Fuji gs645 questions

[jett]

I fancy this camera or an Agfa Super Isolette or even spennding more money for a Makina 67 or Mamiya 6. What I want is a compact 120 rangefinder fitted with a normal lens (75mm-80mm). I would prefer a mechanical camera but that is not a dealbreaker and neither are non-folders.

I am not religious about bokeh, sharpness, and contrast. It is hard to mess up a normal lens and neither of these are Holgas so I think they are all good-enough.

The GS645 and Agfa Super Isolette I figure are comparable in size/noise and probably similar in ergonomics. I'd opt for the GS645 because I would believe that it would have a better viewfinder/rangefinder and it has strap lugs.
-How is the handling on the GS645? I know it is portrait orientation but is switching to landscape cumbersome?
-How is the reliability on the GS645...the issues kind of worry me to be honest but the Agfa Super Isolette isn't without problems either.
-Any reason to sway one way over the other besides format (GS645 vs Super Isolette) and meter? Does it mostly come down to lenses or is one more reliable/ergonomic than the other? I care about reliability and ergonomics more than image quality, I guess.

The Makina 67 interest me too but I do not need that f2.8 aperture or the 67 negative. The Mamiya 6 is another great camera but I do not need the interchangeable lenses. I wouldn't really care for the Bronica RF because I'd rather get a Mamiya and I wouldn't care for the Bessa III because I'd rather get a Makina. And on top of this all, the Fuji and Agfa Super Isolette should be cheaper than the Maikina/Mamiya/Bronica/Bessa III cameras 🙂.

 

[fuji645]

I've been using the Fuji GS645 for over 25 years and it's one of my favorite cameras. Focus is sharp and bright, lens is excellent with good contrast and sharpness and metering is pretty much on target. Shooting landscapes is not difficult, you just have to get adjusted to it. A great carry around camera. The flip side: bellows is the weak spot on this camera and it can develop pinholes and has to be replaced. I purchased a nylon bellows from Hong Kong on ebay for $65 and had it installed by Essex Camera in NJ and works perfectly. That's the primary issue. I can't speak to the Agfa since I've never had one, but that camera is well over 50 years old and has probably the same or worse issues. Bottom line--if you can get the Fuji at a good price (and have the bellows installed if needed), you'll have a great picture taking machine.

 

[Doug]

I don't know the Agfa, but the Fuji is a fine modern camera. I've read that new leather bellows have been available, even in colors. I've heard the OEM bellows is some kind of paper?

Essex Camera's business was apparently destroyed by last fall's storm, unfortunately. But there is a Fuji expert who changes bellows and has provided me fine service:

Frank Marshman
Camera Wiz Camera Repair
169B Pleasant Hill Road
Harrisonburg VA 22801
800/471-8133; 540/434-8133

 

[skibeerr]

Shameless plug.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/pho...educed-mamiya-7n-65mm-f4-lensfuji-gs645/cat/4


Please take a look at the photo's taken with this gem.

 

[jett]

any other repair people for this camera?

I called Frank today and left a voice mail but no return....I just want to talk to a tech about this camera and to be sure that repairs are available for not too much money.

 

[Lucadomi]

I also bought bellows online and brought my GS645 pro to the local shop. They said the bellows were too big. They ended up providing and installing new bellows just to finish the job but I don't think they would do this regularly. The camera now gives great results.

 

[xcube]

Anyone has information where can I get GS645 serviced? Mine the shutter seems a bit sticky at some speed.

Thanks.

 

[kuzano]

Two problems...

Two problems...

The original bellows were a synthetic product. If an original bellows survives today, it would be a miracle, or either never used, and will disintegrate when someone starts using it.

I would never buy one without written documentation (invoice on repair) that the bellows was replaced.

The other primary weak point is a failing shutter linkage if you overlook the proper closing protocol. Set focus on infinity before closing the camera. If not, closing the camera creates a consistent binding in the shutter linkage leading to failure. This is mentioned in the manual.

I like the camera, and have owned three of them. After doing much research and discovering these problems, I purposely bought them with failed bellows, (easier to find than examples with good original bellows). I had read of Frank Marshman (Camera Wiz), and on the day I got my first one, I sent it to Frank and got it back in 2-3 weeks.

Frank has a fix for the weak shutter linkage and he does great work on the bellows. He has done three of these for me, and I have never had a problem
with any of his work.

I did find out after I sold the last one, the buyer was using the camera in extreme cold and had problem with the shutter sticking. He was told this is a known issue on the shutter, not often encountered because they are not often used in extreme cold. There is no fix. If you are planning on sub zero shooting, it's not a good choice.

Fuji ceased production of the GS645 Pro early, having produced it for a little over one year. The story is the bellows failure was the kink in continuing production and sale of the camera.

I won't get into pricing here, but I will say that if you can pick up a GS645 with a bad bellows for around $200, and if Frank is still doing bellows on these, you will pay a lot less than the "holdup" prices many are getting for claimed good ones.

As far as reaching Frank, email and leaving messages..... I just keep calling until he answers the phone. He's a great resource. I seem to send Frank a BIG Fuji RangeFinder (6X9) about once a year for fix or CLA. I just got one back 3 months ago and I have another I just picked up to send to him. Need to call him myself.

Frank did relocate his shop about a year ago and was out of touch for a short while. I have talked to him and had work done since. He has 40 years in camera service, mostly as Camera Wiz.

All his contact information changed, and his old contact info is till around on the internet.

Frank Marshman
Camera Wiz

He is in Harrisonburg, VA

His contact telephone is 540-867-9671, and I just called ... no answer.

I will continue to call. Eventually he will answer.

Good Man, Frank.

 

[paulmd]

I own a GS645 folder. It is a very temperamental camera. I would classify it on a level with the Nikonos-V in terms of problems. If you purchase one you should certainly consider purchasing from a reputable vendor with a warranty. My unit is actually my second. My first had a problem where the shutter would trip internally (red button dropped) when you closed the shutter sometimes. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01IY0MHSm28

Handling is mixed. The actual operation is pretty fine. The focus tab doesn't have a huge amount of travel, but it's sufficient. The rangefinder is sufficiently large and bright for me to use easily. The patch is not huge but it's sufficient. One disadvantage of the camera is that you only get 15 shots - not 16 as for most 645.

The operation of the camera is extremely exact. You need to learn it as a procedure and perform it exactly every time you shoot the camera. After shooting, you must wind the camera on. You cannot collapse the lens without doing this. You also must focus the lens back to infinity. Otherwise interlocks will prevent you from closing the front standard. You MUST NOT force this. The camera is somewhat delicate overall. It's not made of glass, but I think it would be possible to force it and break the camera if you do not do this properly. Loading is not particularly problematic. Two buttons inside release springs on the bottom that hold the film in place. You must also remember to lock these, I forgot on one side once and it jammed the camera. There are no spring detents in the aperture, it is smooth all the way through.

In terms of practical aspects it is a very good camera. There is a +/+0/0/-0/- meter with a step size of 1/2 stop. It is a simple averaging meter, which I personally like. It's just fine in terms of accuracy, and the low-light performance probably exceeds that of the lens. The lens is a Planar type and is just fine. Wide open it's sharp in the center and maybe a touch less sharp in the corners. It's also a leaf shutter, although nowhere near as smooth as some I've tried. I have used it wide open and slow before, I am very OK with this but I'd use my XA in preference. The bellows are supposedly fairly prone to developing pinholes. My two units were just fine (replaced?). The one complaint I have is that there's no threading for a filter/polarizer without the hood.

Here's a shot I took while interviewing in Santa Barbara. The company in question made the mistake of renting me an unlimited-mileage SUV, so I naturally drove the stagecoach road and then East Camino Cielo with my XA and GS645 (great travel cameras). Took all evening because I had to stop every five minutes to take a picture. Sadly I did not get the job 🙁

Full: http://i.imgur.com/WDZvx0P.jpg
1:1 crop of that tank farm: http://i.imgur.com/hEqSvNO.jpg

This is a stitch of two handheld images, looking northeast I believe. You can see the stitch line due to vignetting at approximately 60% of the way right through the image. I think it was f/4.5 1/125 or thereabouts. I was either focused at infinity or did just a bit of hyperfocal. This is a 1:1 crop of the scan from my V500, in the corner of both those images. It was maybe a little bit prone to flare on this outing when I was largely shooting into the sun. Check out the hi-tension tower: in practical terms (given viewing conditions at this range, etc) I think this camera does fine.

My conclusion here is that it's a rather unique camera. There aren't a lot of folders with nice multicoated lenses and meters and autowind (even with 15 shots) out there. Planars will definitely perform noticeably better than Tessars. It's potentially a great travel buddy or low light shooter, but the camera itself is a little problematic. If you get a unit in good repair and treat it well, it's pretty nice. The alternatives exist (Makina, GF670, Mamiya 6) but cost much, much more than this guy does.

 

[uhoh7]

 

[Lucadomi]

I also had a lot of problems with the first one I bought. The one I have now is in great conditions, with new bellows. The lens is very sharp and I like it a lot also with color slides. I prefer the bokeh of my Rolleicord, but I think the Fujinon lens is sharper. You do need to follow the correct procedure to close the camera, as you said.. I am not sure I always like the portrait orientation. It is pretty easy to rotate the camera anyway.
Very nice the picture with the horse!