I found a good alternative, my Mamiya universal/press was cheaper, the leaf shutter is silent, I can change backs and also sizes of the frames. It also came with multiple lenses. It is bigger but for me feels like it weighs less than my Pentax 67. The lens are sharp too plus it has removable backs that allows me to shoot more with 6x9.
For landscapes and large group shots, the Fuji GSW690iii with fixed 65mm f/5.6 wide-angle lens is my personal favorite. When shooting general subjects, I love to pair it with a Fuji GW670iii with fixed 90mm f/3.5 normal lens.
If you are already itching for a new camera look into the one I just bought! It’s the first of this series which is the GL690. It came out in 1968, full metal body with interchangeable lenses. Now they only made three lenses(65mm, 100mm, and the 150mm all leaf shutter lenses!) it will come with the 100mm f3.5 lens and the others will run you about $200-300. The camera weigh a lil bit more than 4 pounds but it doesn’t have that counter so it’s way way quieter! The later model of the 690 will also have the two shutter buttons. Happy shooting and great video!
The GL690 was functionally a test-bed for the later GW and GSW models. While not a particularly troublesome camera, its interchangeable lens function and some other design aspects gave it a reputation as less than reliable. There were actually several more lenses than noted here, but they were few in number and at least one may have never made it out of prototype development. One incorporated a largely dysfunctional auto-exposure capacity built in to the lens. Today, apart from the standard 100mm lens which comes with the body, finding any lenses for these bodies is very difficult. The 690 was dropped after a few years, then later reappeared as a fixed lens body in the GW and GSW formats, which deserve the excellent rep they hold. Their lenses are remarkable, which seems to be common to all of Fujica's "pro" cameras.
Nice review. I have the same camera except version iii. I’ve only had it about a year but really enjoy using it. A little trivia about the camera. This was used by tour guides in Japan for taking group shots. The half roll was all they needed, hence the 4 exposure roll. Good luck finding 220, it hasn’t been produced for years.
Fun fact about 220 film! Shanghai GP3 is a high contrast back and white film that can even be found on Amazon and they just released 220 film here in 2023! No reviews on it yet though.
I found a good alternative, my Mamiya universal/press was cheaper, the leaf shutter is silent, I can change backs and also sizes of the frames. It also came with multiple lenses. It is bigger but for me feels like it weighs less than my Pentax 67. The lens are sharp too plus it has removable backs that allows me to shoot more with 6x9.
Always wanted to try the Mamiya universal.
For landscapes and large group shots, the Fuji GSW690iii with fixed 65mm f/5.6 wide-angle lens is my personal favorite.
When shooting general subjects, I love to pair it with a Fuji GW670iii with fixed 90mm f/3.5 normal lens.
Killer photo at 6:21
If you are already itching for a new camera look into the one I just bought! It’s the first of this series which is the GL690. It came out in 1968, full metal body with interchangeable lenses. Now they only made three lenses(65mm, 100mm, and the 150mm all leaf shutter lenses!) it will come with the 100mm f3.5 lens and the others will run you about $200-300. The camera weigh a lil bit more than 4 pounds but it doesn’t have that counter so it’s way way quieter! The later model of the 690 will also have the two shutter buttons. Happy shooting and great video!
The GL690 was functionally a test-bed for the later GW and GSW models. While not a particularly troublesome camera, its interchangeable lens function and some other design aspects gave it a reputation as less than reliable. There were actually several more lenses than noted here, but they were few in number and at least one may have never made it out of prototype development. One incorporated a largely dysfunctional auto-exposure capacity built in to the lens. Today, apart from the standard 100mm lens which comes with the body, finding any lenses for these bodies is very difficult. The 690 was dropped after a few years, then later reappeared as a fixed lens body in the GW and GSW formats, which deserve the excellent rep they hold. Their lenses are remarkable, which seems to be common to all of Fujica's "pro" cameras.
Nice review. I have the same camera except version iii. I’ve only had it about a year but really enjoy using it. A little trivia about the camera. This was used by tour guides in Japan for taking group shots. The half roll was all they needed, hence the 4 exposure roll. Good luck finding 220, it hasn’t been produced for years.
Fun fact about 220 film! Shanghai GP3 is a high contrast back and white film that can even be found on Amazon and they just released 220 film here in 2023! No reviews on it yet though.
thanks bruv