Following this thread with great interest! Would anyone like to compare the gf with a mamiya 7? I mainly use a normal lens anyway, and aren’t they about the same price then?
The viewfinder on the Fuji's simply the best imaginable for a rangefinder and the meter is absolutely flawless.
??I'm in the market for a 6x7 rangefinder so the GF670 and GF670W have been coming up a lot but honestly I'm shocked at the prices. The folding version is sold at/over what it was sold new for and the fixed lens is selling at 2,500 USD.
No doubt they are slick looking cameras. Fuji nailed the look for their last hurrah on their G series MF rangefinders.
But is there really any reason other than aesthetics that one would want to pay 2,500 for a GF when you can get a low-shutter GW670III for 1,000 or less?
I understand the perks of buying something newer for security in that it will work, but that seems like a pretty big gap to breach.
But should I be considering it? Clearly people think its worth the money.
I have a Gundlach Wizard 11x14 that still has its original bellows, and they're over a century old. Yes they're a little creaky and stiff but they don't have pinholes or leaks or failing seams.FWIW, the 40+ year old bellows on the Mamiya C330 I've owned since new is in great shape.
And the bellows on my 50+ year old Retina IIIc is apparently original and fully functional.
Bellows are not inherently a problem.
Do you only shoot B&W or do you shoot E6 as well? E6 can certainly show any meters flaws.
??
With $ 2,500 you'll have a Rolleiflex sl66se and for aesthetics nobody beats you the next couple of decades & TILT on board....
the man doesn't know what he wants... & he still have a bellow to worry about.
As to why? The only real reason someone waffles over the price of a camera (unless it's a specific example of a camera that is out of the normal range for that item) is that it's a fanciful purchase and not a serious tool. .
the man needs guidance not rules! you of all people should know
Same is true for my 1917 Folmer and Schwing 11 x 14. Probably bought their bellows from the same guyI have a Gundlach Wizard 11x14 that still has its original bellows, and they're over a century old. Yes they're a little creaky and stiff but they don't have pinholes or leaks or failing seams.
Do you only shoot B&W or do you shoot E6 as well? E6 can certainly show any meters flaws.
I just looked at Ebay....wow, GF670 prices have gone up indeed. For once I'm not on the short end of that transaction. Now that GF670's cost more used than new, that shows how wonderful a camera they are.
They're two very different cameras in style and construction. The GW 670 has that tinny ping shutter, it's HUGE, it has that fixed lens projecting out the front. A GF can be carried in a (large) coat pocket. The GW cannot. The GF is much more compact, can switch aspect ratios, and IIRC has a built-in meter. Ergo, not the same tool - there are projects that the GF can be used for that the GW cannot.Not necessary. I had a quick look at ebay prices and I can buy a Fuji GW670 for ~1/5 the price of a Fuji GF670. Both are excellent cameras, both range finders, and I think both could be considered "serious tools". I think it's a valid question to ask if one is worth 5 times the price of the other.
They're two very different cameras in style and construction. The GW 670 has that tinny ping shutter, it's HUGE, it has that fixed lens projecting out the front. A GF can be carried in a (large) coat pocket. The GW cannot. The GF is much more compact, can switch aspect ratios, and IIRC has a built-in meter. Ergo, not the same tool - there are projects that the GF can be used for that the GW cannot.
Perhaps a better way to phrase it is if you are a working professional making money with the tool, then the price of the tool is less of a concern when you know you will more than recoup the cost.
For those kind of prices you could out fit yourself with a very nice Hasselblad and a good selection of lenses and film backs, and still have money for coffee at $tarbucks.
Yes, bu you would be much better served and much better off.
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