Fuji GF670 Still in Production?

Does anyone know if the GF670 is still being produced by Fujifilm? I read that it was a limited 10,000 camera run. That was almost 3 years ago. The camera is still easy to find in shops new so I'm wondering if these are holdovers from the first 10,000 camera run or is it still being produced?

I'm guessing that it is not in production but you can never tell sometimes.

I bet it is in production like Hasselblad 503CW or Nikon F6's are in production - they made a big production run several years ago and are slowly clearing the shelves. Once they get to XX percent left, they will decide if another production run is warranted.

Don't know if this answers you question but I remember speaking with the Nikon rep once and this is the answer he gave when I asked about F6's. Apparently there are several thousand F6's sitting in a warehouse in Southern California, awaiting purchase. Until they are all sold, it is official in production. However, due to similarities between F6's and DSLR's it would be easier to "make another run" of F6's than to make another run of GF670's since there is nothing else like it in Fuji's current lineup.

i believe the gf670 is a rebadge of the voigtlaender bessa. in that case it is indeed still in production. shame about the price tag though - if it was lower i would have two now.

Kevin Kehler said:

I bet it is in production like Hasselblad 503CW or Nikon F6's are in production - they made a big production run several years ago and are slowly clearing the shelves. Once they get to XX percent left, they will decide if another production run is warranted.

Don't know if this answers you question but I remember speaking with the Nikon rep once and this is the answer he gave when I asked about F6's. Apparently there are several thousand F6's sitting in a warehouse in Southern California, awaiting purchase. Until they are all sold, it is official in production. However, due to similarities between F6's and DSLR's it would be easier to "make another run" of F6's than to make another run of GF670's since there is nothing else like it in Fuji's current lineup.

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"If you thought film was dead, think again. The Japanese camera maker is still producing its flagship professional-series film SLR, the Nikon F6. However, it does so in smaller quantities and only produces 50 units monthly."

CNET Asia 10 Feb 2012: What goes on inside Nikon's Sendai factory

I have one. It's a sweet camera. A few minor idiosyncrasies. And one minor design flaw. But overall I love it.

If you're asking because you think you might want one down the road, don't wait. Scrimp where you must to get it as soon as possible. You never know what the future holds, but if your hands are holding a camera you'll have no regrets when that future arrives.

Ken

Nikon keep two worker continuous produce F6 at Sandai, two hours bullet train from Tokyo.The other 400 worker, 200 for D4, and other 200 for D800. So total 402 worker produce these three models.

Ken Nadvornick said:

I have one. It's a sweet camera. A few minor idiosyncrasies. And one minor design flaw. But overall I love it.

If you're asking because you think you might want one down the road, don't wait. Scrimp where you must to get it as soon as possible. You never know what the future holds, but if your hands are holding a camera you'll have no regrets when that future arrives.

Ken

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Well, these cameras will show up in the used market more frequently as time goes by so I am not too worried about when to get one. I'd love one now while I live in China but the prices are just stupid. $1800 for a USED one. That's crazy, more expensive than new (in the US). Brand new here in China is $2200. I guess people pay that amount here.

What do you think is the design flaw? What are the idiosyncrasies? I'm curious as to your experience with this camera?

Thanks!

I like mine and only paid $1640 at B&H...

RattyMouse said:

What do you think is the design flaw? What are the idiosyncrasies? I'm curious as to your experience with this camera?

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I had one for a while. Things I especially didn't like:

- Can't close it with a filter mounted. Ouch, ouch, ouch! I left the optional hood-plus-filter unit mounted all the time, which meant that I left the camera open all the time. Some users reported rapid battery drain with the camera left open; fortunately, I didn't have that with mine.

- Never did get used to the feel of the shutter release - pretty light overall, but with an odd crick in the middle.

- The folding mechanism felt a lot flimsier than that of the old Ikontas I've owned.

Things I especially liked:

- Very competent lens.

- Nice finder with framelines that correct for parallax and field size - much nicer than the Mamiya 6/7 finders IMO.

- Very light weight for the format.

- Shutter action *very* quiet - quieter than a Mamiya 6/7, if you can imagine that. (Alas, the winding action is a bit buzzy.)

I carry my M7II and my Fuji in the same bagI'm happy with either one..

There is no end-of-production or limited-production statement at the Fuji site.

RattyMouse said:

Well, these cameras will show up in the used market more frequently as time goes by so I am not too worried about when to get one. I'd love one now while I live in China but the prices are just stupid. $1800 for a USED one. That's crazy, more expensive than new (in the US). Brand new here in China is $2200. I guess people pay that amount here.

What do you think is the design flaw? What are the idiosyncrasies? I'm curious as to your experience with this camera?

Thanks!

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Oren already touched on the biggest idiosyncrasy. That the camera can't be closed with even a filter still mounted. Fuji tried to mitigate this with a quick-release lens hood that semi-permanently holds a screwed-in filter. I bought the hood (and the soft leather case) just to have the future-proof complete set of accessories.

But to be honest I also bought a simple Kalt 58mm metal shade, and a couple of 58mm filters, which I prefer instead due to the shade's deeper profile over the lens. (And the fact that folders are supposed to have round, not square, shades, right?)

When using the camera I tend to just carry it around open. I mount it to a simple L-bracket with a cable release in the trigger position on the bracket. This keeps my dirty/sweaty paws off of the body and works well for me.

Another idiosyncrasy is, of course, that it's a bellows camera designed to be handheld. But if you have prior experience with any format bellows camera—especially any older medium format folders—this is not really a big issue. You'll already be conditioned to keep your hands away from the soft folds. For others, however, this might present an issue.

Yet another thing to get used to is the meter output display in the viewfinder. It's discreet, not continuous. In other words, it displays only whole shutter speeds. No fractional speeds. In aperture-priority auto mode this is not an issue. But in full manual mode it's a bit disconcerting to be unable to get accurate feedback for intentionally set in-between f/stops.

Oh, and the aperture ring click stops are set at half-stops only, instead of the more usual third-stops. And the auto exposure mode requires you to set the aperture ring to only these half-stop detents in order to work. Or so the manual states. These issues may or may not be important to you.

As far as the design flaw goes, it's something I haven't heard mentioned in any review of this camera. I noticed it at our local state fair last August when pointing the camera skyward at one of the rides. It's that the viscosity of the grease used to lubricate the focusing mechanism is too thin. At least on my sample.

If I point the camera up severely, or swing it downward as I walk, the lens moves slightly from the previous focus setting. When I pointed it up at the ride, I was attempting to prefocus on a known spot, then wait for the action to enter the frame. But while watching the rangefinder rectangle as I waited I noticed the focus shifting appreciably. I ended up having to keep my fingers on the collar to keep it in position.

I still got the pictures. But it was annoying, since a lot of non-autofocus camera work requires prefocusing, and trusting that focus to be maintained if you lower the camera momentarily from your eyes. I'm assuming this issue could be relatively easily fixed during servicing. But I couldn't guess at the cost.

But even with these issues, I wouldn't sell or trade away this camera for anything. The lens is killer sharp, if that's your thing. And no GF670 review would be complete without mentioning that shutter. It is impossibly quiet. I mean, my ear is only a few inches away and, if I'm outdoors with normal background noise, I simply cannot hear it. You have to try one of these yourself to understand. It's eerie.

Ken

Here's a question. Would you get one of these if you already had a Fuji GW690III and a GA645?

rich815 said:

Here's a question. Would you get one of these if you already had a Fuji GW690III and a GA645?

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That's a great question for me because I already have a GA645. I really like that camera a lot, but still pine for a GF670, for several reasons. One, I want to shoot naturally in landscape format. The GA645 is normally in portrait mode. I'd like a manual focus lens to shoot with sometimes. And of course the GF670 has a much bigger negative. But maybe I could live happily with the GA645. It seems to make even more sense for me to get a GA645Wi, so that I can have two cameras with different focal lengths. That really would be best, except I want that dang larger negative!!

Thanks for the feedback Ken!

rich815 said:

Here's a question. Would you get one of these if you already had a Fuji GW690III and a GA645?

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I have a GW690II, I've owned the GS645S and I've handled the GA645. Forget the fact that they all share the same brand name and take 120 roll film - in practically every other way, the GF670 is an entirely different animal. In optical character, feel, handling, construction, features - a whole different ballgame. It's easy for me to imagine a user liking the GF670 and not the others, or vice versa.

I have looked for the GF670 manual online but without success. Anyone ever look at find it?

RattyMouse said:

I have looked for the GF670 manual online but without success. Anyone ever look at find it?

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PM me your email address and I can send you the manual for the Bessa III, which is the same camera.

Ken Nadvornick said:

And the fact that folders are supposed to have round, not square, shades, right?

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Supposed by whom?

A shade with rectangular opening of the aspect-ratio of the frame, adjusted to the viewing-angle, is technically the better shade than the best adjusted round shade.
Of course you could make an rectangular insert for a round shade.

AgX said:

Supposed by whom?

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By those who admire them..



Ken

Both cameras are manufactured by Cosina company under its supervision and distributed as Bessa III, and GF-670 Fuji with different prices.
In all other Fuji who have commented GW690II, GS645S, GA645 none has both 6x6 and 6x7 formats at the same time in one body, none of the above is similar
xuco Martin