Fuji GA645, still a good buy?

[Ste_S]

Interested in Fuji's rangefinder/rangefinder style 120 cameras, and after a peruse of this thread from 10 years ago

https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96492

The GA645 came out highly recommended, is this still the case? They've increased in price somewhat since then.

Seems to tick a lot of boxes for me, reasonably portable, 6x4.5 format 35mm-ish equivalent focal length.

 

[maigo]

No other P&S MF film camera was introduced in the past 20+ years so there is no alternative in that space. Just choose your preferred version and buy one (645w, 645zi, or 645i)

The price has shot up over past four years. I bought my GA645i for $408USD in early 2016. Now they are in the $700 range.
Excellent lens. Buy one and shoot some transparency film - you will fall in love.

Pros: Size, AF, some manual controls, reasonably quiet, exposure is always spot on with C41 and B&W, use a meter spot for E6, standard shutter release cable support, weight is reasonable, advance motor is quiet.

Cons: f4 can be a disadvantage in low light. AF can make mistakes sometimes - when taking portraits check distance in finder before releasing trigger, no TTL flash integration.

Wishes: f2.8, infrared remote control, dial release button delete.

https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012...hindu-kush-with-a-fuji-645-by-ibraar-hussain/
https://www.dantestella.com/technical/ga645.html

 

[Larry H-L]

I have a wide version, it has continued to work well. Light weight, sharp lens. It still bugs me a bit to have to turn the camera to the vertical orientation to take a horizontal image, but it is not a big deal as I get used to it after a few shots.

GA645w, Fuji Neopan 400 in HC-110.

 

[valdas]

I paid 309$ in 2015. I love the camera. It’s ideal as “street MF” camera, almost P&S. I love it for landscapes and travel as well - so compact...

Shot on Lomo 800:

 

[DownUnder]

In the mid 2010s I had two - the GA645i and GA645wi, which were later models and infinitely preferable over the earlier ("non-i") models. Both developed electronic system problems and I decided to sell them as spares/for parts. AFAIK one is still working but the other has, as the funeral profession so diplomatically puts it, "passed on".

Ageing electronics eventually fail. The i models were the most recent in the line and may (careful attention to be paid to this word) last a few more years. When they do pop off, no repair is possible as spare parts no longer exist.

I went back to using my all-mechanical Rolleiflexes and nowadays do most of my MF shooting with two T models from the late '60s or an even older vintage Voigtlander Perkeo I, all of which go on working without fail. These can be repaired. Alas, no Rollei that is affordable on my retirement budget offers the beautiful 45mm wide angle lens I had on the 645wi and I truly do miss this lovely camera.

Prices have shot up to ridiculously high levels for the GAs of late, one seller I've bought from in the past has an as new (so he tells me) wi but wants close on A$2000 for it - unaffordable for me. So I made do with my Rolleis.

So would I buy one today? No. For too many reasons, age being first and foremost. I also found having to hold the GAs vertically for my 'wide' shots to be too annoying. For other than these reasons, they were fine shooters in almost every way, but not reliable enough for my liking.

If I were to buy again into the Fuji 645s, I would go for the GS645w, which has a slower (45mm f/5.6) lens but offers manual focusing and produces, so I'm told, quite as good results as the more upmarket GA models.

Time passes, everything changes.

 

[zenza]

I used one extensively for awhile. Absolutely stellar camera if what you want is a p&s that gives you 645 frames.

Not sure they're 'worth' the $700+ they command these days though. I paid $375 for mine in 2017 which was a pretty average price at the time.

 

[maigo]

Good discussion on MF cameras for travel here. GA645 is mentioned several times.

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/is-medium-format-worth-it-for-travel-photography.154734/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Abbazz]

In the mid 2010s I had two - the GA645i and GA645wi, which were later models and infinitely preferable over the earlier ("non-i") models. Both developed electronic system problems and I decided to sell them as spares/for parts. AFAIK one is still working but the other has, as the funeral profession so diplomatically puts it, "passed on".

Ageing electronics eventually fail. The i models were the most recent in the line and may (careful attention to be paid to this word) last a few more years. When they do pop off, no repair is possible as spare parts no longer exist.

My GA645zi (an also excellent camera) now sits on a shelf because it suffers from the dreaded "ribbon cable failure."

I went back to using my all-mechanical Rolleiflexes and nowadays do most of my MF shooting with two T models from the late '60s or an even older vintage Voigtlander Perkeo I, all of which go on working without fail. These can be repaired. Alas, no Rollei that is affordable on my retirement budget offers the beautiful 45mm wide angle lens I had on the 645wi and I truly do miss this lovely camera.

Prices have shot up to ridiculously high levels for the GAs of late, one seller I've bought from in the past has an as new (so he tells me) wi but wants close on A$2000 for it - unaffordable for me. So I made do with my Rolleis.

If you are concerned about failure risk and repairability, the Rolleiflex T is not the best Rolleiflex to get. And prices for Rolleiflex and Voigtländer Perkeo are not cheap either nowadays.

So would I buy one today? No. For too many reasons, age being first and foremost. I also found having to hold the GAs vertically for my 'wide' shots to be too annoying. For other than these reasons, they were fine shooters in almost every way, but not reliable enough for my liking.

If I were to buy again into the Fuji 645s, I would go for the GS645w, which has a slower (45mm f/5.6) lens but offers manual focusing and produces, so I'm told, quite as good results as the more upmarket GA models.

The Super Fujica Six is a great mechanical 6x6 camera. It's not common in the West but still available for reasonable prices in Japan. It's a folding camera that features a good Fujinar 75mm F/3.5 lens, a coupled rangefinder, automatic film advance with film counter (no red window) and a sturdy Seikosha MX shutter. It's easily repairable and adjustable and take very little space when folded. It looks great too:

Images by Richard Frances - Image license: Creative Commons (not for commercial use)

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[Archlich]

I found quite a good deal of technicians in China who are willing to work on the GA645 series. Most fixes were for the command dial, where it's most likely to fail, and you'd have parameters jumping wildly around. The lens ribbon cable breakage surely is a problem, but since nearly all P&S suffer from it, parts had been made widely available (partially contributing to the Minilux's skyrocketing price - E02 is readily curable now). One guy even managed to replace the back LCD panel of a friend's GA645Zi - leaking is a common disease the model suffers from.

Anyway, the lesson is: test the command dial before you buy the GA645, and be nice to it afterwards.

The camera itself is top notch. Whether it's a "good buy" is a different story. Most of us here (me included) are too used to the low premium it used to command. It was expensive when new though...

 

[Forest_rain]

Even these newer medium format cameras seem like they are pretty finicky. I just got a Mamiya 645E that I had to send back because the LEDs in the viewfinder and meter were completely dead.

Seems strange, especially since the GA645 is only from 1995 🙁. I've never had problems with newer cameras from the 90's before, and even the '80s.

I found quite a good deal of technicians in China who are willing to work on the GA645 series. Most fixes were for the command dial, where it's most likely to fail, and you'd have parameters jumping wildly around. The lens ribbon cable breakage surely is a problem, but since nearly all P&S suffer from it, parts had been made widely available (partially contributing to the Minilux's skyrocketing price - E02 is readily curable now). One guy even managed to replace the back LCD panel of a friend's GA645Zi - leaking is a common disease the model suffers from.

Anyway, the lesson is: test the command dial before you buy the GA645, and be nice to it afterwards.

The camera itself is top notch. Whether it's a "good buy" is a different story. Most of us here (me included) are too used to the low premium it used to command. It was expensive when new though...

 

[Ste_S]

I think some companies electronics seem to last the test of time better than others.

I've bought my fair share of second hand cameras, and I've yet to have a bad electronic Nikon camera for example (it also helps that they're cheap and low risk). On the other hand I'd have significant qualms about sinking money into Yashica/Contax electronics.

If I did buy a GA645, I'll be buying from a Japanese eBay seller without being able to check the camera over as there's not much chance of buying one in the UK.
Hence some reticence to pay £600-£800 on an unknown quantity.

I may just plump for a GW690 series if they're more reliable?

 

[Forest_rain]

Not familiar with these models, so I'm not sure that a GW690 would be more reliable or not. I've not known anyone who's owned them.


Unfortunately I've had bad experiences recently, I got 3 dud cameras in the last two weeks. Mamiya 645E DOA, Praktica LTL3 broken frame spacing (unusable), and Vitomatic II with heavy oil in the lens.


I tried to work with the sellers but they are really dragging their feet on the refund, so I requested a return, and they are dragging their feet on the return now.



Hopefully I will get my money back eventually but it has been a pain dealer with these ebay sellers. I'm wondering if some people are getting desperate and not having enough money to issue refunds with the economy as it is now, or trying to risk selling broken/untested stuff.



It's quite strange to have zero duds in 2 years, and 3 in a row at the same time.


I ordered a Minolta 35mm to replace them, I've never had a broken Minolta so I think I'll stick to them for the time being.


We will see but personally I'm going to hold off buying an expensive medium format until the economy improves a little bit, but I might have been unlucky and YMMV, the decision is up to you.

I think some companies electronics seem to last the test of time better than others.

I've bought my fair share of second hand cameras, and I've yet to have a bad electronic Nikon camera for example (it also helps that they're cheap and low risk). On the other hand I'd have significant qualms about sinking money into Yashica/Contax electronics.

If I did buy a GA645, I'll be buying from a Japanese eBay seller without being able to check the camera over as there's not much chance of buying one in the UK.
Hence some reticence to pay £600-£800 on an unknown quantity.

I may just plump for a GW690 series if they're more reliable?

 

[xayraa33]

I always though that the Voigtlander Bessa III was the cat's meow for folding 120 film format cameras, a wishlist dream camera if you will`.`

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Forest rain "Not familiar with these models, so I'm not sure that a GW690 would be more reliable or not."

The GW/GSW 670/80/90 are fully mechanical with leaf shutters. No electronics to die.Eminently reliable.