Fuji 690BL CLA

[Krzys]

I am looking for somebody with a positive reputation who could CLA my Fuji G690BL. The rangefinder arm is catching on its away out, so when you focus from infinity to 5 meters the split image stops. To solve it you tilt the camera back and it releases. Its still fine to shoot with this method but I would like it to be fixed in the case of a re-sell.

Eric Owen Photographic repairs is busy for the next month.

Does anybody know anyone else in Australia? Brisbane preferred.

 

[kuzano]

Two suggestions.... one won't work for you

Two suggestions.... one won't work for you

I heartily endorse Frank Marshman CameraWiz on the US east coast. He's done a number of Fuji's for me and is about to receive another G690 I just picked up. Many years of experience, reasonable but works on HIS schedule.

Second, here is a link to a reprint of a service manual. I suggest you get this manual and open it up yourself, or take the manual to a good camera person in your area, in the event you can find someone good, but having no Fuji "Texas Leica" experience. This is an eBay US link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fujica-G690-G-6...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea698feff

The G690 and the G690bl are near identical. The only thing that was changed on the bl is the addition of a lock on the breech lens mount to lock removal of the lens without closing the dark slide. So the G690 manual will be pertinent on all other aspects of both models. Certainly the rangefinder will be the same.

 

[Krzys]

Great, a friend and I are actually keen to take it apart and look around. He has had around 60+ years of repairing Leicas so it cant be too different.

Thanks for the link.

 

[ChrisN]

Talk with Ben Vang at Camera Checkpoint in Dubbo. He's has worked on my Pentax LX and Hassy 500c/m with good results.

 

[kuzano]

Yes, and the parts should be twice as big....

Yes, and the parts should be twice as big....

Great, a friend and I are actually keen to take it apart and look around. He has had around 60+ years of repairing Leicas so it cant be too different.

Thanks for the link.

Making them easier to handle.

Interesting story on the Fujica G690 I just bought. I've known of it's whereabouts for over ten years.

A fellow computer consultant in town inherited it from his father's estate. The father was a professional photographer shooting Hasselblad many years ago. He (the father) wanted to see how he would like the 6X9 format. He borrowed the camera from a fellow photographer, probably when the camera was quite new. While using it, he dropped it. It landed on the corner of the top of the camera next to the eyepiece. The blow collapsed the corner into the camera a good quarter inch. As a result, he ended up buying the camera.

Turns out he used it interchangably with his Hassy for a few years and then put it away. It's probably not been used for many years.

My friend showed it (and the Hassy) to me about ten years ago. Every once in a while I check in with him to see what he's going to do with it. He finally relented from any thought that he would take up photography and use it, and sold it to me.

As a statement of it's durability, the rangefinder is correct and bright, the lens (the silver one) is clean and clear, the shutter tests out at 1.01 secong for 1 second and is within spec on all speeds to 1/500th. I just shot a test roll and got it back from Walmart two days ago. Fuji transparencies that came out great. Frame spacing is excellent as well and the dark slide is snappy.

I am still deliberating on whether to shoot it as is, until it demonstrates a need for service, or send it in for a new top and CLA.

In any event, these old interchangable lens 690s (this is my fourth example), while heavy, are pretty much bulletproof.

It works well, so may be better to leave things alone and just shoot away. It will probably outlast me, surviving three owners.

 

[Krzys]

Shoot it and do not worry. Only take it in if the usability is compromised, as in my case. Either way I just hung a roll of fp4 to dry, a test from today. The results are amazing. I ended up sticking my loupe onto the wet negatives.

Everything is perfect except for that damn sticky rangefinder cam.

Whats interesting is that when you take the lens off there are two screws holding a plate which the arm protrudes out of. I am thinking of taking this off to see inside before removing the top plate. I think only some lube is needed, but where?

 

[Krzys]

After some test rolls I can see that only the vertical alignment of the rangefinder is off. Everything else is working fine!

Does anybody know how to adjust this? Or can point me into the direction of a forum that will?

I really don't wish to spend $50aud to get a repair manual for one little tweak. 😉