GSW test shots

[marton]

A couple of daytime test shots from my Fuji GSW690III with Ilford HP5 which I developed myself. The Tiffs from which these jpegs came are eye poppingly good. They have a 3d you're actually there type of quality to them which is hard to describe. Totally impressed with this camera. The only thing I'm a little uncertain about is the sliding lens hood. But with the shots I'm getting from it I'll put up with it.

Thanks for looking

 

[marton]

So nobody cares. Well, here's another one.

 

[Dali]

You are happy so everyone is happy.

Honestly, how can we appreciate an image from a 6x9 negative with a 13x18 image on a screen? At this level of enlargement, there is no bad lens.

 

[marton]

You are happy so everyone is happy.

Honestly, how can we appreciate an image from a 6x9 negative with a 13x18 image on a screen? At this level of enlargement, there is no bad lens.

Hey that's true.

I should've curbed my enthusiasm. I'll probably go nuts when I see the Ektar shots so I can't promise anything.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Stephen-

You'd get more response if you were a subscriber and posted them in the gallery. It's very easy for a discussion thread to disappear in the noise.

On a separate note - I'm glad you're enjoying the camera. I had one on loan to me a while back and put a few rolls through it. The negatives are very sharp, I'll give them that. I didn't like the contrast, though - I thought they were TOO contrasty, and I didn't love the color rendering I was getting with it on Ektar (granted I was giving it a real challenge - shooting night images on Ektar). Another thing that may never be an issue for you, but I do shoot a lot of long exposures, so having an easy to use T or B setting is important to me - the Fuji rangefinders have a wierd system for exposures longer than 1 second. It was sufficiently cumbersome that it made me not enjoy taking night photos.

I had already gelled with my Rolleiflex, which is such a different camera in form and function that it may not have been a fair comparison. As long as it is working for you, that's what counts.

 

[CropDusterMan]

Marton,
Glad you're enjoying your 690...they are wonderful cameras. What don't you like about the sliding hood?...I always
thought it to be a decent thing. One thing you may notice is that the spacing between frames on your neg roll will
be a little erratic...don't worry, every one I have ever used does this to some degree. Have fun. These were the go-to
camera for editorial work for a good "double-truck" (two page spread).

 

[craigclu]

I've got the 680 version of this camera and agree about the nice crisp optics. I've only used it a little, even though I've owned it for quite awhile. The contrast is so different than my other medium format gear that I will need to wring out some film/time/development routines specific to it and keep putting off the project. In my limited usage, I've struggled in printing but I'm sure it will be pretty easy to tame when I apply some effort. It's a lovable lump and I'm sure I will enjoy it. Enjoy yours!

 

[toyotadesigner]

Steven, I'm glad you like the Fuji brick! Fantastic cameras with awesome lenses. I have purchased the GW and the GSW long time ago and will keep them as long as possible. That time they still were very expensive.

But as someone said: "You pay for the lens, Fuji throws in a film holder."

I have made many night shots with these cameras though the T setting is kind of weird, but it works great when you use a hat or cap to cover the lens before twisting the shutter dial to close the shutter.

 

[marton]

Houston, we have responses! Yes this camera is the MF cat's pajamas on every level. Never having shot with a RF before I must say it's been fairly painless getting used to this new way of shooting. Focus is excellent. Yet to mess about with night shoots, but it's certainly going to happen at some point. I must remember to take a beanie with me for that lens trick.

Re the sliding hood - For me it's a bit inconvenient to keep sliding that thing out to change settings and because the hood is a little loose on my copy, it's not a smooth move.

The contrast is definitely contrasty with this lens. I'm finding that black and white film I didn't have too much concern with in my old 645 system is too contrasty with the Fuji, Rollei Retro 400s in particular. Heavy contrast. Consequently I'm buying HP5 exclusively for use with the Fuji as it seems to be the sweetspot, at least as far as my style of shooting is concerned.

Thanks everyone!

 

[toyotadesigner]

The EBC Fujinon might be a tad contrasty (like the ZEISS lenses for Hasselblad), but they are razor sharp. The sharpness is based on the rangefinder with the matching patches - much easier to nail the focus then with a ground glass.

I don't mind sharp lenses - breathe onto the front lens element, and it delivers soft images. But a soft lens - how can you manage it to render sharp images?

BTW, the sharpness and contrast of the lenses of the GW and GSW were the reason for me to invest into a Fujinon 8.0/300mm for my LF camera - it is an incredible lens.

The sliding hood: you can try to glue some thin velvet band around it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Enjoy your camera and shoot more film.