FUJI GX680 MkII newbie - and loving it....

[ContaxRTSFundus]

Wow! I thought my RZ67 kit was big until I took delivery of the Fuji yesterday. I love the Mamiya for its glassware and the rotating back so I was delighted to see that the GX680 uses the same mechanism for its backs.

I bought mine from a UK shop that's currently selling all its used lenses and cameras at 50% discount so I could not resist the opportunity. It came with the 80mm lens and (a rarity these days) a battery and charger. I bought the strap and bracket as well and took it out this morning to use hand-held around the valley here.

It was not as cumbersome as I'd been led to expect and I hope to see the results some time next week. My only problems have been finding a manual (bought a reprint from oldtimecameras but the print size is too small), a spare battery and advice/reviews on the lens range.

I'll keep persevering because in the space of a day I've fallen in love with the brute. The lens/bellows movements make such a difference and I can't wait to try some studio work.

Now, I wonder how much better that MkIII is.....?

 

[redrockcoulee]

I borrowed a GX680 first model for a project that my wife did. I cannot imagine taking it out as a hand held camera, it makes a Hasselblad look like a toy. The 65 is a nice lens too. Enjoy.

 

[olleorama]

Come on now, tell which store!

 

[ContaxRTSFundus]

Hi redrockcoulee - yep, it does tend to make 6x6 cameras look as if they could use a course of steroids - though they'd have the last laugh if you're out and about for a few hours... Thanks for the steer on the 65 - it may be a tad too close to the 80 for me to buy as a next choice. I'm tempted by the 125 and 180 f3.2 lenses...

Hi olleorama - the shop is in the UK and is called MrCad; they've a web site but the listings are not updated regularly so some of the items that appear may already have been sold (my camera is still shown there) - I think the sale continues for another 3 days.

 

[whlogan]

Try the 125.... the best of the lot, in my view.... sharpest lens I think for the 680.... heavy, too
Logan

 

[olleorama]

Hi redrockcoulee - yep, it does tend to make 6x6 cameras look as if they could use a course of steroids - though they'd have the last laugh if you're out and about for a few hours... Thanks for the steer on the 65 - it may be a tad too close to the 80 for me to buy as a next choice. I'm tempted by the 125 and 180 f3.2 lenses...

Hi olleorama - the shop is in the UK and is called MrCad; they've a web site but the listings are not updated regularly so some of the items that appear may already have been sold (my camera is still shown there) - I think the sale continues for another 3 days.

Oh, I've used them!

 

[yurihuta]

the 125mm f/3.2? Yes, this is a beautiful, heavy beast.

Try the 125.... the best of the lot, in my view.... sharpest lens I think for the 680.... heavy, too
Logan

 

[Jerevan]

Wonderful beasts and I would love to try one out. Cool to see somebody uses them!

 

[ContaxRTSFundus]

Thanks everyone - the 125 f3.2 it will be - now, to try and find a small photographer I can mug..... ;-)

 

[yurihuta]

After the 125mm, try the 180mm f/3.2 - another wonderful beast.

Jerevan - the prices are really attractively low right now for GX 680 gear.

 

[ContaxRTSFundus]

Thanks yurihita,
If I can pick up a not too costly 125mm, the 180 3.2 will follow.

Has anyone ever tried the 100-200 zoom? I've not found any review of it and am intrigued as to its quality though I note it needs a support bracket - definitely not one that's easily hand-held I reckon though I wonder if you'd ever use a short-range zoom in a studio....

 

[razocaine_07]

im upgrading my Bronica SQA to the 680MKII. Whats the tilt/shift like of these cameras?

 

[ContaxRTSFundus]

Hi razocaine_07,
Pretty useful is the short answer. Tilt and swing can move by up to 12 degrees, rise is up to about 2/3 inch (15mm) and fall a tad less at 13mm (1/2 inch). My only problem is that access to the shift knob is awkward being dead centre, tight under the bellows. Once you have found the optimum use of these movements, it's a simple matter to lock them and they stay locked...

I have found that the versatility offered by the movements is more than adequate for my needs. Do remember however that the 50mm super wide-angle and 100-200mm zoom lenses have next to no opportunity for the use of movements due to their smaller image circles - but the use of these lenses would not often require the application of movements.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

That 100-200 zoom would be quite useful in the studio, actually. Think about where a photographer might be doing either a fashion shoot or a product shoot and needs to do a full-length shot of the subject, then pull in for a detail. With the zoom, you wouldn't have to re-focus or recalculate the exposure unless you got into macro territory. It becomes an efficiency thing in a production environment.

 

[ContaxRTSFundus]

Quite right - I hadn't thought about that!