Should I trade in my Fuji GW690III for a Fuji GF670 or Plaubel Makina 670/67?

[warden]

So... someone very kindly offered me their Mamiya 7 with the 65mm, 150mm, and 210mm lenses (with its separate viewfinder) for a grand total of $2k, BUT the internal light meter doesn't work with any of the lenses. Apparently the light meter doesnt work at all.

Do you guys think this is worth it? Despite the light meter not working, I assume most of you would say yes, but I would definitely want to fix the light meter if possible.

Would any of you guys know how much it would cost to fix the light meter in the Mamiya 7 or if its even possible to fix said light meter?

Many thanks!

That’s a “cheap” way to get to a great system. I’d have a hard time resisting if everything other than the light meter was in proper functioning order. Is one of the three lenses a focal length that you would actually use?

 

[DREW WILEY]

For anything serious I use true external frame backpacks capable of handling up to 120 lb loads. But I've never personally carried more than 100, and now at an age of 73, prefer to carry half that weight. A proper pack does a great deal to protect your back, provided you work out with it routinely and stay in shape as best you can. But a little Fuji 6x9 rangefinder will easily fit in a small shoulder pack for quick outings. I carry my smaller Ries wooden tripod rifle-style over my shoulder, and have a trekking pole in the other hand. Works fine for afternoon hikes of 5 or 8 miles or so. I stipulate afternoon, because mornings have been cold here, but afternoons lovely, though another storm is due in a day or so.

 

[campy51]

So... someone very kindly offered me their Mamiya 7 with the 65mm, 150mm, and 210mm lenses (with its separate viewfinder) for a grand total of $2k, BUT the internal light meter doesn't work with any of the lenses. Apparently the light meter doesnt work at all.

Do you guys think this is worth it? Despite the light meter not working, I assume most of you would say yes, but I would definitely want to fix the light meter if possible.

Would any of you guys know how much it would cost to fix the light meter in the Mamiya 7 or if its even possible to fix said light meter?

Many thanks!

If you don't buy it will he sell it to me? That's a great deal

 

[Sirius Glass]

For anything serious I use true external frame backpacks capable of handling up to 120 lb loads. But I've never personally carried more than 100, and now at an age of 73, prefer to carry half that weight. A proper pack does a great deal to protect your back, provided you work out with it routinely and stay in shape as best you can. But a little Fuji 6x9 rangefinder will easily fit in a small shoulder pack for quick outings. I carry my smaller Ries wooden tripod rifle-style over my shoulder, and have a trekking pole in the other hand. Works fine for afternoon hikes of 5 or 8 miles or so. I stipulate afternoon, because mornings have been cold here, but afternoons lovely, though another storm is due in a day or so.

Does that mean continued working out is a life sentence?

 

[DREW WILEY]

No. It's a privilege. A sentence would involve being condemned to working out in a stinky indoor gym instead. Who needs a StairMaster when there are real hills and mountains around? Well, I admit that prescription might be a little difficult some place, like Kansas, where the highest spot in the State changes each day depending on what the cattle left behind.

 

[Sirius Glass]

No. It's a privilege. A sentence would involve being condemned to working out in a stinky indoor gym instead. Who needs a StairMaster when there are real hills and mountains around? Well, I admit that prescription might be a little difficult some place, like Kansas, where the highest spot in the State changes each day depending on what the cattle left behind.

Sometimes at the gym it feels like a life sentence to do the 40 minutes of aerobics, even mixing up to non-impact exercises, three to five days a week. If we were meant to exercise we would have been born with wheels instead of feet.

 

[DREW WILEY]

My gosh. I've got the worst feet imaginable, as flat and wide as duck's feet, with short ligaments that overstretched and took 6 weeks to heal. And I once had to walk 35 miles out of the mountains with an 85lb pack on two sprained ankles. Heavy mountaineering
"double boots" (double-walled thick leather) acted almost like an ankle cast; but once those came off - wow, the swelling started! When I was a child I learned the hard way that Podiatrists got their training at Spanish Inquisition workshops. But fortunately, things have changed, and with modern prescription carbon fiber orthotics, thousand buck custom made hiking boots, and Austrian trekking poles with shock springs in them, my feet and knees feel better than they did three decades ago. But I'm not carrying loads nearly as heavy either. And where I'm originally from, wheels just can't go all that many places; even a horse can't get through a lot of that steep terrain.
Being my own pack mule, or rather, pack mountain goat, wasn't an option.

 

[Roger Cole]

I did a 5-hour hike with my 500 C/M and an 80mm CF T* lens a while back. That was a once-and-done experience Next time I'll either compromise on image quality and take a 35mm camera or I'll buy another MF camera that's easier to haul around for long periods.

My 4x5 kit is actually lighter and smaller than my Mamiya 645 Pro, both with three lenses. Not counting the tripod I need for the former of course.

Point being - I agree. I love MF SLRs but they aren't small and light.

I like my TLRs for walking around but while they aren't heavy they aren't small like a flat RF either.

 

[Sirius Glass]

My gosh. I've got the worst feet imaginable, as flat and wide as duck's feet, with short ligaments that overstretched and took 6 weeks to heal. And I once had to walk 35 miles out of the mountains with an 85lb pack on two sprained ankles. Heavy mountaineering
"double boots" (double-walled thick leather) acted almost like an ankle cast; but once those came off - wow, the swelling started! When I was a child I learned the hard way that Podiatrists got their training at Spanish Inquisition workshops. But fortunately, things have changed, and with modern prescription carbon fiber orthotics, thousand buck custom made hiking boots, and Austrian trekking poles with shock springs in them, my feet and knees feel better than they did three decades ago. But I'm not carrying loads nearly as heavy either. And where I'm originally from, wheels just can't go all that many places; even a horse can't get through a lot of that steep terrain.
Being my own pack mule, or rather, pack mountain goat, wasn't an option.

Not to get into a pissing contest on who has the worst feet ... did you know that the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area is not a large enough commerce area to qualify for wide men's shoes to 6X or 8X?

 

[Paul Howell]

Nice, still if the camera is in good working order a hand held meter can be just as functional, perhaps more with incident mode.

 

[DREW WILEY]

For routine day wear, I get Redwing boots, the real US-made ones, that is. They'll even mismatch widths L vs R if needed. But custom mtn boots is a harder topic today. What one could get for $800 dollars 15 yrs ago is now around $3500. But those things are so well made, and can be resoled so many times if necessary, that I'll likely never need another pair. In fact, this is only my second pair of custom boots in 45 years, despite thousands of miles of rough backpacking during that span.

 

[gijsbert]

Regarding the original question, if size of the GW series is not a problem just stick with it, easy to use, very reliable, cheaper.

GF670 is the lightest and smallest, auto-exposure is nice and the 66 option is cool, mine has had no battery issues or alignment problems, close focus slightly better at 0.9 vs 1 for Plaubel+GW.

For me the Plaubel Makina 67/670 is the best looking and has a more interesting lens-draw/3D - if such a thing exists. My 67 has okay film transport, light meter works, alignment good. The Plaubel is heavier than the GF though, 1.4kg vs 1kg.

If you like using filters then the GF670 is not great: can't close with filter installed, using the lens shade+filter is okay but still have to take it off whenever you close it, and then have to store the filter somewhere. Plaubel + filter is perfect, (original) lens cap goes over lens+filter.

 

[Vaidotas]

I have been using Hasselblads for over a decade and the pentagonal aperture has not caused any artifacts nor problems. People have been using the Hasselblad since 1957 without that being a problem. You have an Operator Assisted Failure.

Not so fast
Anyone can have their aesthetic priorities in no match with yours.

 

[manfrominternet]

Just when I was seriously considering purchasing the Mamiya 6, someone just offered me a Fuji GF670 for $2200. They said, however, that the vertical alignment on the GF670’s rangefinder is slightly off. The seller sent me a bunch of photos of the camera and set comes with the original box and the original strap. I’m supposed to meet with the seller this weekend to check out the camera. He said I’m under no obligation to purchase it.

That said, do you guys think $2200 is a fair price for the GF670 if everything otherwise looks good? (The camera barely has a scratch on it, not that that’s the most important thing.

Also, how much would it cost to fix the vertical alignment on the rangefinder? The seller told me the GF670 had a CLA a year ago and even sent me the repair/CLA receipt, but said that the repair person just either forgot about adjusting the vertical alignment on the rangefinder or simply just didn’t do it. Seeing as I’m mechanically inclined and have taken apart rangefinders before, would this alignment be something that I can take care of myself or should I under no circumstances even attempt adjusting it? (I know that the access to the adjustment screws are just under the hot shoe.)

And finally, when checking out the GF670, what red flags should I be on the lookout for?

Many, many thanks!

 

[MTGseattle]

You buy the gf670. If you don't like it, I'll send you a Mamiya 6mf and you can send me the gf670. In all seriousness, I've had 1 Mamiya 7II and 1 Mamiya 6 that both had viewfinder alignment issues. I shot a "garbage" roll of film with each and took good notes. I then proceeded to use both as-is. The vertical alignment being off is more an annoyance than anything. I did eventually get both fixed. (I did not own them both at the same time, and I still wish I would have held onto the 7II since I sold before prices went nuts).

To further muddy the waters, there's a Plaubel Makina 67 on Seattle craigslist. It's been posted for a while.

 

[manfrominternet]

You buy the gf670. If you don't like it, I'll send you a Mamiya 6mf and you can send me the gf670. In all seriousness, I've had 1 Mamiya 7II and 1 Mamiya 6 that both had viewfinder alignment issues. I shot a "garbage" roll of film with each and took good notes. I then proceeded to use both as-is. The vertical alignment being off is more an annoyance than anything. I did eventually get both fixed. (I did not own them both at the same time, and I still wish I would have held onto the 7II since I sold before prices went nuts).

To further muddy the waters, there's a Plaubel Makina 67 on Seattle craigslist. It's been posted for a while.

Do you not like your Mamiya 6MF anymore? Any particular reason you're willing to part with it? If the GF670 doesn't fit my shooting style, I'd be happy to trade for the Mamiya 6. Which lenses do you have for it if you don't mind my asking and what condition are the camera/lenses in? I also have a mint Fuji GW690III (truly immaculate without so much as a scratch on it) with the original box, camera bag, strap, even all the paperwork if you're interested. It's condition would definitely be good for a collector and working photographer (obviously) alike.

Out of curiosity, how many times would you have to CLA/rangefinder adjust your Mamiya 6 or 7II?

 

[Steven Lee]

And finally, when checking out the GF670, what red flags should I be on the lookout for?

Ironically, the rangefinder alignment. It's prone to drifting, well... mine was. And it was a bitch to adjust. I did it twice myself but fucked it up the 3rd time. Had a hard time finding someone who works on them (Frank Marshman still does). Incredibly fragile camera... although other people on the Internet reported no issues. Maybe I was just putting too much mileage on mine, essentially treating it as a medium format Leica.

 

[Hassasin]

Fujinon lenses are just dull

It’s not a matter of opinion. How is a “dull” lens defined?

 

[Hassasin]

I would never sell 690, it’s one of a kind hand holdable beast. But I own version II, somewhat different from III in feel.

 

[manfrominternet]

Ironically, the rangefinder alignment. It's prone to drifting, well... mine was. And it was a bitch to adjust. I did it twice myself but fucked it up the 3rd time. Had a hard time finding someone who works on them (Frank Marshman still does). Incredibly fragile camera... although other people on the Internet reported no issues. Maybe I was just putting too much mileage on mine, essentially treating it as a medium format Leica.

So the rangefinder vertical misalignment would itself be a red flag?

If you don't mind my asking, how much did it cost to have someone readjust/fix the rangefinder?

 

[Steven Lee]

@manfrominternet I do not know what else to add. The RF on mine would drift in both directions and needed re-adjustment once every 4-6 months of active use. I do not know how typical this was. Speaking of costs, unfortunately I wouldn't know. Frank did not charge me for the RF adjustment per se, he charged me (parts+labor) for something I accidentally broke when I failed to adjust the RF myself. Once you get the flash shoe off, be careful with the screwdriver!

 

[MTGseattle]

@manfrominternet I have (2) 6mf bodies right now. They are both "budget/slightly distressed" samples. I was mostly joking regarding the trade. The GF670 always intrigued me, but I'm pretty happy and comfortable shooting squares. I'll jump to 4x5 for rectangles. During my ownership of my first Mamiya 6 and then the 7II, I never had issues with rangefinder alignment after they were repaired. I think this could be a combo of luck and somewhat light usage. There could always be sample to sample variance as well.

I haven't read up on the GF670 in a while. If you choose 6x6, do you get the proper number of frames per roll, or does it use a mask to crop 6x7 down in camera and give you the same number of frames as if you were shooting 6x7?

As for the "Texas Leica," I had a gw670III just last year, and long exposure work was/is fiddly, and there was the square thing.

I went back and read your first post again to refresh my memory. Here is 1 dude's opinion; Hide and watch for another Mamiya 7/7II deal. The deal you posted earlier did sound good, but with a slightly odd lens group and a non-functioning meter. I will not hazard a guess regarding meter repair costs as it could be anything from 1 broken solder joint to broken pieces inside the body.

My only issue in shooting both of the Mamiya rangefinders is that I sometimes like to get in close and do some abstract work. None of the Mamiya lenses focus closer than 3.2 feet or thereabouts. It's a very small issue, and I can fulfill that niche with digital, or view camera.

Godspeed my friend.

 

[Vaidotas]

It’s not a matter of opinion. How is a “dull” lens defined?

Merriam - Webster dictionary has nine definitions of the “dull” adjective, you can choose one.
I’d add tenth. They are pure technical lens.
Razor sharp. Excellent contrast. Outstanding definition. Perfectly corrected.
I.e. - boring.
That’s my very subjective view based on almost everyday use on digital MF.

 

[brian steinberger]

I would recommend the Mamiya 6 or 7 cameras to the OP. I have two Mamiya 6 bodies with all 3 lenses and have used them for 15 years now and have had zero issues. I have had mine CLA’d 3 times now over that time. I use Bob Watkins at Precision Camera works now located in Texas. I’ve used the Fuji RFs before. While nice being mechanical why limit yourself to one lens?

 

[etn]

I've had both the Plaubel 67 & 670...the key differences in the 670, accepts 220 film (not much use now), improved film transport, better routing for the meter wires & an improved body skin which is easier to grip.

The 67 looks way cooler, though... but I agree it's slippery. Pray I won't let mine fall down for a stupid reason like this one!