Why do people mutilate Fuji GW and GSW Mark IIIs?

[Dante_Stella]

Ok... this is one I need to know, just so I don't go nuts.

Why do people insist on hacksawing the hoods off GW690IIIs and GSW690IIIs? It's not easy to get replacement hoods, and it's a pretty involved (and expensive) disassembly/reassembly to install a new one (hint: if you have to saw it off, it's because it can't be removed easily - you basically have to disassemble the entire lens barrel). I think the only reason I don't sell my GSW690III (which I don't use after finding the 50mm BL lens) is that I am beginning to worry that some amateur moyel would go to work on it.

But the thing that troubles me most about it is that there doesn't seem to be any rational reason to do it. The hood seems to stay out or in as required, and when retracted, it helps keep dust out of the shutter and aperture controls (and hence the lens). Aftermarket wideangle hoods don't have much better coverage, are bulkier, transmit impacts into the lens better, and are one more thing to struggle with.

I can only think of two rational reasons to attempt this. One would be using a polarizer with a handle. But those haven't been made for a while, and you can easily get indexing vernier polarizers (do you even really need a hood for a polarizer?). The other is using Cokin-style filters, but I can attest firsthand that even on cameras that lack built-in hoods (like the G690), this is a practice of questionable utility.

Well?

 

[Mister E]

I hate pull out hoods, but both of my 690's still have them.

 

[Eddie90723]

That's disturbing! I'd never try to hack off the hood of my camera.
Which reminds me, I haven't used my GSW in a while. . .
Maybe should use in it Vegas this weekend.

 

[f16sunshine]

I love the pull out hood. I mentioned in another thread my opinion that the big Fuji RF's are far from elegant. The camera is a workhorse with a fantastic lens not a beauty queen. Why cut of a perfectly functioning hood? Who knows?

 

[charjohncarter]

They should buy another camera if they don't like the one they have. Totally off the wall. So if someone wants to sell me a mutilated one cheap send my a PM.

 

[Frank Petronio]

Did you see the fool on eBay who took a GS690x, knocked out the lens elements, hacked the rangefinder off, and mounted a "better" 65mm view camera lens into the lens housing?

He was asking $1050 for it since he improved it so much ;-p

http://cgi.ebay.com/Uniquely-modified-Fuji-GSW-690-w-Copal-0-shutter-/290488709244?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item43a279f07c

No offense if you're the fool or anything, but come on, that's like trying to tell me your turds are tootsie rolls.

 

[johannielscom]

Did you see the fool on eBay who took a GS690x, knocked out the lens elements, hacked the rangefinder off, and mounted a "better" 65mm view camera lens into the lens housing?

He was asking $1050 for it since he improved it so much ;-p

http://cgi.ebay.com/Uniquely-modifi...488709244?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item43a279f07c

No offense if you're the fool or anything, but come on, that's like trying to tell me your turds are tootsie rolls.

Should be re-badged too: that's a Fujistein! 😛

 

[finguanzo]

Well, Im one of the guys who insisted on dremeling off the hood on my gsw 670 II..
It kept on getting stuck, so when I had to pull it out, I had to wobble it out, didnt pull straight out.. I figured whats the harm.....it is a tool, and i didnt buy it with the intent of selling it, im fine with it off.

 

[kuzano]

One more reason why I stick to the OLD G690

One more reason why I stick to the OLD G690

Well, Im one of the guys who insisted on dremeling off the hood on my gsw 670 II..
It kept on getting stuck, so when I had to pull it out, I had to wobble it out, didnt pull straight out.. I figured whats the harm.....it is a tool, and i didnt buy it with the intent of selling it, im fine with it off.

No hoods on either my 100 or 65.

I would never hack the hood on the GSW or GW later cameras, BUT.. they are a real PAIN IN THE ASS!!!!!!

They bind like crazy, particularly when you are hurrying the shot. They are only usable when you move them back and forth slowly, taking time to move them straight to avoid a bind.

I simply decided to go back to the hoodless models and sold both my GSW III and my GW III. I'm pretty sure if I had continued to use them the frustration would have me reaching for the dremel.

They should have been fixed permanently in the extended position. The protection over the aperture and shutter speed readings when they are in the closed mode is absolutely un-necessary, but you need to extend the hood to see those numbers. It's a serious design flaw on the hood and it should have been fixed in the extended position.

For the most part, it's the only design flaw in the camera, aside from the noise of the shutter count.... neither of which I experience on the early bodies.

And for Frank, yes, I saw the Hacked 690 on eBay. What a butcher job, just to exchange a new shutter for one of the most reliable in the market, the original Fuji shutter.

 

[Dante_Stella]

The piece de resistance is the opening of the film gate to "6x10," when the original camera has a pretty big interpretation of "6x9." Scan those suckers from an original camera in an LS-8000, and they are a bit wider in proportion than 3:2.

Did you see the fool on eBay who took a GS690x, knocked out the lens elements, hacked the rangefinder off, and mounted a "better" 65mm view camera lens into the lens housing?

He was asking $1050 for it since he improved it so much ;-p

http://cgi.ebay.com/Uniquely-modifi...488709244?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item43a279f07c

No offense if you're the fool or anything, but come on, that's like trying to tell me your turds are tootsie rolls.

 

[ottluuk]

---

I think the only reason I don't sell my GSW690III (which I don't use after finding the 50mm BL lens) is that I am beginning to worry that some amateur moyel would go to work on it.

---

Well?

How much for the GSW if I promise not to hack it? 😀

 

[oftheherd]

I don't see how you guys can think to take on such an expert. As he says, the only thing bigger is 4x5. Just don't tell that to my 9x12s. 😀

 

[Sjixxxy]

The protection over the aperture and shutter speed readings when they are in the closed mode is absolutely un-necessary

I'm intending to use my GW690III as a Blizzard cam. I'm hoping that hood hiding the controls will prevent snow from getting packed into any of the controls.

FWIW, the S&W Heavystar screw in hoods fit under the built-in hood, so I can still have a rigid hood for bump protection, and move the built in hood out of the way to change settings. This of course, is assuming that when I get the wide version of the hood, it doesn't vignette. The standard length hood did on the gw690iii.

 

[shadowfox]

Did you see the fool on eBay who took a GS690x, knocked out the lens elements, hacked the rangefinder off, and mounted a "better" 65mm view camera lens into the lens housing?

He was asking $1050 for it since he improved it so much ;-p

http://cgi.ebay.com/Uniquely-modifi...488709244?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item43a279f07c

I think that's pretty utilitarian.

Who knows, maybe he started with a repair/spare-part Fuji shell and at least he put a good lens in front of it.

May not worth 1K bucks, but if the images he posted are from the camera, that's not bad at all.

 

[Pirate]

I love the pull-out hood on my GW690 II.

 

[Dante_Stella]

I can understand trying to go to 6x10 if you have to have it, but why would you have to do any of that barrel work to do it? It's not as if the exit pupil of the lens is changing at all by mounting it in a shutter and helicoid.

I think that's pretty utilitarian.

Who knows, maybe he started with a repair/spare-part Fuji shell and at least he put a good lens in front of it.

May not worth 1K bucks, but if the images he posted are from the camera, that's not bad at all.

 

[Frank Petronio]

He's trying to fool somebody who doesn't know any better into thinking they are getting something better than the original so he can charge more than what a good GSW would cost.

 

[mathomas]

It's never made sense to me why they take off the hoods, but maybe that's because my hood extends easily, and I just buy properly-sized threaded filters for the lens. I love my GW690III. Am considering a GSW690III.

 

[Dante_Stella]

Agreed; a GSW or II - if unmutilated (and his base camera there is already made up of two cameras' parts) - is worth a little over half of what he is asking. Plus you get coupled film advance/shutter cocking/shutter release and a rangefinder.

The other thing is that a Brooks Plaubel Veriwide 100 6x10 (the little one, not the one with interchangeable backs) has a wider lens, is much smaller and is about the same price.

As someone pointed out, this was probably an ingenious salvage job more than anything. I give him points for trying it and selling it - but to someone who liked those cameras as-is, I don't accept that this is better than the original.

Dante

He's trying to fool somebody who doesn't know any better into thinking they are getting something better than the original so he can charge more than what a good GSW would cost.

 

[Frank Petronio]

I had two of those original Brooks - brilliant idea - how they could screw up a simple winding mechanism has to be one of the big blunders in camera design history. And they must have been smoking an early form of crack when they applied the chrome plate.