FUJI GSW690II gives unclear image looking though rangfinder

bijennest75 · Nov 2, 2006

I just bought a FUJI GSW690III rangfindercamera on E-bay. I am disappointed by the unclear image in the rangefinder and think there must be something wrong with the ajustment of the rangefinder. The rangfinder lens looks clear and ajusting the removable lens on the rangefinder does not help. It is hard to imagine the image is that unclear in a professional camere.

Does anybody recognize this problem/have advise? The image in my Konica Hexar RF and my Mamiya 7II are 10 times sharper.

Peter

TheFlyingCamera · Nov 2, 2006

Could be a diopter on the rangefinder. Either that or the rangefinder has been knocked seriously out of alignment internally. I'd opt for a diopter setting or screw-in diopter causing the problem first.

bijennest75 · Nov 2, 2006

TheFlyingCamera said:
Could be a diopter on the rangefinder. Either that or the rangefinder has been knocked seriously out of alignment internally. I'd opt for a diopter setting or screw-in diopter causing the problem first.

I wish it was a diopter on the rangfinder. I guess I must have the camera serviced. Thank for your fast reply anyway.

Peter

TimVermont · Nov 3, 2006

Hi Peter,

You don't say where you are located. If you are in the US, here is where to send it for service:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

These are great cameras.

Tim

bijennest75 · Nov 3, 2006

TimVermont said:
Hi Peter,

You don't say where you are located. If you are in the US, here is where to send it for service:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

These are great cameras.

Tim

I'm living near Haarlem in the Netherlands

los · Nov 3, 2006

soft rangefinder

i shoot with a gw670II and a canon vt with a 35mm. i too have felt that the rangefinder was unacceptably soft for the type of camera it is. my canon's rangefinder "snaps" clear and sharp when it is in focus. i constantly find myself hunting and turning the camera at 45 degrees to find sharp focus. i do love the simplicity of the camera, and the huge (by comparison) 6x7 negative. now i'm compensating for the rangefinder focus by shooting with a little deeper stop. i hardly ever shoot wide open at f3.5. i remember having similar issues with a gw670III i used to use. i was new to rangefinders then, and thought maybe i wasn't used to rangefinding yet.

Lee L · Nov 4, 2006

I also find the finder on my GW690II feels unsharp, and a bit dark and closed-in. My solution has been to use a Cosina Voigtlander 40mm hot shoe finder, which is a nice match, with the correct proportions for the GW690. It is a lot brighter and more open, much closer to the way the negatives look.

Lee

bijennest75 · Nov 4, 2006

los said:
i shoot with a gw670II and a canon vt with a 35mm. i too have felt that the rangefinder was unacceptably soft for the type of camera it is. my canon's rangefinder "snaps" clear and sharp when it is in focus. i constantly find myself hunting and turning the camera at 45 degrees to find sharp focus. i do love the simplicity of the camera, and the huge (by comparison) 6x7 negative. now i'm compensating for the rangefinder focus by shooting with a little deeper stop. i hardly ever shoot wide open at f3.5. i remember having similar issues with a gw670III i used to use. i was new to rangefinders then, and thought maybe i wasn't used to rangefinding yet.

Thanks for your comment. I hope there is something wong with the camera and that it can be fixed. I usually shoot with 400 ASA but now i've ordered a pack or 800 asa film which will allow me to stop deeper and will make the deth of field deeper.

Peter

bijennest75 · Nov 4, 2006

Lee L said:
I also find the finder on my GW690II feels unsharp, and a bit dark and closed-in. My solution has been to use a Cosina Voigtlander 40mm hot shoe finder, which is a nice match, with the correct proportions for the GW690. It is a lot brighter and more open, much closer to the way the negatives look.

Lee

The vieuwfinder sure looks a bit dark. Maybe part of the problem may be my eyes which have been lasered. Under dark circumstances I do not see as cleas as in bright sunlight. On the other hand I do not have this problem with my other rangefinders. Maybe the hoe shoe finder is a good idea. I will try to find another identical camera and compare the viewfinders.

Thanks for your reply

Peter

P C Headland · Nov 4, 2006

You could try holding an orange filter or piece of plastic over the RF window (on the front of the camera, not the VF window, but the smaller RF window). This should help increase the contrast of the RF patch. If it works, you could figure out a more permanent way of mounting the filter.

I have tried this on a couple of old RF cameras and it worked quite well.

bijennest75 · Nov 5, 2006

I never thougt of this idea. Handy we have an UPUG forum. If everthing fails I might try this.

Thanks.

Peter

bijennest75 · May 22, 2007

I got the camera ajusted by Camera Service in Zoetermeer (Holland). It is much better now, but stil it isn't my favorite rangefinder (very small image) and a loud shutter. Fortunately the repair didn't cost very much.

Best regards

Peter

FUJI GSW690II gives unclear image looking though rangfinder

Membership Council

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency