[fuji] GW/GSW690 a good street photo camera?

[thelovecollect]

are these cameras good for hand-held street shooting?
someone told me these cameras are too heavy and hard to balance for a street shooter...

any input is appreciated...

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I've know people using them for street shots, but I'd be more comfortable with something smaller. The cameras themselves are pretty big.

 

[Bryce]

I've never owned one of these, but I have fiddled with one at the store. I also use a GS645S as my primary camera. The larger cameras are quite heavy and bulky, and lens speed is really hard to use effectively with such a large negative. If you shoot at say f/ 5.6 you'll get very little real DOF, but also unsharp areas that aren't blurred enough to be pleasing.
These are fantastic tools within their forte, i.e. high resolution in a small package, but 35mm is hard to beat for snapshots.
Hope this helps.

 

[x-ray]

I had the 690 with a 65mm (if I remember correctly). Excellent camera, lens and extremely sharp but very large and heavy. Using this for street shooting would be just a little better than trying to use my G617 fuji.

 

[thelovecollect]

i am just considering one in pursuit of a bigger negative...
i guess i'll have to actually handle one to see i get sore holding it after an hour...

i'm also concerned about getting the horizon level hand-held..is the spirit level accurate?

i had problems doing this with a Mamiya 7...

 

[x-ray]

I think if I were going to suggest a MF camera for street shooting i would recommend the Rollei TLR family. Much less obvious shooting with a waist level finder and with a more recent (post WWII) camera with either a Xenotar, Planar or even a model T with a tessar you will have exceptionally sharp negs. Unless you're going to some very large prints like 40 inches or bigger the difference in neg size is no big deal. Also the Rollei came with either a 3.5 or 2.8 lens. I've owned both the fuji and a number of Rolles' and really like the Rollei the best. I sold my 690 and still have my 2.8 D rollei that I've had for many years.

 

[jan normandale]

I have the Mamiya 6 RF and Fuji G690BL . If you are finding the Mamiya 7 RF too large the 690BL is even larger and heavier… by a lot.

Great camera but it is big, slow and highly noticeable. Not what I like for discrete street photography. But you could do it, I guess if you set your mind to it anything is possible.

FWIW if you are spending that kind of $$ I’d suggest trying a Canonet GIII QL17 , fast , sharp glass and a medium range 40mm lens. Then if you like that size and style camera you can look at more expensive ones discussed here like Nikon or Canon RF's which cost about what you would spend on a G690. Also consider the Bronica RF which is a 6x4.5 some members shoot these with excellent results. Check the galleries for some images.

Here’s Gandy’s write up if you haven’t thought about this camera before.
http://www.cameraquest.com/canql17.htm

Here’s a shot taken with the Fuji G690 BL w 100mm lens, it was posed by a bunch of kids who wanted their picture taken while I was shooting architecture.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=38020&cat=5267

http://flickr.com/photos/jann/226810915/

 

[ghost]

i know that nobuyoshi araki and philip-lorca dicorcia sometimes use the fuji 6x9 rangefinders with great results. you might also look at the mamiya press cameras (william eggleston), or view cameras with a rollfilm back.

if a smaller negative that doesn't have the same aspect ratio is acceptable, the mamiya and bronica rangefinders have built-in light meters. there are also the 6x4.5 fuji rangefinders.

 

[thelovecollect]

I think if I were going to suggest a MF camera for street shooting i would recommend the Rollei TLR family. Much less obvious shooting with a waist level finder and with a more recent (post WWII) camera with either a Xenotar, Planar or even a model T with a tessar you will have exceptionally sharp negs. Unless you're going to some very large prints like 40 inches or bigger the difference in neg size is no big deal. Also the Rollei came with either a 3.5 or 2.8 lens. I've owned both the fuji and a number of Rolles' and really like the Rollei the best. I sold my 690 and still have my 2.8 D rollei that I've had for many years.

humm, i've used yashica 124G. I found the waist level finder harder to shoot with...after that camera, the only other waist-level camera i wanted was a hassy..

I have the Mamiya 6 RF and Fuji G690BL . If you are finding the Mamiya 7 RF too large the 690BL is even larger and heavier… by a lot.

Great camera but it is big, slow and highly noticeable. Not what I like for discrete street photography. But you could do it, I guess if you set your mind to it anything is possible.

FWIW if you are spending that kind of $$ I’d suggest a Canonet GIII QL17 , fast , sharp glass and a medium range 40mm lens

Here’s Gandy’s write up if you haven’t thought about this camera before.
http://www.cameraquest.com/canql17.htm

Here’s a shot taken with the Fuji G690 BL w 100mm lens, it was posed by a bunch of kids who wanted their picture taken while I was shooting architecture.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=38020&cat=5267

http://flickr.com/photos/jann/226810915/

i don't mind the size of the mamiya 7.

i have a olympus 35RD for a compact 35...

that night shot with the G690 is great...

i know that nobuyoshi araki and philip-lorca dicorcia sometimes use the fuji 6x9 rangefinders with great results. you might also look at the mamiya press cameras (william eggleston), or view cameras with a rollfilm back.

if a smaller negative that doesn't have the same aspect ratio is acceptable, the mamiya and bronica rangefinders have built-in light meters. there are also the 6x4.5 fuji rangefinders.

my onboard metering solution on a fuji 690 was a voigtland VC meter..

 

[x-ray]

Sounds like the 690 is the camera for you. BTW I never had a problem with inverted images in my view cameras or reversed images in the waist level finders. It might just be that my brain is backward and reversed so everything seems normal.

 

[Abbazz]

The Fuji 6x9 series are big cameras, like Stephanie said, but they are very tough and and easy to handle. They can be used for hand-held street shooting, as long as you have no back problems... I suggest you get a comfortable camera strap, like an Optech Pro, for prolonged use.

If you prefer a recent camera, I recommend the GSW690III for street shooting. You can scale focus the lens and shoot from the hip, or use the rangefinder to shoot closer or in dimly lit places. This camera has two drawbacks: no lightmeter on board (use sunny 16 or Digisix) and a maximum aperture of 5.6.

If you are not afraid of buying an older camera, which could be impossible to repair in case of failure, go for the G690 with interchangeable lenses. In fact, very little could go wrong with these cameras, because they are sturdily built. For street shooting, the best suited lenses are the f/5.6 50mm (superwide equivalent to 21mm lens in 135) or the f/3.5 100mm AE (equivalent to 43mm in 135), the latter offering automatic exposure. The CdS sensor located inside the filter mount is not the most accurate, but it is adequate for B&W/color negatives. Street shooting in 6x9 with an AE camera is a great experience and you will get gorgeous prints from negatives almost as wide as your bed sheets. Main drawback: apart from the plain, non-AE, 100mm lens, additionnal lenses are scarce as hen's teeth.

Check the galleries from Steven Wilson's or Richard Sintchak on the Fuji Rangefinder Pages for nice street shots with a GSW690III. You also might want to read my modest web page on the G690 (see link under signature).

Cheers,

Abbazz

 

[jan normandale]

lovecollect , the images are great from most MF cameras as you know. The reason I suggested what I did was because the camera is huge, heavy, cumbersome and stands out like a sore thumb. Not what you want for discreet street photography.

If you are meaning street photography to be just a camera you are carrying around in the city to take photos and get great images okay. But if you want to try raising the largest production rangefinder ever made, discretely in a market , or crowd people will scatter like someone pulling out a shotgun in public.

Specs are as follows, Camera 1.26 kg, lens 0.75kg so together it weighs over 4 1/4 pounds. There you go. Buy one they are great, but not for street photography.

cheers, Jan

 

[jan normandale]

lovecollect, Abazz is the "Fuji RF Guy" and his site is hardly modest. Its amazing and a great resource. He wouldn't say that so I did.

 

[thelovecollect]

Check the galleries from Steven Wilson's or Richard Sintchak on the Fuji Rangefinder Pages for nice street shots with a GSW690III. You also might want to read my modest web page on the G690 (see link under signature).

wow. some amazing shots, and most of them handheld..

lovecollect , the images are great from most MF cameras as you know. The reason I suggested what I did was because the camera is huge, heavy, cumbersome and stands out like a sore thumb. Not what you want for discreet street photography.

If you are meaning street photography to be just a camera you are carrying around in the city to take photos and get great images okay. But if you want to try raising the largest production rangefinder ever made, discretely in a market , or crowd people will scatter like someone pulling out a shotgun in public.

heh, i hand polaroids out so not to scare people too much...

Sounds like the 690 is the camera for you. BTW I never had a problem with inverted images in my view cameras or reversed images in the waist level finders. It might just be that my brain is backward and reversed so everything seems normal.

i love using view cameras. i even went and bought a linhof tek 4.

sadly, my dreams of using that thing hand held never materialized..
that thing was a boulder..and it smelled bad..

 

[jan normandale]

Abbazz, I went thru the links to Wilsons and Sintchak's galleries. I think my definition of 'street photography' is different from yours and lovecollect's. If you both consider this 'street photography' then I'd say the only thing to consider is the weight of lugging this camera around. Get a good neck strap!!

 

[Abbazz]

Abazz is the "Fuji RF Guy" and his site is hardly modest. Its amazing and a great resource. He wouldn't say that so I did.

... [blushing] I appreciate the compliment coming from a great photographer like you, Jan.

Thelovecollect, if you are interested in old G690 cameras, you can get an idea of the results attainable by a gifted individual equipped with one of those by checking the book "Along the Ohio (Creating the North American Landscape)" by Andrew Borowiec (The Johns Hopkins University Press). All the pictures were taken with a G690, though obviously not handheld.

Abbazz

 

[rpsawin]

are these cameras good for hand-held street shooting?
someone told me these cameras are too heavy and hard to balance for a street shooter...

any input is appreciated...

The best way to find out is to try it. See if any of the local Pro stores rent them.


Bob

 

[Abbazz]

Abbazz, I went thru the links to Wilsons and Sintchak's galleries. I think my definition of 'street photography' is different from yours and lovecollect's.

Jan,

Of course you won't be able to shoot the same way with a Fuji 6x9 camera and a Canonet or a Leica 35mm camera. We all know that we won't do no Cartier-Bresson impromptu shooting with a Fuji MF. The "decisive moment" will simply not wait for us to focus the huge lens and wind the 8.5 centimeters of film with the double-stroke lever. And, believe me, reloading after only 8 exposures is a major PITA, especially when sweating profusely, stuck in the middle of the crowd in a stuffy Vietnamese marketplace -- I should remember to use 220 film next time!

The 6x9 camera is better suited to a more relaxed style of photography with less candid shots and more posed pictures. Maybe "cityscape shooting" is a more appropriate term than "street photography".

Abbazz

 

[jan normandale]

I agree totally Abbazz. I just misunderstood the original direction of thinking once I saw what everyone was talking about I understood. I suggested a Canonet because I had a different view and you described that also.

I love my G690 I should post more in the galleries here but I forget

 

[Todd.Hanz]

I shoot "street portraits" with a rolleiflex, they aren't decisive moments but I love the results the MF gives you, esp. close up. I have a M7II on the way and can't wait to poke it in some faces 🙂. Using the bigger cameras just means you get to interact with your subject more, not such a bad thing these days. Check out my "H-town" blog link below.

Get the Fuji and be well!
Todd