HELP! Fujifilm GA645 Problem, URGENT!

RattyMouse · Sep 19, 2013

Hello,

I am out traveling on holiday with my Fuji GA645. I have just finished a roll of film when something has gone drastically wrong. After the 16th shot, instead of the film rewinding, the camera seems to have jammed and not rewinded. The shot count number (16 in this case) is flashing.

How do I recover from this? I dont want to lose the images on this roll of film.

Thank you for sending this urgent help! I am out on a trip making photographs and have lost the use of my camera.

skysh4rk · Sep 19, 2013

RattyMouse said:
Hello,

I am out traveling on holiday with my Fuji GA645. I have just finished a roll of film when something has gone drastically wrong. After the 16th shot, instead of the film rewinding, the camera seems to have jammed and not rewinded. The shot count number (16 in this case) is flashing.

How do I recover from this? I dont want to lose the images on this roll of film.

Thank you for sending this urgent help! I am out on a trip making photographs and have lost the use of my camera.

Hmmm... I've had trouble with my Fuji GA645 on holiday in the past myself, so I empathise with you.

Maybe you could find a dark room (e.g., hotel bathroom with towel under the door), open the back, pop out the 120 spools, and then manually wind the rest of the film into the take up spool? As long as the film isn't bent or twisted in some weird way, I imagine this could possibly work and preserve your photos.

RattyMouse · Sep 19, 2013

skysh4rk said:
Hmmm... I've had trouble with my Fuji GA645 on holiday in the past myself, so I empathise with you.

Maybe you could find a dark room (e.g., hotel bathroom with towel under the door), open the back, pop out the 120 spools, and then manually wind the rest of the film into the take up spool? As long as the film isn't bent or twisted in some weird way, I imagine this could possibly work and preserve your photos.

Heh....the bathroom doors here are GLASS (frosted). No way to make this dark. I might put it under the thick bed sheets and pop it open and have a feel for what is going on under there. Very strange what is going on here. Horrible timing.

darkosaric · Sep 19, 2013

Under the blanket in cabinet maybe? Do you have spare camera with you?

RattyMouse · Sep 19, 2013

darkosaric said:
Under the blanket in cabinet maybe? Do you have spare camera with you?

Under the blanket is my best option it seems. I guess I should not wait any longer since I doubt there is better advice coming.

I have my Nikon FM2 with me, but not as much film as I'd like since I planned half or more of my shooting with the GA645.

MDR · Sep 19, 2013

Excuse my stupidity but the Fuji GA645 is MF camera and does not as far as I know rewind the film, the film ist wound onto the take up spool so you can open the camera in subdued daylight and remove the take up spool. Or do you mean it didn't reset the counter or stopped winding the film onto the take up spool. If the later is the case try a new battery.

darkosaric · Sep 19, 2013

Maybe it is stuck in half way? Better to do it in darkness, then with finger if he feels that all film is on spool - then in subdued light is ok.

lxdude · Sep 19, 2013

MDR said:
Excuse my stupidity but the Fuji GA645 is MF camera and does not as far as I know rewind the film, the film ist wound onto the take up spool so you can open the camera in subdued daylight and remove the take up spool. Or do you mean it didn't reset the counter or stopped winding the film onto the take up spool. If the later is the case try a new battery.

Good point.

philosli · Sep 19, 2013

There is a mid-roll wind-up button at the bottom plate. Maybe you can try to push that to see if you can force it to rewind. Also if it's low battery, you can take the battery out and have them rest for a while, re-insert them in. This may give you a little more extra battery life.

RattyMouse · Sep 19, 2013

OK folks, heres the story. First, THANK YOU for everyone who responded. I panicked and I ran right for help. I put my GA645 under a blanket and popped it open. I felt in there and quickly discovered that the film was fully wound to the end. Very surprised I pulled it out from the blanket and found it was as I felt, fully wound to the end.

I was out shooting in a VERY loud environment and even though I was listening for the film wind to the end, I missed it.

Regarding the flashing 16 on the LCD, I am guessing that's normal. I always shut off my camera after the final wind and so never have looked there. This time since I thought the final wind did not occur, I didnt shut off my camera as usual.

So, everything seems OK. Great ending to this imaginary predicament.

Thanks again!!

darkosaric · Sep 19, 2013

Good news RattyMouse . Now go out and shoot some more film

skysh4rk · Sep 19, 2013

I'm glad to hear that your GA645 is ready to shoot again!

summicron1 · Sep 19, 2013

still not sure what you meant by "rewind." Does the 645 really rewind the film under some circumstance?

baachitraka · Sep 19, 2013

I wonder the same. Why does it need a rewind...

mweintraub · Sep 19, 2013

Not sure why either. Maybe they are mistaken. 120 film does not "Rewind" back.

gone · Sep 19, 2013

Yes, a mistake. No MF camera that I've ever seen that uses 120 film can rewind the film (there is never even a rewind knob for that on the camera). If it DID rewind, you'd have no way of knowing when the end of the roll was reached, as it isn't attached to a film cartridge like 35mm. The paper backing would probably peel off if you tried to rewind it anyway, then you'd really be up a creek.

Richard S. (rich815) · Sep 19, 2013

summicron1 said:
still not sure what you meant by "rewind." Does the 645 really rewind the film under some circumstance?

It doesn't rewind but on the last frame shot the motor drive winds off the rest of the roll and while shorter in time sounds the same as a 35mm camera that automatically rewinds at the end of a roll.

lxdude · Sep 19, 2013

I think "wind through" would be a good term for it.

lxdude · Sep 19, 2013

BTW, be sure to blow out the camera before reloading, as you probably got some fibers from the blanket in it.

RattyMouse · Sep 19, 2013

I used the wrong term. Of course the GA645 does not rewind the film.

piu58 · Sep 20, 2013

I use the GA645 regularely and found it to be very reliable. I am glad to hear that nothing dramatic happened.

RattyMouse · Sep 20, 2013

darkosaric said:
Good news RattyMouse . Now go out and shoot some more film

Mission accomplished! Several rolls of Kodak Tri X shot along with Fuji Acros.

Also, just to complete this as a film day, I bought my daughter a Fuji Instax camera! Now the last member of my family has a film camera.

darkosaric · Sep 20, 2013

RattyMouse said:
I bought my daughter a Fuji Instax camera!

She will rule at parties! Instax beats every iPhone in being cool at party .

HELP! Fujifilm GA645 Problem, URGENT!

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