Fuji 667/Bessa III, filter problem

[sanking]

As a general rule I like to keep a multi coated UV filter on my camera lenses at all times. However, the Fuji 667/Bessa III will not fold with a normal 62mm filter in place. Does anyone know if there is a thin line filter that will allow normal folding of the camera?

Sandy King

 

[coriana6jp]

Sandy,

Although I just sold mine Fuji 667(For one to buy another film holder from you), I tried a BW slim filter and it barely fit when closed. The two problems, again it was very tight when closed. Secondly the filter being a slim, doesn't have any front threads so you can't mount other filters. It is one design flaw I found with the camera.

Hope it helps.

Gary

 

[coriana6jp]

Correct me if I am wrong, but as I recall the camera needs 58mm filters not 62mm.

Gary

 

[sanking]

Correct me if I am wrong, but as I recall the camera needs 58mm filters not 62mm.

Gary

That is correct, the Bessa III takes a 58mm filter.

BTW, have you compared the BW thin line filters to Hoya and Heliopan? Just wondering if one brand might work better than the others.

Sandy

 

[coriana6jp]

I tried both BW and Heliopan, they are what I can easily get locally. Honestly, it was a toss up, close enough where I didn't notice any real difference between the two. Hoya filters are hard to come by here, so I don't know how it would compare to two I tried.

Gary

 

[wildbill]

Sandy, If you aren't worried about looks, I'd have a regular 58mm b+w filter machined down til there are only threads and then glue the glass in place (no retaining ring). Once you removed the glass it wouldn't take a machinist more than 5 minutes to do.

 

[Oren Grad]

Secondly the filter being a slim, doesn't have any front threads so you can't mount other filters.

Or a hood - without front threads there's nothing to screw a generic hood into, and the dedicated hood won't fit properly over a 58mm filter.

The hood assembly itself can accommodate 40.5mm filters, and it attaches and detaches easily as a unit with any 40.5mm filter mounted in it. But the user is still stuck attaching and detaching the hood/filter unit every time the camera is opened/closed. Of course, even if the hood could fit over a mounted 58mm filter, there's still the problem that the hood would need to be attached and detached all the time. But I guess that's unavoidable with a folder.

Anyway, I agree, this is my least favorite aspect of the design. So far, the way I've been dealing with it is to keep the camera unfolded most of the time, with the hood + 40.5mm filter always mounted when the camera is unfolded.

 

[sanking]

Or a hood - without front threads there's nothing to screw a generic hood into, and the dedicated hood won't fit properly over a 58mm filter.

Oren,

Just for the record, my dedicated hood attaches to a 58mm filter just as well as it attaches to the lens with no filter.

Sandy

 

[Oren Grad]

Just for the record, my dedicated hood attaches to a 58mm filter just as well as it attaches to the lens with no filter.

Sandy, thanks - good to hear that it's possible. That obviously provides some welcome flexibility in finding the best compromise in handling.

 

[sanking]

Sandy, thanks - good to hear that it's possible. That obviously provides some welcome flexibility in finding the best compromise in handling.

Oren,

But as you pointed out earlier, the custom lens hood will not attach to a filter that has no front thread. It attaches fine to normal 58mm filters that have front thread but I am fairly certain it would not attach to a thin line filter with no front thread.

Sandy King

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

A Linhof clamp-on hood with a 60mm adapter ring will fit over a lens or filter with 58mm filter thread as long as there's something to grab onto. The standard one for 4x5" might make the camera a little front heavy, but I think they made a smaller model for the 2x3" Technikas that fit 60mm directly without requiring an adapter ring. Such things show up on eBay periodically. These hoods also take drop-in filters. 60mm drop-in filters, though, will be hard to find compared to the 70mm filters that fit the 4x5" hood.