The search for a decent 645 folding rangefinder

[thomasossi]

What's up everyone! I've been trying to find some testimonial from folks for a few different folding/compact medium format cameras. Right now I have an RB67 kit I love, but its so bulky that most of the time I just end up bringing my 4x5 if I go out and about and am gonna bring a camera backpack with me. I want a really compact 645 camera that I can shoot a huge pile of Provia 100 with that i've got holed up in my freezer and am hoping some folks have some opinions of the following:

Konica pearl ii (love the aesthetics of this camera but am concerned about light leaks through the rear red window)
Konica pearl iii (is the auto stop winder worth it?)
Fuji GS 645 pro (the folding one)
Plaubel Makina 67 (the 80 f/2.8 model)

I know that the plaubel is in a league of its own in terms of price and format, but it's the only other camera that has piqued my interest. The Konicas seem to be dramatically cheaper but also don't have a meter. Curious to hear what the hive mind has to say about these! Thanks for your time

If there are any standout players i'm overlooking here, please feel free to mention them!

 

[GregY]

The Plaubel Makina is.... 6x7.....not 645

 

[abruzzi]

I've stopped using my Konica Pearl III because it has a light leak I can't fix. The auto winder is absolutely worth it. I don't want a red window camera and the winder on the Pearl III has worked perfectly for me. There are no interlocks, which bother's some people, but I never found an issue with that. You just needs to standarize your process so you don't get double or missed exposures. Lack of interlocks also means less to break. Some of them have a EV based exposure setup where you set the EV number and then turning the dial moves both the shutter and aperture. Some people hate that, but I love it. So if you see a series of integers on the forward facing ring on the lens, it has that feature, in case you want to avoid it.

One thing to note--I have never seen replacement bellows available for these, so if you buy one, make sure that you get one with good condition bellows, or be prepared to tape them up.

 

[loccdor]

You may find that folding cameras are hit or miss in their image quality compared to more rigid constructions. And folding medium format lenses from the old era generally resolve about as much detail on 6x9 as a modern 35mm lens. Less presence of grain though.

Also, the 6x9 folders aren't dramatically bigger than the 6x45 and 6x6 - they all fit in a nice pants pocket. So if you don't mind fewer shots per roll, you may want to scale up.

Red windows have never been a problem for me, I actually prefer them to more complicated film advance systems because there's less that can go wrong. You can always tape them.

 

[4season]

I considered the Fuji GS645 a delightful camera when it worked, but it jammed on me when I was traveling, which was super-inconvenient because this meant I couldn't fold the camera. At the time, Fujifilm was still offering factory service, so I had them perform a full CLA, and for one or two rolls of film, focus accuracy was perfect, and then it went back to being iffy, and I gave up on it.

Have owned a prewar 6x4.5 Zeiss Ikonta for some time now, and despite the lack of a fancier viewfinder or rangefinder, it delivers the goods reliably, and when folded, it's much smaller than the GS645, easily jacket pocket-able.

 

[OAPOli]

I had the Konica Pearl III. Very compact camera. Almost to a fault; it's a bit awkward to hold. The automatic counter is great. Red window leaks are rarely a problem because of the backing paper. However, considering the age of the camera, the bellows are most likely shot. Mine was and it was tricky to replace.

I've used the GS645w (no bellows). It's a very modern camera compared to the Konica. The shutter charging mechanism failed on mine; repairable but it's quite complex.

 

[thomasossi]

The Plaubel Makina is.... 6x7.....not 645

Im well aware hence the "I know the plaubel is in a league of its own in terms of price and format"

 

[Jessxi]

I have the Fuji and I think it is a wonderful camera.

One thing to be aware of though is the controls are kinda stuffed very closely on the lens with not a lot of space in between. I don't have overly large hands, I'd consider mine average size (medium/large size winter glove). I do find myself double checking often that I didn't change a setting (aperture or shutter speed) accidentally.

If that wouldn't bother you i think you can't go wrong with it.

Jess

 

[GregY]

Im well aware hence the "I know the plaubel is in a league of its own in terms of price and format"

Although it folds up small, it is a brick. The lens is superb....& yes about the price.
My first one cost $1400 cnd.... a bit over $1k USD. You don't see them often...although years later in Japan i saw a case with over a dozen....including several wides... I bought the 670...
my apologies... i just glanced at the title & the list. It is indeed in a class of its own.... BTW I preferred the Mamiya 6 MF.... lighter, smaller....superb lenses (esp the 50mm !) and no need to turn the camera.. Also handled far nicer than the PBM....

 

[thomasossi]

I have the Fuji and I think it is a wonderful camera.

One thing to be aware of though is the controls are kinda stuffed very closely on the lens with not a lot of space in between. I don't have overly large hands, I'd consider mine average size (medium/large size winter glove). I do find myself double checking often that I didn't change a setting (aperture or shutter speed) accidentally.

If that wouldn't bother you i think you can't go wrong with it.

Jess

Have you had any issues with it regarding fragility? I hear they can be a little sensitive and don't like to be jostled around

thanks for your reply! the controls on the lens look similar to a large format shutter which i'm pretty used to

 

[thomasossi]

I considered the Fuji GS645 a delightful camera when it worked, but it jammed on me when I was traveling, which was super-inconvenient because this meant I couldn't fold the camera. At the time, Fujifilm was still offering factory service, so I had them perform a full CLA, and for one or two rolls of film, focus accuracy was perfect, and then it went back to being iffy, and I gave up on it.

Have owned a prewar 6x4.5 Zeiss Ikonta for some time now, and despite the lack of a fancier viewfinder or rangefinder, it delivers the goods reliably, and when folded, it's much smaller than the GS645, easily jacket pocket-able.

what did you end up doing with it? I hear lots of similar testimonies with this camera, but it seems like they just vanish. Hard to even find one in the US now.

 

[thomasossi]

Although it folds up small, it is a brick. The lens is superb....& yes about the price.
My first one cost $1400 cnd.... a bit over $1k USD. You don't see them often...although years later in Japan i saw a case with over a dozen....including several wides... I bought the 670...
my apologies... i just glanced at the title & the list. It is indeed in a class of its own.... BTW I preferred the Mamiya 6 MF.... lighter, smaller....superb lenses (esp the 50mm !) and no need to turn the camera.. Also handled far nicer than the PBM....

might have to check out the Mamiya 6mf! I love my RB67, its just too much to lug on a desert day hike or out to the crag for a day of climbing.

 

[Ardpatrick]

There’s also the Bronica 645 RF, which folds. It seems to be very highly regarded, although I’ve never handled one.

 

[Ardpatrick]

There’s also the Bronica 645 RF, which folds. It seems to be very highly regarded, although I’ve never handled one.

Ooops I got that wrong! Memory isn’t what it could be obviously - the Bronica doesn’t fold.

Still it looks like a beauty and pretty compact. And relatively modern. I like the security of a rigid body myself. It feels like one less thing to fail. I shoot Mamiya 7’s myself but I recognize that camera is bulkier than you’re looking for.

Whilst the Mamiya 7 is my choice - the Mamiya 6MF is special - signicantly more compact than the 6x7 model albeit I doubt it’s significantly lighter. Similarly great lenses. I only ever used one once - Lisbon in 1992 from recollection.

 

[GregY]

There’s also the Bronica 645 RF, which folds. It seems to be very highly regarded, although I’ve never handled one.

The Bronica 645....does not fold. Also it's important to note the image is vertical orientation which i can't live with since i shoot mostly landscape orientation.

 

[4season]

what did you end up doing with it? I hear lots of similar testimonies with this camera, but it seems like they just vanish. Hard to even find one in the US now.

It's long gone, of course: Even in it's imperfect state, it easily had a market value in the 400+ USD range, and that was too much money for me to simply toss into a drawer and forget about for the next few decades!

 

[abruzzi]

The Bronica 645....does not fold. Also it's important to note the image is vertical orientation which i can't live with since i shoot mostly landscape orientation.

Thats the case with pretty much all 6x4.5 rangefinders, so the OP is probably ok with that since the Pearl and Fuji are both portrait as well.

 

[Bruce Butterfield]

I like my Konica Perl III; tiny, not too heavy, reliable (so far) auto advance, accurate rangefinder, great Hexar unit focus lens. But, squinty viewfinder, awkward (for me) ergonomics, cheapish build quality compared to my Zeiss Ikon 645s. But it does deliver nice quality photos in a very small package.