A Fuji GS645W and architecture

[Down Under]

In the past, I've used two Fuji GAs for architectural photography. The GA645 served me well and the 60mm lens minimised distortion in the verticals, but was limiting due to its narrow angle of vision (38mm equivalent). The GA645wi was better (28mm equivalent), but vertical shots often showed visible distortion unless the camera was absolutely level. The learning curve with both was great, but I persevered, and often got very good to excellent results, notwithstanding the distortion issues.

Two weeks ago my beloved GA645wi had SDS (Sudden Death Syndrome) while on a shoot in Sawarak. Two repair shops in Singapore said sorry, circuit board problems, no parts available. Too bad, so sad. Nothing to be done. Unfortunately I can't get hold of my GA645 as it's in storage in Australia. I've looked, but there aren't any GA645w or wi cameras available in Singapore or Malaysia.

A contact in Malaysia has offered me a GS645W, an older camera, at a not exactly cheap but acceptable price. I have stocks of 120 film with me. The Fuji 120 is an essential part of my kit - I use it exclusively for B&W. The GS models are manual focus without rangefinders, hence scale focusing. They are also older than the GAs. I have't seen or handled the GS before.

I would like some input from anyone who has used a Fuji GS camera for architecture. How did it handle in the field? I shoot almost entirely old colonial buildings which are rarely taller than one or two storeys, and also do detail shots (doors, windows, moldings, pillars, wall treatments). I need results that would be sufficiently good for book publication as well as internet use.

What potential problems should I be looking for in a GS? The model in question is, I am told, not the bellows camera. Does it focus accurately without a rangefinder? How is the metering? Has any user had to deal with loading and/or winding problems? And, importantly for my photo work, what about distortion in vertical shots of buildings, columns and pillars?

My concern is that a 30+ year old camera may have age-related mechanical problems. I can probably live without a rangefinder and I can borrow a digital exposure meter to use for the rest of my shoot.

I may well be overthinking all this, but I would like your advice on my intended purchase.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[munz6869]

Have you considered another platform? I only say this because the GA's with their beautiful ergonomics and lenses are very reliant on fiddly bits that can and do fail (like the dead LCD syndrome on the GA645zi, which I'd otherwise use all the time). Maybe something like a Mamiya 645 (Super or Pro) with the excellent 35mm f/3.5 lens - I have shot quite a bit of architecture with this lens and it's very accurate. Manual focus though... The advantage is Mamiya bodies are astonishingly plentiful and inexpensive, and pretty darn reliable. Cheaper 4LR44 battery too

Marc!

 

[Down Under]

Thank you, Marc. That's good advice, and yes, I've thought of going the Mamiya (or Bronica) 645way. However,there are now two updates to my story, or as they say, the plot thickens and sickens.

One, a repair shop in Malaysia has offered to check my GA645wi and try to revive it with parts from one they have in-house. This may be the best way to go. They have offered a no-cost check and estimate. Very kind of them. Also very typically Malay-Malaysian, as I've come to learn. They are good people, the Malays.

Two, the (non-Malay) seller of the GS645W has suddenly become -shall we say, "opportunistic"? (polite term for "gr**dy"?) - and has raised his asking price for the camera, to the point where I could, with a discount airfare (and there are many many such good deals OL in Asia), fly to Melbourne and on to Hobart, retrieve my GA645, enjoy a long weekend of good Tassie oysters and salmon and a bottle or two of our superb cold-climate reds, and fly back. As I may do, if the GA645wi is beyond repairing.

Annoyingly, after doubling and then adding some to his askingprice the would-be seller insisted he was now so keen to keep his GS, he may even buy a second one (sure,sure). In response I emailed him an Ebay link to six GS645W cameras on offer at half or less of what he now wants for his little gem. That GS645W is now history...

I used Bronica and Mamiya WLF 645s in the '90s but didn't really with either at the time, 'tho the images from both were outstanding. Butnow,well,maybe. They are an option. I'll do more research and decide, or see if theGA645wi can be repaired,or maybe even fly home for a week to retrieve my GA645. Decisions, decisions! So many options. Life is fun and good.

Anyway, Marc, un grand merci!

 

[adelorenzo]

I use the GS645W extensively for wilderness/adventure photography. It's the ideal camera for that as it's basically a 120 point and shoot. Load 400 film, set focus at 5 m, f/11 and fire away. Metering has always been accurate for me but normally I'm just shooting based on Sunny 16. I think it's a terrific camera for what I do but not sure I'd use it for architecture.

Mine have also been a bit finicky, I've had both of them repaired.

 

[Down Under]

Adelorenzo, you may be interested to know that a lot of my) architectural photography is shot in exactly the same way...P&S! There is a lot to be said for minimalism and simplicity in all things, especially cameras and photography.

If as you say the GS645W's metering is generally reliable and fairly spot-on, that (and a small spirit level I always carry with me on my architectural shoots) will go a long way to make this camera acceptable for the work I do. I shoot largely B&W and occasionally color negative, almost never slides.

Can I ask what repairs you had to have done on your GS? This may indicate potential weak spots in the camera, and would be useful information for others who either own one or want to buy one.

As I see it, a 30 year old camera used for "serious" photography (I shoot colonial architecture for web use and book publishing projects) will benefit from a thorough annual CLA and of course any repairs that are needed. I did a Google search and found parts are readily available for this camera, which automatically put it way ahead of its newer rival, the autofocus and fully automated GA645 in either the standard or wide angle model. Google also came up with a few good web sites with fine examples of the sort of imagery I do, which has pretty much convinced me to take the plunge and buy this camera.

Many thanks for your input, it has been very useful. I've seen your photos, BTW, and I think they are truly excellent.

 

[adelorenzo]

Both of mine had problems with the shutter failing. It would either hang open or not open at all. It would happen intermittently. I've also had the film counter go on one of them.

Frank Marshman was able to repair both of them.

 

[filmamigo]

I don't shoot formal architecture, but I do shoot street architecture and cityscape.

I was very happy with a Fuji GS645S for those purposes. This camera (non folding, with the crash bar) gave me the focal length I wanted (but too long for you) and had a good rangefinder and meter. Though the GS645W is often recommended, I felt the lack of rangefinder to be severely limiting. I like to mix close-up detail with broader infinity shots. I did not want to risk any photos to my less-than-stellar ability to estimate focus, or to have to rely on an external rangefinder device.

Ultimately, I let the GS645S go, and now use a mix of Bronica ETR (surprisingly compact with the waist level finder) and the big Fuji GSW 690.

 

[Down Under]

Again, Adelorenzo, thanks. I have pretty well decided to go with the GS645W, as I've now inspected the camera offered to me and it passes my basic criteria for a good functional machine. Before using it, however, I'll have my trusted camera repair shop in Singapore check the lens, focusing system, and viewfinder, which to me are the three most likely parts to develop problems.

Filmamigo, I agree about the Bronica ETR, but I dislike working with a WLF, and find it inhibits my ability to properly level the camera for architectural work. I did use a Fuji GSW 690 some time ago, and to me it is most definitely a tripod-only camera (you may disagree, of course), and the 6x9 format really didn't suit my work modes or darkroom setup. Excellent negatives, 'tho.

Again, very useful information from two APUG members. Greatly appreciated, many thanks to you both.

 

[Down Under]

Eureka! Everyone, I bit the bullet and bought a GS645W - from an Ebay seller in Japan, one I've dealt with before and trust, at a far better price than the somewhat precious now-I-will-now-I-won't seller in Malaysia who hemmed and hawed, didn't know if he really wanted to sell, asked a dozen questions about the camera (hey, HE was the one wanting to sell it, not me) and didn't know if he wanted to buy a second GS or not! I finally told him to Go Jump and blocked him after fielding several hurt emails from him (I wouldn't play his game). A classic time-waster. So I went the Ebay way.


The GS is on the way and I will pick it up in Australia next week, do all the usual tests, and then return in June to Southeast Asia to continue my architectural photography.


I believe I've made the right decision. The price ex Japan was about half what the Malaysian would-be seller wanted, that is after he changed his mind no less than TWO times and upped it. No deal.


Again, to those who took the time to post with information for me, thank you all.

 

[Down Under]

Am not sure how many in this forum are following old threads, but here is an update from me.

I am now totally out of 120 architectural photography using Fuji GAs and GSs. My decision was taken at the end of last year (2016) after a health scare which fortunately for me, turned out to be just that - a scare, more a forewarning of what may happen in the next few years as inevitably I creep into my 70s and have to scale down my wanderings and photo excursions. A sad time for me, but life is haphazard and often unpredictable, and this situation will come to all of us, sooner or later.

This, and also the high cost of 120 roll film in Australia. I know I could order in bulk from the USA, but the cost of postage to Australia from North America is now too expensive, that it has eaten into the $$$ savings I could once get by ordering film OL from other countries.

So the reluctant decision was taken to give up shooting 120 roll film and especially 645, and go with 35mm and also other mediums which I won't go into.

My GS is now on permanent loan to a friend has the disposable income to go on buying 120,and is usingmy camera for his general photography. It's a fine camera, but somewhat too flimsy and plasticky for my tastes, and also too light.

I've sold my two GA645s (the broken one was repaired for a reasonable cost ex Singapore). I made a small profit on the GA645wi but lost a little money on the GA645i, so in the end I came out about even, financially.

I also sold a Rolleiflex TLR and my Hasselblad 500CM last year, for good but not inflated prices. Nowadays the 'blad buyer would likely see a profit if he resold the camera on Ebay. Not sure about the Rolleiflex, possibly Rollei TLR prices have leveled out since 2017. Certainly I see much less quality camera gear on Ebay and in the photo shops than I did a year or two years ago, and prices seem to have stayed quite steady. As can be expected, many Ebay sellers put ridiculous prices on their too precious gear, and then add a Make An Offer button, but the stuff seems to get passed in. Definitely it's more a buyer's market now.

Notwithstanding the high film costs, I've kept three Rollei TLRs, more for sentimental reasons than for use, a near mint condition Nettar 6x9, and my cherished Voigtlander Perkeo I kit. All of which I intend to use again, some day when time and other commitments allow. Whenever...

I've noticed prices for MF cameras out of Japan have gone up quite dramatically in the past 12-18 months, possibly as a result of niche market photographers who are buying at whatever prices the sellers want for the gear. In Australia, very few GAs or GSs come on the market, whether in secondhand shops or on Ebay, and the one and only GA645z I saw for sale was locally in 2011. Maybe the Fuji MF cameras just didn't sell very well here as new equipment, A handful show up on Ebay every year and they seem to sell, but the local camera shops (in Melbourne) almost never have them.

On the other hand, 1950s MF folders like Zeiss Nettars, Agfas and the "odd" German brands seem to be selling well at quite good prices on Ebay. A few years ago I was happy to get A$70 for 120 6x6 Nettars, but now sellers are asking upwards of A$135 for even average quality cameras. Time passes, inflation hits. So it goes.

The problem with MF, at least in Australia, is film prices which are going up and up, with a predictable decline in the market. Eventually rollfilm sales will flatten out, and we will be left with only a handful of film manufacturers who can then (and probably will) charge what they please for their products. Sad but that's how it is.


The danger as I see it, is that we may soon see the virtual end of the film MF era, if we are not proactive and buy more fresh roll film, but also if the film manufacturers and retailers stop trying to gouge us by charging prices so excessive as to make 8, 10, 12 or 16 exposures uneconomical. Both sides need to compromise and meet one another half way. Will it happen? I am hoping yes, but then I'm not holding my breath...

 

[RattyMouse]

The problem with MF, at least in Australia, is film prices which are going up and up, with a predictable decline in the market. Eventually rollfilm sales will flatten out, and we will be left with only a handful of film manufacturers who can then (and probably will) charge what they please for their products. Sad but that's how it is.


The danger as I see it, is that we may soon see the virtual end of the film MF era, if we are not proactive and buy more fresh roll film, but also if the film manufacturers and retailers stop trying to gouge us by charging prices so excessive as to make 8, 10, 12 or 16 exposures uneconomical. Both sides need to compromise and meet one another half way. Will it happen? I am hoping yes, but then I'm not holding my breath...

Australia sounds awful. A roll of HP5+ is not even $5 here in the States. Roll film is not expensive at all except for transparency.

 

[Maris]

Am not sure how many in this forum are following old threads, but here is an update from me.
...This, and also the high cost of 120 roll film in Australia. I know I could order in bulk from the USA, but the cost of postage to Australia from North America is now too expensive, that it has eaten into the $$$ savings I could once get by ordering film OL from other countries....

I didn't know about high film costs in Australia until yesterday. Walked into Ted's Camera Store in Brisbane to find their Tmax400 120 format film retails at A$16.95 a roll. Yikes! Only a few weeks ago I got the same film from Freestyle in California. My landed cost including shipping, currency conversion fee, exchange rate, everything, was exactly A$6.53 a roll. That's about 44 cents a frame in a 645 camera; not too bad.

 

[Johnkpap]

I gave up buying film here in Sunny Australia, I have my own Freezer full of film, if I start to run low on anything I do a bulk purchase and have it shipped from the US or Japan.

I wan't suport local business but at 2.5 times the price .....Sorry I am not stupid....

Johnkpap

 

[Down Under]

RattyMouse (#11), Australia is in most ways, a pleasant place in which to live. The weather is affable. Living costs are reasonable. We have many fine local and regional wines to mellow us out. A lot of buying retail is cheaper than pre-2000 when 10% GST came in and hidden taxes were removed (cat food prices dropped 12 cents a can, woo hoo). Most Aussies are affable and pleasant people, overlooking a deplorable lack of retail service standards, which may be an English a convict era legacy, good service being regarded as servility to the elite. I was born overseas, but have been here for 40+ years and I have never ever regretted moving to Sydney in the 1970s, Melbourne in the 1980s, and now Hobart, Tasmania, an alien world apart in itself.

This said, assuming you phrased your comment in purely photographic terms, I'll add a few comments.

Yes, film prices here are high, Shopping OL softens the blow a little. One gentleman in Melbourne has his prices at the lower end of high, keeps reasonable stocks, and is always a joy to deal with. Buying 100-foot (30.5 meters, everything is bigger in metric) bulk 35mm cans is more cost-effective. Alas, 120 film prices are, said politely, blah. I dislike Fuji Acros and have now largely given up Kodak films (tho' the new Ektachrome may lure me back later this year). Foma and Rollei are more sensibly priced. I've not warmed to Foma, but I find the Rolleis to be like 1960s emulsions and their contrast can be tamed by careful processing. D76 1+1 (home brewed in my case) is your best friend...

Maris (#12), I too bought in bulk lots from overseas for many years but as I now shoot less 120 film, for me the cost savings are negligible. Shipping costs to Oz are no longer as reasonable as they were and often as not I find large orders too big for my needs, tho' at A$6.53 per roll for Tmax 400, sigh.

Johnkpap (#13), we think alike on the high retail costs. Most Melbourne retailers appear to be running a hidden agenda of killing off their "traditional" markets for the pixel poppers. Their profit margins on the "other" gear and inkjets are sky high so what they are doing is a no-brainer. We are "niche" and as such, not worth cultivating. A pox on them.

In Melbourne buying anything in photo shops can be fatal to one's budget. Camera repair is a one way street to bankruptcy, it's often cheaper to watch Ebay and replace the gear from Japan or North America. Secondhand shops and charity stores occasionally have photo items I want at good prices. Friends turf out old cameras, darkroom gear and films - I recently scored a stash of old Kodak Panatomic-X someone had kept frozen for 30 years. Alas, many Aussies tend to see old camera gear as a gold mine and want absurd prices for crapped out cameras. Ebay sales are passed in and sellers then relist items for years at the same high price, hoping a sucker will buy, as they do or as my partner jokes, the seller passes away and the item is buried with them.

All of which can make it difficult for those of us in Australia who are keen to support local business, but not having our pockets picked for everything we buy.

Consequently most of us are now shooting less and very few photographers I know bother with darkroom work. For years I provided a useful home darkroom service to friends wanting their B&W and C41 films processed, my diaries show I did 200+ films in 2011-2012 but only 22 last year, go figure.

Times are changing and age has wearied us, to quote a local saying. For all this, there is still joy in taking a perfectly processed roll of Ilford FP4 or TXP from a Jobo or Paterson tank.