Just bought a fuji GA645 ... my first medium-format

Well, some of you who frequent rpe35mm may already know that i quite
like small 35mm cameras such as the Minoxes. I didn't really see much
point in buying a 35mm SLR because i don't care much for
interchangeable lenses and i don't like flash, and i didn't see much
that a heavier/bulkier SLR would give me over a quality compact such
as a Minox GT-E/S. But from researching past threads in this newsgroup
and rpe35mm it seems that almost all would agree that a 645 is a
significant serious camera for an enthausiast, even more so than a
leica. Larger formats than 645 seem not portable enough. Encouraged by
this i have gone ahead and bought a like new GA645.

I have not owned a medium format camera before, but i know from the
landscape pictures i have taken with my compact 35mm cameras that i
could easily be a detail junkie. Having used a 3.2 megapixel digital
for 3 years, though amazingly found it uninspiring, in the sense that
it'd sit in the drawer for months without use, i have been quite
pleased with what i get from scanning a 35mm print at 600dpi and then
looking at the little details (such as a bird in a lake). I imagine
that i'd be even more pleased with a 1200dpi or more scans, if i could
only find a better software for my scanner, and even more so with a
645 camera. Even the most ardent digital supporters seemed to agree
that a scanned 645 image is better than one had from an $8000 dSRL; i
got the GA645 for $550, and being an enthausiast rather than a pro,
the time efficiency disadvantages of film are not really a problem for
me. I'm also pleased with the idea that, hopefully provided that it'd
work without a fault and there'd still be film sold, i could continue
to use it for years without worrying about what new products are out
there or how badly my stuff is depreciating.

I have also been encouraged by finding out that the cost of buying
120mm film is only marginally higher than 35mm, at least from the
supplier i buy from. Also, its professional development is more or
less similar, in the sense that sending it to a mail-in lab would be
more or less similar to a drop-in 35mm service.

I think shooting with a 645 would require a different mindset from a
35mm in that per image it'd still cost twice or more as 35mm (i use a
mail service for my 35mm thus it's cheap). The weight of the camera as
well limit its use to pre-planned shots rather than the spontaneity of
having my minox in a belt-pouch (maybe rucksack for the 645).

That said though, I'm really not dreading the cost of film much, as i
found that increasingly i'm becoming more selective in images i take,
and that all in all a 24 roll (bought and printed) would cost me less,
but last longer, than a big mac meal, and i do have a big mac habit.
It pales when you compare to people i know with a $4 latte starbucks
habit.

So, i have followed the advice of some of you guys who replied to my
previous two posts, about a portable medium format and a below $1000
film vs digital. I hope you welcome me in your ranks ;-)

Also, if you have tips or suggestions, or comments, please go ahead.

I've owned a GA645zi (the zoom version) for a number of years, and the
GS645 (the fully manual predecessor to the GA) for more than a decade.
Both are rugged, reliable cameras with minimal problems, they have
fantastically sharp lenses, and are great travel cameras because of their
light weight. I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.

LRK

On 18 Jun 2004 15:21:56 -0700, Mike Henley wrote:

Well, some of you who frequent rpe35mm may already know that i quite
like small 35mm cameras such as the Minoxes. I didn't really see much
point in buying a 35mm SLR because i don't care much for
interchangeable lenses and i don't like flash, and i didn't see much
that a heavier/bulkier SLR would give me over a quality compact such
as a Minox GT-E/S. But from researching past threads in this newsgroup
and rpe35mm it seems that almost all would agree that a 645 is a
significant serious camera for an enthausiast, even more so than a
leica. Larger formats than 645 seem not portable enough. Encouraged by
this i have gone ahead and bought a like new GA645.

I have not owned a medium format camera before, but i know from the
landscape pictures i have taken with my compact 35mm cameras that i
could easily be a detail junkie. Having used a 3.2 megapixel digital
for 3 years, though amazingly found it uninspiring, in the sense that
it'd sit in the drawer for months without use, i have been quite
pleased with what i get from scanning a 35mm print at 600dpi and then
looking at the little details (such as a bird in a lake). I imagine
that i'd be even more pleased with a 1200dpi or more scans, if i could
only find a better software for my scanner, and even more so with a
645 camera. Even the most ardent digital supporters seemed to agree
that a scanned 645 image is better than one had from an $8000 dSRL; i
got the GA645 for $550, and being an enthausiast rather than a pro,
the time efficiency disadvantages of film are not really a problem for
me. I'm also pleased with the idea that, hopefully provided that it'd
work without a fault and there'd still be film sold, i could continue
to use it for years without worrying about what new products are out
there or how badly my stuff is depreciating.

I have also been encouraged by finding out that the cost of buying
120mm film is only marginally higher than 35mm, at least from the
supplier i buy from. Also, its professional development is more or
less similar, in the sense that sending it to a mail-in lab would be
more or less similar to a drop-in 35mm service.

I think shooting with a 645 would require a different mindset from a
35mm in that per image it'd still cost twice or more as 35mm (i use a
mail service for my 35mm thus it's cheap). The weight of the camera as
well limit its use to pre-planned shots rather than the spontaneity of
having my minox in a belt-pouch (maybe rucksack for the 645).

That said though, I'm really not dreading the cost of film much, as i
found that increasingly i'm becoming more selective in images i take,
and that all in all a 24 roll (bought and printed) would cost me less,
but last longer, than a big mac meal, and i do have a big mac habit.
It pales when you compare to people i know with a $4 latte starbucks
habit.

So, i have followed the advice of some of you guys who replied to my
previous two posts, about a portable medium format and a below $1000
film vs digital. I hope you welcome me in your ranks ;-)

Also, if you have tips or suggestions, or comments, please go ahead.



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