Are the mkI and II really metal in the exterior? I've never held one but from some auctions I got the impression it's some very hard plastic, as some sellers described cracking consistent with a non-metal material. I know that all the model have a metal chassis.II was probably the sweet spot. Metal exterior, shutter lock button. I didnt feel film loading was that difficult in II compared to III. Actually prefer the loading on the II compared to the pop out release buttons in III.
At the moment I count 5 GW690s with the B mode on ebay, all in Japan. However none of them are in good shape, and a few of them look downright terrible (severe corrosion, fungus etc). The kicker though is ALL of them were listed as at least "excellent" condition.
No rationalization, I've actually used it for time exposures down to a few second. Why don't you try it and see if you have issues?If I may be frank, it seems like you're rationalising poor design here. Having to fudge imprecise and error-prone workarounds to a lack of hands-free shutter closure is crazy in such modern cameras IMO, especially ones which are otherwise so geared towards high quality results. The blocking the lens thing is all well and good if you have a very long exposure, but what if it's say 2 seconds long? Then I doubt very much one could reliably block the end of the lens with an object quickly and smoothly enough to not induce noticeable ghosting or shake in the final image.
Are the mkI and II really metal in the exterior?
No. The coverings for the generation I and II versions as well are indeed plastic.
The GW 690 Fujis need to be very carefully loaded to prevent fat rolls. It mentions it in the owner's manual:
To prevent the film from becoming loose again when the camera back is being closed, use the film advance lever to keep the leader paper taut until you snap the camera back into place.
The GWs are the only cameras that have fat rolled me.. Never had an issue with any of my other MF cameras.
The way it's implemented results in the shutter speed and aperture controls being recessed and awkward to manipulate. Beside being a nuisance generally, this also makes the workings of the T setting even more clumsy, because one of the ways of ending a T exposure - changing to a different shutter speed setting - is even harder to do without jarring the camera.
How about covering the lens, then changing the speed to stop the exposure? This will solve the shake issue.
-Joe
No, not expected behavior.Fuji GW690II- Without film in the camera, you cannot press down the shutter release unless you open the camera back. But, I also notice that with back open, and when depressing the shutter release, looking through the lens, I'm not seeing the aperture open. I hear the snap of the release, but not seeing it open and close.
Question: is this expected behavior?
- Joe
No, not expected behavior.
Lens cap?
Try different speeds to see if any of them let light through. Best to have aperture wide open just because it makes it easier to be certain.
If you have a roll of backing paper saved from a previous 120 film, you can load the camera with that to check the shutter and frame counting operation without wasting any film. I always save some backing paper and spools for this.
I don't. Just fresh rolls.
You think the frame count operation and shutter advance, and won't open, without being loaded?
I've started ebay proceedings already to return to Japan. Really too bad. It's in beautiful condition aesthetically.
As I recall from my old shooting days, this would be too expensive to service lens.
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