The other Fuji for my travel .....

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kmallick

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In 2 weeks, I am heading to India to visit Kolkata where I grew up and also make a side trip to Delhi and Agra to see Taj Mahal. I am excited about carrying one camera only - the Fuji GA645i with me with some color print and B&W roll films. I am planning to carry the camera, the GA flash (for occasional indoor family shots) and the films in a small bag. This is quite a liberating thought for me because I wanted to go simple and avoid changing lenses. Plus I never thought I would be using roll films in 2012! 😱

I thought of sharing some shots of the camera setup I am planning to take with me. Instead of the original stiff rubber hood, I have switched to a collapsible rubber hood. Please advise if any of you have already experimented with this and seen some serious vignetting. I also found that a Blackrapid tripod mount strap works quite well for me instead of the strap attached to the left side body lugs of the GA645i.

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Fuji GA645i + Trix 400

roses-1.jpg
 
Johnmcd said:
Looks great. Just make sure you take plenty of 120 film. I lugged my new (old) Mamiya 7 birthday present all over southern India for two weeks and could not find any film. Talk about frustration!

John
Click to expand...

Oh boy! I can feel your pain. I am definitely planning on carrying my entire stock of films from here in a ziplock bag.

I have fond memories of my dad using roll films in his Yashicamat whenever we went traveling across India as a family. Supply of films was a plenty across India 30-40 years ago. We played with the empty reels and the backing paper of the films that my dad would get developed after returning from a trip. Those days I used to poke fun at him for not switching over to the trendy 35mm SLRs of those days. But guess what? I have scans of his B&W medium format shots hanging on my living room wall. The tonality of the shots have something in them for me to stop and admire compared to other 35mm or digital prints hanging next to them.

I can't wait for my dad in India to see that I am back to using a MF! Talk about coming a full circle.
 
When I went to India, I took a rolleicord and 20 rolls of film and used 9. I was there for 1 month. I was the best experience of my life. I was also in kolkata and delhi
 
Don't forget to bring a couple of IR sensitive rolls with you.
That Fuji is a breeze for shooting IR. I use it with Hoya R72 in whatever filter size (52mm if I recall correctly).

I've seen plenty of pictures of India, but never ones with IR film 🙂
 
Bring more film! I used >50 rolls in China a few years ago - 12 shots per roll. You don't want to feel that you have limit your shooting to conserve your film.
 
Here is a quick update upon my return from the trip. I had a grand time with Fuji GA645i and roll films. Finished about 24 rolls in all, mostly in 220 format. I was concerned about the big ziplock bag full of roll films through airport security. But barring a couple of instances, I could get them hand checked most of the time. I counted that I went through security 12 times. Here is a shot of the exposed rolls after my return.

films-1.jpg


I am developing the B&W films myself. I got the C41 films developed and scanned by Precision Camera and Video. They did a fantastic job on the scanning and their turn around time was scary fast (less than 6 days). I am still going through my pics, but I thought of sharing a picture of the Taj.

taj.jpg
 
Kmallick,
Could you share your experiences with this camera - good and bad.
I see this camera here and there in Tokyo camera shops, but I have never considered it seriously as I am imagining it has the same responsiveness as a AF P&S.
For example: I have a Yashica T4 - the lens is lovely but the time from pressing the shutter release to the picture is taken is painfully annoying.
 
I often imagine that taking just one high quality very easy to use MF on a serious trip would be a great experience to have - and keen to hear if it was how you imagined it.

Not had the fortitude to do it yet. Have managed to end up with GAS induced GA645i, w and zi choose from. I think the "i" with the 40mm equivalent is the most versatile overall, though I'm usually the W 28mm kind of shooter. the zi is theoretically more versatile, but I think the zoom really then does start to impede the simplicity.
 
Lflex said:
Kmallick,
Could you share your experiences with this camera - good and bad.
I see this camera here and there in Tokyo camera shops, but I have never considered it seriously as I am imagining it has the same responsiveness as a AF P&S.
For example: I have a Yashica T4 - the lens is lovely but the time from pressing the shutter release to the picture is taken is painfully annoying.
Click to expand...

I second this request 🙂 Please let us know how did the GA645 worked for you on this trip. And let us see more of the photos. The one posted is wonderful.
 
Can't wait to see your pics of Kolkata based on the Taj Mahal one! I am married to a Bengali so we go every year and I just love the place. In fact we have just booked our flights for this year- going for Durga Puja, always a great time in the city.
 
Fuji GA645i

Fuji GA645i

Matus said:
I second this request 🙂 Please let us know how did the GA645 worked for you on this trip. And let us see more of the photos. The one posted is wonderful.
Click to expand...

Let me tell you upfront that I was a bit hesitant at first to use a film camera on my trip, let alone one with a fixed lens. But what convinced me was this wonderful article by Dante Stella:

http://www.dantestella.com/technical/travel.html

I really liked his advice to keep it simple with minimal gear, small size and plenty of films. This is in essence what the Fuji GA645i offered to me on my travel. I thought of taking my Mamiya 6 or Bronica RF645 gear with me. But the size, portability and simplicity of the GA645i just hit the marks.

The camera was a pleasure to use. I did take my time to frame the shots and click the shutter - thats exactly what I wanted to do instead of typical 'spray and pray' techniques. The autofocus speed is not lightning fast but pleasantly quick. The prime lens made me think about my composition instead of thinking 'should I change the lens to get a better angle'?

The built-in flash works great for fill-flash outdoors if needed for people shots. The Fujinon lens is very sharp as you all know and its out-of-focus rendition is quite pleasant as well. Changing the rolls was quite easy once you get the hang of it. The camera does make it easy with auto winding to the first frame and then after each click. I was quite happy with 32 frames for a 220 roll film. The best feature of the camera is the analog exif data it imprints on each frame - very nifty!

The Fuji GA645i (or any of its avatars) did live up to my expectations for a nice travel camera. However, I think it had a lot to do with my mindset of being brave and using roll films while everyone around was using digicams or a Nikon or a Canon DSLR. It was a pleasant euphoria in taking the time to compose and shoot with a rangefinder, not chimping and knowing deep down that you did try to get a nice photograph. 😉
 
menthel said:
Can't wait to see your pics of Kolkata based on the Taj Mahal one! I am married to a Bengali so we go every year and I just love the place. In fact we have just booked our flights for this year- going for Durga Puja, always a great time in the city.
Click to expand...

Lucky you! Pictures of Kolkata coming soon. Durga Puja time is quite a time to visit that place. But I envy you. I bet you will enjoy the good food, the sweets and the family time as well.
 
That is one gorgeous shot of the Taj Mahal. Kudos!!
I think this thread has cemented my decision to bring my GA645wi to my vacation in Maine next month 🙂
 
Great shot of the Taj Mahal. I've been debating whether or not to take my Mamiya 7ii on an upcoming trip to Bhutan. I think your photo of the ziploc bag and of the Taj just made the decision for me.

There is just something about medium format....

Jeff
 
JHenry said:
Great shot of the Taj Mahal. I've been debating whether or not to take my Mamiya 7ii on an upcoming trip to Bhutan. I think your photo of the ziploc bag and of the Taj just made the decision for me.

There is just something about medium format....

Jeff
Click to expand...

Have a blast in Bhutan. Every step of it is photogenic. The people are so naive and friendly! You will love it for sure.

Yes, there is something about medium format - its an exciting adventure starting from handling the rolls to inserting the cut negatives into the Print File sleeves! But some may argue its an acquired taste. 😀
 
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