Would you buy the new Fuji Range Finder?

Would you buy the new Fuji Range Finder?

  • Total voters
    788
nebraska said:
Why would anyone want to wast $2000 plus on this mega folder when there are so many excellent Mamiya 6s, 7s and even the cute Bronica RF 645s still available at excellent prices on the used market. This folder has only one focal length while the others have, at least, three lenses.
Click to expand...

I have a Mamiya 7, but still like the look of the Bessa III, I'd want a wider lens though. Had it been priced at £999 (around $1500 USD), then I'd have gone with it. Never held one, but seen one up close, it's very pretty indeed, and the top plate reminds me of my ZI, which is a good thing.

My girlfriend and I refer to the Mamiya as "the ugly camera", the ZI is called "the fancy camera", not sure what the Bessa would be called "the grand camera" maybe.
 
No. Mamiya made a better rangefinder in this format years ago and they're available for $500 dollars less.

I can only see buying this if you just want to show off or be different.
 
I bought the Bessa III in April of this year, and I have to say it has been invigorating to use it. The larger negatives easily outshine those from my Bronica RF645, and while I have a pair of Leica MPs which I love to use, they can't match the quality of the MF negs (see below). I have particularly enjoyed the discipline of a fixed lens and have come to appreciate the virtues of the 6x6 square format. Best of all, I get to develop a film every twelve shots rather than every thirty six (what can I say? I enjoy developing!) I haven't done wet prints for a while, so I scan the negs, and here is an important point. Using a flatbed scanner on these negatives will make you wonder what the fuss is about if they are compared to 35mm scanned in a dedicated scanner. I was using a K-M 5400 for 35mm, and an Epson 4870 (no doubt not as good as the current V700) for MF, and the MF scans were, perhaps, as good as the 35mm, but certainly not better. When I scan both with a Nikon 9000ED the benefit of the larger negatives is quite obvious, especially with a glass negative carrier. Printed on HPR in an Epson 2400 with piezography inks and all is wonderful. Makes me wonder whether I should sell the M9!

Chris
 
sper said:
No. Mamiya made a better rangefinder in this format years ago and they're available for $500 dollars less.

I can only see buying this if you just want to show off or be different.
Click to expand...

If you want a brand new medium format range finder, as far as I know it's a choice between the Mamiya 7ii and GF670/Bessa. I ended up with a Mamiya, but the GF670 looks like a great choice too.

I don't think it's necessarily about showing off, it looks like a great, portable, MF camera. Folded up, it'll be more portable than my Mamiya, which only just squeezes into my bag.
 
narsuitus said:
Yes, if I did not already have a Fuji 6x7 rangefinder.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm in that position too... but somehow I don't really like my 670III so I'm open to alternatives. This new wide version has a lens wider and faster than the GSW670, and the new folding standard version's lens is also wider than the GW670 series... and there the folding is another factor for ambivalence. 🙂
 
Yes I would, and I also have the Fuji GW670. I handled the folder at a convention and wanted one on the spot, but not having $2250 was a problem for the dealer and me. So I've been saving up for it, and now a wide option has surfaced? I'm more of a wide person, so this is good news for me. I'm actually closer to buying this than I was when I saw the first folder.

To all you "other options" thinking that a fixed RF is limiting, think of it this way, having a fixed lens helps you buy less lenses. One reason I liked the Mamiya 6 besides being 6x6 was that there were only 3 lens options. If you add the cost of the Mamiya 7II kit with 80mm lens and add just one more wide angle lens, you can buy 2 new Fuji/CV cameras.

Besides, most of us new Leica buyers only have one lens in the beginning, and probably for a long time at that if you also bought the new 50 lux as your first lens. 🙄
 
I doubt it. I think I have enough cameras for my life remaining. I'd dump the cash into servicing a Rolleiflex and other cameras I now own and blosing the difference on a freezer full of film. If I were 20 years younger and had fewer cameras the answer would be just the opposite.
 
I'm kind of geeked about this camera. Trying to bring myself to pull the trigger. Other than my Polaroid conversions, this would be my first film camera since the turn of the century... LOL (been dying to say that).

And I'm not ashamed to admit... it looks SO cool. I'm getting very consistent results with my Polaroid 110A/B 4x5... but with the Fuji instant pack film, the look of the images are a bit too sterile... too 'new' looking. I'm sometimes left wondering "why bother." I can get similar results with my 5D MK11 with a lot less hassle. Other than the nice look the lens creates, the color is just too modern. So... I'm thinking I'm ready to try my hand ...

JT
 
Only to help some people just to do it:

Ravenstein, on the dyke near the river Maas.
C.V. Bessa III 667 loaded with Fuji Reala 100, E.I. 100. (V500) Scan from prints.

5192478216_483af071ee_z.jpg
 
My brother now has one of these cameras, and I must say it's very compelling. So much more compact than my Mamiya 7 was, and so much nicer to look at. It's very nice to use, quiet and smaller than I expected. Too early to comment on results, but for me it's the best camera release for a while.
 
Over in the 120 RF Modern forum I've posed the question as the whether the Fuji GF670W announcement at Photkina was a 'teaser' and in fact we'll never see this camera in production. The total absence of any information from Fuji is ominous.
 
After putting about 15 rolls through this camera, I have to say it is one of the best I have had. I really like the viewfinder.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom