Fujifilm GA645 trouble starting up

Peter Wong · Feb 21, 2016

Hi All,

Nice meeting you all, I'm new and hopefully you can allow me to draw on your collective wisdom on the topic. So, the story goes:

I recently got my hands on a GA645 and long story short, it doesn't want to be turned on. I'll describe what i'm seeing:

Fresh battery, when I switch to P/A/M, the LCD would light up, I hear some kind of whining from the lens assembly, for may be half a second, and then LCD goes blank and it goes back to being dead. When I open the back and turn the camera on, I see that the whining is from the aperture contracting may be a stop at most, before returning to fully open and the LCD going blank. If i turn the dial to ISO, i can play around with the selections fine. I can even check the total shutter count (020 00).

I have taken the cover off the GA to see if it was dust or what not jamming the gears. The gears moved fine and there wasn't any noticeable corrosion or whatnot falling out, I assume the problem is from the shutter/ aperture unit. I imagine it's the coil motors acting up. Although I did fix the jumpy control dial issue entirely. The local Fuji camera repair center concluded that whatever's out of production can no longer be serviced and congratulated me on my handsome paperweight (joking).

I have tried leaving it *on* without battery for three four days to let the electronics reset, no luck.

So.... I'm all yours for suggestions...

Anyone is free to find me if you want to the know details in cracking your GA open.

macfred · Feb 21, 2016

Welcome to APUG, Peter !

We have several users here on APUG, who really like those little junk camera ... Me too !

I use my FUJI's (GA645 + GA645Wi) for many years trouble-free.
Frank Marshman knows those FUJI's very well - he worked on several during the years.
Maybe he can help.

Frank Marshman"Camera Wiz" in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Phone: 540-867-9671
Email: camerawiz@msn.com

macfred · Feb 21, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
Point-n-shoot for 120 film to bilk the customer into believing he was a "professional"...

Thank you for your helpful contributions …

If I only had known, I never had bought the FUJI's -
I will buy an old full mechanical camera to become a ''pro'' ...
---
Oh, I forgot - I have several mechanical cameras - what's wrong with me ??

RattyMouse · Feb 21, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
A junk electronic camera. The internet is jam-packed with these complaints. I know you didn't mean to come to this wonderful site with your first post and hear that. We're good and helpful people here, who really do mean to be constructive and helpful. Sorry, but that camera is junk and will never work. Some things should never have been manufactured. May I suggest a Mamiya M645, if you're determined to do the 4.5 x 6 bit. At least most of them are still working 40 years later. GL.

It is ridiculous to suggest that just because the OP's camera has a problem that the GA645 should have never been manufactured. Beyond absurd!

piu58 · Feb 21, 2016

I own an GA645Zi, which works fine for many years. From time to time it has the weil known malfunction of the lcd display, but there are just as well known workaround. And I I knew this problem before buying.

macfred · Feb 21, 2016

@RattyMouse
@piu58

I've been waiting for you ...

Down Under · Feb 21, 2016

I own two GA645s (one GA645i, one a GA645wi) and previously had the first GA645 model, which eventually developed this same problem. Ignore the piffle about it not being worth repairing. First, try a good cleaning, start with the battery contacts, then go over the camera interior. Fiddle with the settings dial. My original GA645 didn't like the P setting but worked OK on A and unfailingly on M. Now and then the P worked perfectly. I used it for two years as a meterless roll film Leica and eventually traded it and an old but reliable Weston Master V meter, for some photographic goodies I wanted. The new owner is still using the camera and says he is getting great negatives. The two i's I now own have never given me any problems.

Find a reliable repair person and get the camera CLA'd if the cost is reasonable (me, I would go to $100.00 or maybe a little more). It's a bit of a punt. If it works, you may get a long period of trouble free use out of it. If not, well, someone may likely buy it from you for parts, for the C-note and even a bit extra.

Take it from one who has used medium format cameras since the 1960s, the GAs are great. Point and shoot, pooter! They are little gems. Sharpest negatives I have ever had, even from the f/3.5 Planar in my Rolleiflex E2. Slides with colors that just pop out and leap at you. Rolleis deliver the goods, as do the GAs. Most medium format cameras that old are basically unreliable now. I consider the Omega is like a cement brick and the Mamiya 645 is made from recycled tin. Would you buy a used Kowa kit from people who say such things?

Seriously, in this life you get some good cameras, some not so good, some great, and a few junk heaps. If one doesn't work well, another of the same model may give you years of reliable use. Of course all this is said without prejudice...

Peter Wong · Feb 21, 2016

Hi All, and Ozmoose,

Actually, when i took the top cover off, i managed to change the status quo when i was pulling at the M/A/P dial. I made the whining go away all together but the LCD went dark after briefly coming alive. When i carefully put it back together, the whining came back (which in my opinion is good because the camera at least had some physical part moving. I'm now massaging the command dial back and forth to see if it does anything...

piu58 · Feb 21, 2016

The whining sound ind my ear (sic) as some drive taking too much current and the eletronics stop the operation just started. Normally I would expect a error message in the lcd, but you don't get one, hmm.

I would look for some tiny part of dirt or so in the mechanical part. The first thing my camera does is driving the lens out. If yours work the same way I would look at this first.

Kirks518 · Feb 21, 2016

I have one, and have had no troubles with it.

How long ago did you get it, and can you return it? That's the first thing I would do if possible. If you can't return it, I'd try another set of batteries. It could be simple as one of the batteries you're using is not at full capacity, causing it to fail during boot up. It could also be there is some debris in the lens assembly causing it not jam during start up, and then the camera shuts down to prevent additional damage (maybe). After that, look into getting a parts camera, or send it to be repaired. Depending upon how much you spent on it, it may (or may not) be worth fixing. KEH flat rate repair says $265, so unless you paid $100 or less, it may not be worth fixing from a financial standpoint. If that's the case, get a working one, and keep this one as a parts camera.

Peter Wong · Feb 21, 2016

Hi Piu58,

So you think it is some mechanical stoppage that triggers the camera's self protection to power down all together?
I manually turned the gears to get the lens to come all the way out and go back in when I took the cover off the camera.. so the problem isn't there...

Kirks518 · Feb 21, 2016

Oh, and for the nay-sayers - all of my other MF cameras are fully manual; RB67 (x2), Rapid Omega, M645(x2), C330, 124G (ok, it takes a battery for the meter), and a Rolleicord. Then there's the LF gear, and tons of 35mm stuff.

But the GA645 is great as a 'fun' MF camera for when I'm just out shooting the family, or when I don't want to fiddle with everything for each shot. The lens is incredible, and the AF sure is handy.

Kirks518 · Feb 21, 2016

Peter, how long have you had it, and has it ever worked since you've had it?

eddie · Feb 21, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
My lack of regard for a Fuji dates back decades... Terrible glass.

This is nonsense. The only Fuji's I own are 690's, but the lenses are as sharp as any manufactured by anyone. If it's possible for the OP to repair his camera, he'll get outstanding results.

People looking for advice should bear in mind that some responses come from people without personal experience, and axes to grind.

RattyMouse · Feb 22, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
Apologies. My lack of regard for a Fuji dates back decades. Good film. Terrible glass.

Ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!ha ha!! ha ha!! ha ha!!

Good god that was HILARIOUS.

RattyMouse · Feb 22, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
But by the 80's all cameras were totally electronic.

Guess you never heard of the GSW690 III as well as the GS690 III. All 100% mechanical cameras, with OUTSTANDING glass.

choiliefan · Feb 22, 2016

Or Fuji's well-regarded large format lenses.

macfred · Feb 22, 2016

Most of us know about the higher-than-average, proven quality of the FUJI lenses (regardless of format) -
in my view #19 is not interested in serious discussion or an exchange of experiences
So do not feed ...

piu58 · Feb 23, 2016

> Was junk then, truth be told.

That is too rgorous I think. Electronics have a limited span of life, much shorter than mechanics, which may be repaired some hundred years later. The most important problem with electronics are capacitors which tend to try out.

This problem have all items with electronics in, which is virtually everything today. It is not true to say that everything we use today is rubbish from the first day of use.

Peter Wong · Feb 23, 2016

Hi everyone

Thank you for the advices. I recently got the camera when I was on a trip in Japan. Returning it would be quite out of the question. While it is tragic that the camera is not working, it is at least more alive than dead ... i suppose. I am still massaging the command dial .. to no effect though.

Can anyone confirm during start up, does the aperture do this contraction thing or does the lens assembly move forward without the aperture doing anything? trying to figure out if it has commenced the right start up protocol/ procedure but broke out of it or has it gone entire mad and is trying a completely different start up procedure entirely.

RattyMouse · Feb 23, 2016

This:

APUGuser19 said:
I'm not here to get into a dogfight over whether the Packard or the Studebaker was the better car.

or this:

APUGuser19 said:
Apologies. My lack of regard for a Fuji dates back decades. Good film. Terrible glass.

piu58 · Feb 23, 2016

> Can anyone confirm during start up, does the aperture do this contraction thing or does the lens assembly ...

I just tried it. As said I have a GA645Zi. With open back I can see the stop. If the camera is switched off the stop is nearly fully open (I see around 0,2 mm of the stop edge). If I turn the dial from Off to P, first the lens moves out and then the stop closes to a medium value, I guess around f/8.

Peter Wong · Jul 15, 2016

Hi All,

It brings me great joy to report that my irreparable GA645 has returned to life after a month at the local repair shop and about 150USD later. It was pretty weird because the repairman called me one day telling me it is futile and told me to pick it up ASAP to free up space on his shelve, and on the next day, told me he located the board.

I thank you all for your support and kind advice. The camera is a joy to use. Mine is the earliest version that only gives you 15 shots from a roll of 120. The exposure data imprint is brilliant.

Here is a shot made on 2006 expired Velvia50

If I may end this thread with the following conclusion.

As photographers, it is very important to be tenacious, patient, and have an open and free mind. How easy is it to dismiss a scene for bad lighting, boring subject, too cliche, and walk away? How hard is it to wait for the light to change, look at it from a different angle, come back again and again for the stars to align. Of course, luck is important, but so is skill. I was lucky that my repairman did not dismiss my GA for irreparable junk from the 90's, and I was lucky that he is a skilled repairman. Please don't call it quits too soon, with your photo taking, and with your broken equipment.

gone · Jul 15, 2016

Hi Peter. It's unfortunate that your first post has gone downhill from the very beginning. It's usually not that bad here. Usually being the operative word :{

In any case, an electronic camera like yours always has this sort of fail as a possibility, especially one that's been around for a while. That wouldn't discourage me from buying one, but it would give me pause. Sending it out is an idea of course, but my experiences w/ that sort of thing have been sub optimal no matter who I sent gear to, as the default seems to be that it either isn't fixed correctly the first time, or it costs more than the camera is worth if it is correctly repaired. Sadly, I have no tips on your camera, other than to suggest what you have surely done.....research the problem on the internet and try to fix it yourself somehow.

I agree, maybe a $100 fix, if you can find such a thing, is maybe possible. But even if it does you still have an old electronic camera that can go nuts or die tomorrow. Just the nature of the beast, and there is no guarantee that the $100 might just be the tip of a repair iceberg. All of which led me to sell every camera I owned that I couldn't fix myself, which is a pretty fair number of cameras as long as I stay w/ folders and fully mechanical cameras.

RattyMouse · Jul 15, 2016

Congrats on your camera fix! I would spend that money easily fixing my GA645 if it ever needed it. It is such a great camera!

Fujifilm GA645 trouble starting up

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