Help me find a ga645i.

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ls7corvete

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I currently have a mamiya 7, which is awsome, but I am interested in getting something smaller/cheaper/more point and shoot. I plan on going to St. Kitts in January for school and can use the extra money and ease of use. I am optimistic that there will be plenty to photograph on the island.

I have been watching ebay but there seems to be much less posted recently than anticipated. A few weeks ago there seemed to be a nice selection, now there is almost none. I have been watching photo.net, KEH, ebay, rff classifieds, etc.

Thanks for the help in advance!
 
ls7corvete said:
I have been watching ebay but there seems to be much less posted recently than anticipated. A few weeks ago there seemed to be a nice selection, now there is almost none. I have been watching photo.net, KEH, ebay, rff classifieds, etc.
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There is one on Keh.com: http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=FM04999037175N&brandcategoryname=Medium%20Format&Mode=searchproducts&item=0&ActivateTOC2=false&ID=&BC=FM&BCC=5&CC=&CCC=&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=&KW=

Out of curiosity, why didn't you opt for the GA645zi? I find the -- admittedly rather limited -- zoom quite useful. It goes a little wider than the fixed focal of the GA645i and zooms up to 90mm for portraits or architectural details. Image quality is superb throughout the zoom range. The limited aperture isn't much of a problem with Fuji Pro 800z film. The zoom lens at 55mm is only half a stop slower than the GA645i -- or the Mamiya 7 lenses -- anyway. There a few available GA645zi from Keh.com at $525 right now...

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
aizan said:
what's the viewfinder like on the ga645zi? that would be my main concern.
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Basically, it is a zooming inverted Galilean type, like on most compact zoom cameras. It is bigger and brighter than the average point & shoot viewfinder though. Framing is accurate thanks to a moving frame that adjusts according to subject distance. There is no hard to see focusing patch for obvious reasons. Aperture and shutter speed are displayed next to the image in the viewfinder. Of course, the finder is vertically oriented as the Fuji, like most 4.5x6 cameras, shoots in "portrait" mode.

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
Yeah I would go KEH if I were you - In fact I just bought a 645i in LN condition and man am I satisfied. On Ebay, by the time the bidding is over you aren't going to save much money, and you won't have the KEH return policy and peace of mind that the camera has been thoroughly inspected. And their service is great - when the camera arrived it was missing the diopter for the eyepiece. I called them up and they apologized and are sending one out right away - I always get good service from them.
 
I was hoping to pick one up on ebay or similar a bit cheaper than KEH, that may not happen though.

I was not looking at the zi as they are a bit more pricey, the price difference on keh for the zi does not seem that big so If I do buy one there I may go with the zi.
 
aizan said:
are the framelines reflected or illuminated?
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The framelines are illuminated. All the items displayed in the viewfinder (aperture, speed, AF distance, IL correction, framelines, etc.) are reflected off an illuminated LCD display through a semi-transparent mirror.

You can find the user manual here: http://66.49.230.119/prof_pdf/fuji_ga645zi.pdf

The viewfinder layout is on figure 28, page 8.

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
Ben,

I am considering selling one I just purchased from KEH in LN condition, but I'm still undecided. I am trying to raise $1000 for a trip I'm making this winter to shoot a project, and I ironically may have to sell the camera I bought for the project to fund the freakin' hotel and gas expenses! May have to shoot the whole thing on my old Maimya C220. Anyway, like I said I'm still waiting to see if I can raise the money another way rather than sell my new 645i, but file my email address away and if you haven't found one in a month, float me an email and maybe I'll have a better idea at that point.

Matt
 
No luck yet, I have been watching ebay and I always have KEH if I dont find one I like. I have been watching the zi version alot more, plenty of them on ebay.
 
all this talk about the ga645zi, and today i see a picture of karl lagerfeld in W holding one with his leather gloved hands.
 
May I suggest you a Bronica rf645??? the viewfinder is simply great (I think better than my m6 titan) is poketable,great 3 set lenses, and a small but powerfull flash. The 3 lenses I've got (100mm included) are razor sharp and with a pleasant bokeh (out of focus areas). Now prices of MF RF are dropped....rgrds
 
Debusti, I just got a Bronica RF645 and agree it's a beautiful camera. But I wouldn't say it's pocketable. It's quite large, in fact, and very heavy--certainly heavier than the Fuji Zi, which I also own. Neither camera is pocketable, though the zi is less deep so it is more pocketable. I second the recommendations on the zi, great camera.
 
I found one - a GA645i at mainline photo.com here in Oz.
One problem though - when changing aperture & shutter speed by turning the control dial, the values displayed on the lcd can flicker & jump around, skipping from, say, f4 to f22. With patiece, I can eventually select my desired shutter speed/aperture. Once I take my finger off the dial, the problem stops.
Has anyone experienced this?
No, I don't want to use aperture priority or program modes.
By the way, the focussing is no worse or louder than a Hasselblad H2!
 
gohaj said:
does ga645i has wider lens than gs645s?
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As Ben said, both have 60mm f4, but there are wide versions of both GS and GA as well. The GA645Wi has a 45mm f4 and is otherwise the same camera as the 60mm model. The GS645 wide has a 45mm f5.6 and no rangefinder... scale focus only, but is in demand for its small size and light weight.
 
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