What's up at Fuji - PMA 2008

I would be very happy with a small, light folder, made from modern materials with a terrific lens.

And I would be surprised if a small flash was not an accessory.
 
rxmd said:
I'm not sure. I've shot with a Super Ikonta III for years, and with a Bessa for some time. I'm not a test chart photographer, but I do look at my pictures, and I've never been unhappy with the results from the Ikonta. While I've never used a Mamiya Six, I certainly wouldn't say that the Bessa "can take much better pictures". I know that the topic of the supposed inferiority of front-focussing Tessars creeps up every now and then in Internet forums, but then there's a lot of stuff written on the Internet.
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Philipp, the Super Ikonta desing is more robust, therefore most Super Ikonta found on the second hand market are able to deliver good results without the need for any adjustment. On the other hand, the Bessa cameras can relatively easily get whacked out of alignment, thus leading to mediocre results right out of the box. So, yes, a Super Ikonta can be better for someone who doesn't want to be bothered with rangefinder adjustments.

On the other hand, a well adjusted Bessa with a Heliar or Skopar lens is capable of better results than a Super Ikonta with a Tessar lens, especially wide open and near the minimum focusing distance. If one always shoots landscapes at infinity with an aperture of f/11, the results from either camera will be excellent. But when used at 1 meter with an aperture of f/3.5, the Voigtländer unit focusing lens will show its superiority. The Zeiss Tessar exhibits an excessive amount of uncorrected aberrations (mostly spherical aberration) wide open at close range. This might not be a problem for portraiture of old ladies 😀, but it is nonetheless a design flaw.

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
Roger Vadim said:
Imagine the fantastic folder / RF 6x7 - designwise and technologywise one could build today. A camera you could take to Afghanistan or to the rough side of life, small, fast, reliable
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Michael, this Fuji seems to me as the perfect rugged, fast and reliable take-it-anywhere camera. Rugged, because there is no autofocus and no motor drive, where sand or dust could wreck havoc. Small, because it is foldable, thus having the smallest form factor for a medium format camera. Fast, because it has a coupled rangefinder and automatic exposure -- the film advance knob is much bigger than on a Barnack, therefore much faster to use. Reliable, because it's a Fuji 😀.

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
Abbaz when I looked at the Fuji GF670, one of the first things that I noticed was the big chrome arm linking the lens to the coupled-RF. It reminded me of the linkage arm of the Bessa RF and Bessa II - with the difference being that the new Fuji's unit focus is controlled at the lens rather than via the chrome arm of the earlier Bessas.
 
I really like this design, although I admit I've always wanted a Plaubel Makina. And I say this with my much loved Mamiya 7ii on my lap. Not sure if I'd buy it unless it turns out to be substantially smaller and a good price.

Perhaps the bellows will be made out of something more robust than those of old?

I wonder how many Mamiya 7ii bodies and lenses Mamiya sells new these days.
 
rxmd said:
This missing the whole point of a camera IMHO, which is not to stand in glass cupboards and incite warm fuzzy feelings in camera collectors.
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I couldn't agree more, but it will. It will cause so much GAS that there will be another hole in the ozone layer.🙄
 
I suppose I could do a New York Times "Automobiles" Section job on this camera...

Introduced at PMA: Fuji 6x7 folding camera concept.

Is it real? From here, it looks like one hell of a finished trial balloon. Someone back in Tokyo is fervently awaiting public feeback on this thing.

What they said: "Even as the company innovates in digital imaging technology, Fujifilm remains true to its heritage and to the acknowledged superior image quality delivered by professional photographic film products. Fujifilm is committed to further expanding the world of imaging whether in digital or analog technologies."

What they didn't say: While Fuji might be playing the Maverick Card by showing off a new film-based camera in a field of all-digital-all-the-time, their timing and intent might be closely questioned. Some have carped over what they regarded as Fuji's timidity in design, going perhaps too "retro" by way of knob-based film-wind/rewind. Others regard the camera's bellows-based foldability, combined with the chosen 6x7 format, as more than merely a rear-guard reaction to high-spec dSLRs of the moment...a film-based machine that can hold its own, and then some, in terms of absolute resolution, yet with utter portability.

What makes it tick? Assuming it's a working prototype (since it's only been well-guarded behind glass, we can only speculate if it's merely a well-crafted piece of non-working eye candy), our guess is an electronically-goverened leaf shutter mated to a multi-coated lens, combined with a plastic/composite bellows and a simplified but rugged folding mechanism. Aperture-priority automation is practically a no-brainer for this.

How much, how soon? Fuji isn't saying much yet, but it's hard to believe that they made this presentation on a mere lark. Taking a look at what older Fuiji folders (yes, even the lousy ones) are fetching on a Certain Auction Site, it's clear there's a more-than-fleeting demand for the things, and Fuji isn't stupid in regard to markets. They'd certainly have little in the way of competition if they decided to spring something like this on the market. And, they make a lot of film....

How's it look? A touch of retro, a big helping of practical features, and quite handsome in finish (silver or black, take your pick, though I go for the latter). Something that looks almost ready for production, to put it mildly. Did I mention that Fuji also sells film?


- Barrett
 
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amateriat said:
Fuji isn't saying much yet, but it's hard to believe that they made this presentation on a mere lark. Taking a look at what older Fuiji folders (yes, even the lousy ones) are fetching on a Certain Auction Site, it's clear there's a more-than-fleeting demand for the things, and Fuji isn't stupid in regard to markets. They'd certainly have little in the way of competition if they decided to spring something like this on the market. And, they make a lot of film....
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Barrett, I think you nailed it on the head!

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
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Hey ..I have been shooting with an old pistol grip linhof 220 for more years than I want to admit because of three veeerrry important components. The awesome 1:1 rangefinder focus, the flat film, and the LENS !!! These are all I really need and I do not care how the combination is packaged... I will buy one of the Fuji's if they can hit a homerun with these three on base. GO- EBC LENS- GO
 
OMFG Barett this the most insanely great statement outside of some cruft from Steve that I can imagine...

I bow down for I am not worthy...

William
 
Interesting opinions...


I generally prefer the original artifact to a blow-moulded "retro", but I would seriously consider purchasing one of the Fuji 6x7 folders...

I'm not crazy about electronic shutters; but the on-board metering and aperture prioroity would be nice...

Right now I'm shooting about 1/3 as much MF as 35mm; mostly with a 6x9 roll-back on a Zeiss 9x12 plate camera (takes great pics, but is heavy and cumbersome).

I have some MF folders from the "Golden Age": Ikonta 521, Bessa 1, Rolfix Jr... the Ikonta & Bessa both have gummy shutters, the Rolfix has a Vario shutter with only three instantaneous speeds: 25, 50, and 200; and none of them have a rangefinder.

The knob-wind doesn't bother me; lever-winds are for folks in a hurry or who have to shoot quickly under pressure - a folding RF camera with a max of 10 shots on a roll of 120 is hardly a convenient package for a pro on the run...
(If things are going down that quickly, then that sounds like a job for a Hasselblad, with a shoulder-bag full of loaded magazines...)...


I'd like a crack at getting one of these new Fujis... mine wouldn't sit in a glass case !!!

(I hope it is not Leica-priced ! )

Luddite Frank
 
80mm lens

80mm lens

Well this is all very exciting.
As someone who does a lot of climbing and mountaineering, taking a MF camera is not really an option because of weight. I was just about to buy a second hand fuji GA645 wide from ebay as they are the lightest but felt that I would much rather go square of 6x7 if I could.

And there in lies the rub. 80mm is not really wide enough to for a lot of landscapes, so I really hope that they bring out exactly the same camera with a wider lens (say 60mm).

I like, however, everything else about it. Even the manual wind. Electronic wind mechanisms can break film at very low temperatures, indeed most electronics become a bit crappy below -20C. 😱

Well done Fuji:angel:, now go and make it! (pref. with a wider lens version!)
 
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