The Fuji GW690ii vs GW690iii

Shutter is supposed to be serviced at 5k shots. So im guessing its done more than this

The gw series were primarily designed for tour grp photos at scenic spots a big thing in japan at the time. So the built in hood and adjacent controls were a feature not a bug, for quick pictures shooting large volumes, rather than say considered landscape shots.

Huss said:

Japan seller? Let me guess, described as Mint ++++ ?

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How'd you guess?

Arcadia4 said:

Shutter is supposed to be serviced at 5k shots. So im guessing its done more than this

The gw series were primarily designed for tour grp photos at scenic spots a big thing in japan at the time. So the built in hood and adjacent controls were a feature not a bug, for quick pictures shooting large volumes, rather than say considered landscape shots.

Click to expand...

The counter says 381, so that's 3810 actuations. Heat and humidity can speed the deterioration of old oils and lubricants I'd imagine.

I'm bummed.

As per Japan sellers, there are many of them, and so far all my own transactions with them have been superb. When I got my GS690iii, it was delivered from Tokyo to my doorstep in 18 hours!! Yeah, I'm near a Fedex West Coast distribution hub; but still that's faster than things normally come from LA. And when it was rated Mint minus, it took me about half an hour to find out what the minus was for, and I eventually found a tiny scratch on the lens hood. It looked brand new, even the box itself, and only ever had a dozen rolls of film run through it. I've had analogous excellent experiences with Japanese sellers.

DREW WILEY said:

I've had analogous excellent experiences with Japanese sellers.

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I have too, but I'd reccomend anyone to ignore the word--mint, excellent, etc.--and study pictures very closely, and know what the item is supposed to look like. Some Japanese eBay sellers are quite scrupulous, others not so much (like in all things, its a spectrum.) For example at the moment there is a "n mint-" Linhof Technkardan 23 on eBay that is far, far from that--number scales are worn off, bubble levels are missing and glued over with a metal plate (or adhesive backed plate), and most worringly aftermarket levels are glued on the rear standard in a position where the rear standard can no longer shift (and also makes me wonder if the lock on the rear shift isn't working so the levels are glued on so it won't get out of position.) Maybe its uncommon enough that the seller didn't know what its supposed to look like, but much of it is pretty obvious.

So do your due diligence and also read the text to look for any mentioned invisible issues.

The definition of "mint" itself seems to age poorly. Old overpriced "cult" lenses seem to be particularly prone to be classified as "near mint" if there's fungus in only half the elements, and dents only on the front rim. But I rarely look at those kinds of items. Once something is advertised as "collectible", I'm suspicious from the outset. I don't need any overpriced bookends, collectible or not. I'm a shooter.

As far as counters go, just like auto mileage odometers, these can hypothetically be reset by unscrupulous sellers, but probably rarely are, since they're not the type who would likely want to go to all the extra fuss doing so. Fuji had a recommended shutter maintenance interval of around 1200 rolls or so; but many people have had no issues well beyond that. It's just a recommendation. I bought my GS690ii with 350 on the counter, and will never go over a 1000 in my life. My GS690iii had only 15 roll runs through it, so for all practical purposes, might as well have been a brand new camera.