
The 90mm lens model is nearly equivalent to 39mm in 35mm terms (and it's a
stop faster than the GSW690).

Now, if Fuji had made a GST690 with a 200mm lens... (I love both my GSW690
and GS690, but the 1/500" shutter speed often isn't enough for shooting
trains).

N.F.