GASsing for a G690...

[Ken Ford]

I had a chance to play with a friend's G690 many years ago, and fell in love with it. However, the 6x9 format was always problematic to me - my Omega can only handle up to 6x6. Now, I can scan the negs with no restrictions.

I have a Hassy 500C/M with 80 f/2.8 Planar for deliberate work, but am looking for something a little more... dynamic? - to use.

How many here are using a G690 in regular service? Can you offer any advice about these old beasts?

 

[Abbazz]

Hi Ken,

The Fuji G690 is the camera I use the most. I have two bodies, a G690BL and a GL690. The big negative is a great advantage, allowing to obtain superb pictures using almost any film/developer combination.

The G690 is almost indestructible and feels very solid when you hold it. All the lenses are top-notch.

Those Fujis are quite big and heavy to carry around, but I managed to get along with it. When I want to travel light, I take one of my Rollei 35s instead.

I own the 50mm, 65mm, 100mm and 100mm AE lenses. I have tried the 150 and 180 telefocus. Both tele lenses are better used on a tripod for landscape or medium range photography, because of their relatively high minimum focus distance (2m/6.5ft for the 150 and 2.5/8.2ft m for the 280) and the accuracy required for proper focusing.

The lenses I use the most are the 100mm AE and 50mm. I find the AE lens very useful for street photography, together with TRI-X Pro rated at ISO 800 in Diafine. The 50mm is great for landscapes/cityscapes, used with Provia in bright daylight, or NPZ800 in low light.

The only trouble is that all the G690 lenses are very rare outside of Japan, specially the 50mm and the 100mm AE. An used 50mm (equivalent to a 21mm lens in 135) will probably cost more than $1000 nowadays, but you should be able to find a body + non-AE 100mm + 65mm quite easily. Keh has two G690+100mm outfits for sale at a reasonable price.

My advice: use 220 film, you will get 16 exposures per roll, instead of a meagre 8 with 120 -- TRI-X Pro, Fuji Provia and NPZ800 are all available in 220 format.

Abbazz

 

[Ken Ford]

Thank you for all the info! Your website is a major reason for this GAS attack...

I saw those ones at KEH. Unfortunately, my budget is still recovering from the M6 and ASPH, but in a few months I should be able to seriously look for one.

The original G690 and G690BL are the ones that really appeal to me due to the hefty construction and clean lines. I really can't hope to own more than a 100mm and maybe a 65mm.

How hard is it to find service for these beasts, and how is the parts supply? (They're big enough to have license plates!)

 

[Abbazz]

There are no more spare parts available from Fuji. But there ain't much that could break in these cameras, except for the darkslide spring and the film advance mechanism. A good repair tech should be able to fix the camera using stock parts. It is also possible to use a damaged body for parts. I have hard that Frank Marshman at CameraWiz was good at repairing G690s.

I had mine CLAed last year in Hanoi, Viet-Nam, at a local camera repair shop. I gave the guy a copy of the G690 repair manual and he did a very good job on the cameras.

Lenses should be no problem, because the Seiko 0 shutters are quite common (they are used in MF leaf shutter Mamiya/Bronica cameras) and easy to service. S.K. Grimes, among others, is specialized in lens/shutter repairs and CLA.

Abbazz

 

[Ken Ford]

This is sounding very tempting and practical... and the images on your website made me drool on my keyboard!

 

[Charlie Lemay]

I also have a GL690 and a G690BL with 65 5.6, 100 and 180 lenses. I am looking for a 50mm and a 150mm if anyone knows where They can can be found. The lenses I have are spectacular performers if a little slow, but I find I can hand hold a stop slower with them than I normally would without any noticable blurring.

 

[Walter_Ai]

I can only confirm what has been said about G690 here.

1. Originally I loved the idea of the technical advantage of the rangefinder concept (get the ultra wide angle lenses close to the film plane without any work-around). The 100mm 3.5 lens in combination with the Fujicolor Professional REALA ISO 100 for landscapes and the Fujicolor NPZ120 Professional ISO 800 sufficient even for shooting the nightsky.
2. Then I dropped my first one in a 'once in a year shot opportunity situation' because the 35 year old fragile original leather strip broke. The only thing that is a little deformed since then is the original screw-on metal lens shade;-) On other occasions (very early before dawn) I collided with tree trunks or even rocks. It has always been the tree trunks or the rocks that 'suffered' more than the camera.
3. Having loved Kodak HIE infrared I discovered the equivalent in 120 roll film. So I wanted more bodies because changing this film out in the field is cumbersome. So I bought more bodies. And I was lucky to buy some of the last boxes sold before Macophot are said to have stopped producing the IR820c Aura film.
4. By the luckiest coincidence I could buy the original macro screw-on equipment for the 100mm lens. Since then I rediscovered 6x9 for shooting small paintings in museums and even wall-engravings in the south of Egypt.
5. So finally I have all lenses and bodies. Some of them even twice or more often. And I know at least 2 photographers who own more bodies and lenses than I do.
6. I keep experimenting and pushing the limits. So I took some of the most fantastic butterfly shots using the G690. It all has impacted my shooting behavior. I do not use 220 - the price surcharge is more than I am ready to spend.
​

Overall I found offers in Japan to be extremely worn and overpriced. Avoid any dubious source. I did sink US$ 600 when I was greedy for my first 50mm lens. But several European outdoor museums / archeological sites and even Swiss police authorities are now selling their 690 equipment in excellent shape and at fair prices.
Even uniformed heirs do put their father's G690s up for auction.

I even contacted some 50 G690 enthusiasts to learn their migration paths. Most of them use 4x5 as the only 'competing' equipment and favour the increased control in 4x5.
But I admit there have been holiday weeks when I only had my mobile phone with the integrated digital camera with me. It shows that weight is an issue. But for the time being I do not compromise and rather have no camera with me if I cannot have at least 2 G690s.

Walter from Vienna, Austria

 

[Charlie Lemay]

Walter, I would appreciate it if you could point me toward a reasonable 50 and 150 lens.

 

[Ken Ford]

Thanks for the information, Walter!