My new fujica compact deluxe

[douwe]

I got my latest find in the mail today, a fujica compact deluxe.
It is a camera with many original features, not found in other fixed lens rangefinders.

It has a 1.8 fujinon lens with a citizen shutter (1s to 1/500s), and the minimum aperture is F22! I haven't seen this before on a fixed lens rangefinder. shooting with a F22 aperture may reduce sharpness because of diffraction, but it is nice to have.

The camera has a shutter priority auto-exposure system, The aperture scale is visible in the viewfinder, and a red dot pops up when the shot cannot be exposed correctly. The meter in the viewfinder only works when you depress the shutter release halfway, and it doesn't measure continuously. It works like an AE lock.

Their is an extra meter on top of the camera that does measure continuously when the lens cap is off. Very handy!

Focussing is done by a thumb wheel on the back. The film advance lever is on the bottom, and there is a cool distance scale close to the shutter release button.

I'm very pleased with it! I made some photos to share with you, because I couldn't find any myself when I desided to buy the camera

Cheers,
Douwe

 

[douwe]

some more shots!

some more shots!

Just a couple more pictures

 

[Bill58]

Lucky find! I've never seen one--is it about the size of an Oly RC? The f22 should be great when you're on the surface of the sun.

 

[teo]

Rare camera, congratulations!

 

[oftheherd]

Congratulations! I hadn't seen one before. It looks nice. And of course if it is a Fujica, it has to be a good performer. (Now why did I say that? 😀 😀 )

 

[douwe]

Size-wise

Size-wise

It's the size of a canonet or yashica GX

 

[howpow]

Well done! I've lusted after one of these for some years but they are really thin on the ground here in Australia. Enjoy 🙂

 

[douwe]

trade?

trade?

You might just have a camera that I want, to trade for the fujica that you crave so much ;-)

 

[shadowfox]

Nice one, now show us the shots from it! 😀

Btw, that's one bright rangefinder patch!

 

[daniel~]

It looks great! I like how these Fujica differ from the Japanese mainstream of that time, with their bottom wind levers and thumbwheel focusing.

I also notice its similarity to Fujica Compact D http://homepage1.nifty.com/fukucame/fujicomd.htm

 

[douwe]

I finally managed to finish the roll in the fujica (200 asa drugstore film, I shoot B&W if I'm not testing), The images are quite nice. My konica auto S2 does however produce better images.
The focussing on the fujica, by the way, was borrowed form the voigtlander vitessa, so it is not that original after all!

 

[douwe]

just some more photos to keep you busy

 

[NickTrop]

This is a great camera - I had two of them. Both I got cheap on eBay, only bidder. On one, the meter was wonky and it was pretty banged up, BUT damn if that lens didn't take sharp pics, love the metered (if you use the top meter) manual mode, the thumb advance (but I'm sure that that method lets a lot of dirt into the camera), and focusing wheel... I lucked into a better sample - pristine, at least I thought, so I gave the banger away. The rest of the story you can predict. Shouldn't have done that 🙁

I'm looking to pare down my camera collection to the ones I use most often. But this would be first on the list if I was ever to pic up a fixed lens rangefinder.

 

[oftheherd]

Nice photos. I especially like the first one in each set. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

I have found the extremely wide knurled shutter speed and aperture rings on this model
much easier to use than the skinny, slippery ones used on most other similar RF cameras.

Chris

 

[Paul C. Perkins MD]

My very first good camera (in 1964-65) was a Fujica 35ME . . . had that same wheel focus and the advance lever on the bottom . . . Mine is in storage 1600 miles away. The lens was as sharp as a tack.

 

[ronaldj23]

If anyone happens to read this thread again, I'm happy to say, I just picked up a Fujica Compact Deluxe on the Bay for about $50, haven't received it yet but the photos of it show an excellent specimen of this camera (owner says the meter and shutter work perfectly). Can't wait to get it and shoot a roll through it. Hope there is still some interest out there somewhere...I'll post some photos if anyone is interested in seeing them, just reply to this thread...regards...Ron Johnston, Doylestown, PA...USA.

 

[btgc]

Small Fujica RF was camera I wanted before I stopped buying new stuff.

f22 is met also on Oly 35RC and Yashica Lynx 5000, if someone finds it useful tool. And Yashica 72-E half-frame camera has it, too!

 

[racoll]

It's an awesome RF. You'll love it.

 

[Jinxt]

Small Fujica RF was camera I wanted before I stopped buying new stuff.

f22 is met also on Oly 35RC and Yashica Lynx 5000, if someone finds it useful tool. And Yashica 72-E half-frame camera has it, too!

The Minolta Hi-Matic 7S also closes down to f/22.

I must say I've never looked twice at a Fujinon... That might change now. Might have to see if I can get my hands on one to play with as one of my gripes with shooting rangefinders is their focus rings and me do not get along very well. I'm left-eyed so it's hard to find a comfortable shooter.