Fuji GW690iii Review

Introduction

The well-known range of Fuji medium format cameras are imposing photographic workhorses. These are big, no-nonsense, mechanical machines with fixed manual focus lenses and a mechanical rangefinder focus system. Nothing is automated and these cameras do not need batteries. They are robust and durable and will survive years of professional use.

Fuji GW and GSW rangefinder cameras are enduring favourites amongst landscape and travel photographers who appreciate their operational simplicity and rugged reliability that leaves your mind free to concentrate on making the image without the encumbrance of distracting menus and modes. The frames on the lightbox are impressive, although somewhat short of 9cm on the longest edge and actually closer to 6x8cm, there is still enough real estate to make huge enlargements

I was recently offered a new old UK stock Fuji GW690iii and anyone who is familiar with my photography blogsite will know that I shoot a lot of medium format film and couldn’t possibly resist such a temptation!

I’ve used my Fuji GSW690iii for well over 25 years. It has paid for it’s keep many times over and is the camera that rendered my previous entire Mamiya 7ii kit redundant in the late 90’s.

Succumbing to temptation

Since Fuji discontinued their medium format rangefinder cameras around 2005, I’ve often been tempted to add a GW690iii to my GSW and GX617 pair.

Every time a good GW690iii appeared for sale at any of my preferred dealers I always hovered over the shopping cart and always talked myself out of buying! After all, I didn’t actually need another 6x9 camera, did I?

Later, when I’d return to the dealer’s site to reconsider only to find yet again that the camera had been sold, I always had a pang of regret that I had let it go.

With such a unique opportunity as this, there was no deliberating and no cursor hovering. My decision was instant and final and the camera was on it’s way to me. What a relief it is to have finally gone and done it!

Separating the Twins

The difference between the GSW690iii and GW690iii is simply concerned with the focal lengths of their respective fixed Fujinon EBC lenses.

The 65mm EBC lens built into the GSW690iii is a moderate wide angle that equates to a 28mm in 35mm or full-frame format, whilst the 90mm EBC of the GW690iii gives a similar angle of view to a 40mm lens on a 35mm or full frame camera, slightly wider than a standard 50mm lens but close in ratio to the the ‘ideal’ corner-to-corner 42mm diagonal dimension of a 35mm frame (35mm and 6x9cm formats share the same 3:2 aspect ratio).

Everything functionally and operationally is identical between the two cameras.

I previously reviewed my GSW690iii on my blogsite (see my Fuji GSW690iii review here) and it is one of the most visited pages on the site, a testament to the continued popularity, interest and desirability of these cameras.

Controls

Looking down at the top plate, working across from the right hand side to the left, you’ll see a metal shutter release button threaded for a conventional cable release which is situated within the film wind-on lever pivot. The winding action takes two strokes of the lever to advance the film, this also cocks the lens shutter ready to expose the next frame.

The shutter is timed from T to 1/500th sec. and flash will synch at all speeds. Bizarrely, there is no B (bulb) setting. This was a poor design decision, particularly for landscape photographers where exposures can often run into minutes.

The only way to end an exposure longer than 1 second is to cap the lens and turn the shutter speed ring on the lens from T to 1 second. This will close the shutter, it is an inconvenient but required method in the absence of a B setting.

It may be true that these cameras were originally intended, as I once read somewhere, for photographing groups of people and the Fuji design dept. hadn’t considered wider applications such as landscape photography.

Next is the frame counter window and the film (length) selector button with settings for 4, 8 (120) & 16 (220) exposures.

The hot shoe is standard with one central terminal contact to enable the use of a shoe-mounted flash unit or trigger. To the left of the hot shoe is a film plane symbol and a horizontal plane bubble level.

Viewfinder

The viewfinder has a central circular yellow-coloured rangefinder image and frame lines that correspond to the lens angle of view. As my GW is an unused new camera, the frame lines are clear and bright. By comparison, the frame lines in my GSW are somewhat faint which does indicate that they might fade a little over time. There is ample room within the viewfinder window to be able to see outside of the frame lines.

This is a particularly useful feature for landscape and moving subject photography that no electronic or dslr/slr viewfinder can emulate.

Many examples of these cameras seem to be missing the viewfinder eyepiece. The good news is that the readily-available DK-17 eyepiece used in many older Nikon slr cameras such as the FE, FM2n, FA, FM3a etc. will fit the later Fuji rangefinder cameras perfectly.

The viewfinder is on the left of the rear of the camera body. This is traditionally a bone of contention for many photographers who are left eye dominant, and it can be a problem with smaller film rangefinder cameras, but the Fuji GW/GSW’s are large enough that the film wind on lever is not too close to the right eye.

There is a film tab holder on the rear of the camera and three strap lugs (2 on one side and 1 on each end) so that the camera can be carried either horizontally or hanging from the two lugs on the left side.

Fujinon 90mm f3.5 EBC Lens

• The GW690iii has a fixed Fujinon EBC 90mm f3.5 lens with 5 elements in 4 groups.

• Apertures are from f3.5-f32 with very positive and audible half-stop detents through the range.

• The shutter is a Copal-type lens shutter with speeds from T-1/500th sec and flash synch with all speeds.

• Aperture and shutter speed rings can be turned and set simultaneously or adjusted individually.

• There is a fixed sliding lens hood that, annoyingly, covers the aperture and shutter speed rings when retracted. Square filter systems such as Lee or Formatt-Hitech are difficult and inconvenient to use because the filter, filter holder and lens adapter ring all have to be removed and the hood slid forwards to access the shutter & aperture controls. It’s not uncommon for some owners to have the hood permanently removed, but the result is not pretty!

The lens has a substantial rubber grip on the focus ring that makes focusing whilst wearing gloves easy. This same rubber grip on my much-used 25-year-old GSW690iii seems to be far more durable than many other manufacturers, such as Nikon, and shows no signs of stretching or becoming loose.

The aperture and shutter speed rings are heavy duty plastic and click firmly into place. It would be very difficult if not impossible to accidentally move the settings.

Base plate

Two conventional sprung film spool holders are disengaged by pressing orange buttons inside the film chamber. There is a shutter actuation counter and the displayed number needs to be multiplied by 10x for the true number of actuations.

The shutter should be serviced when the counter reaches 500 (5000 actuations). Leaf, or lens shutters are generally very quiet but these cameras have a notoriously loud and unpleasant sound when the shutter is released. The actuation counter mechanism is responsible for the sound, not the actual shutter.

Opening the camera back

The plastic back release catch is situated on the right side and requires inserting a finger tip at the top and pulling down. This is not the best solution in extremely cold weather with cold fingers!

If you are looking to buy a Fuji GW/GWS camera, pay attention to the state of the lever. Users with large or cold fingers sometimes use car keys etc to open the lever and I’ve seen quite a few with signs of damage.

Film chamber

The back tends to spring open vigorously on release so it’s a good idea to control it to prevent putting strain on the hinge. The interior is conventional with an adjustable film pressure plate for 120 and 220 films and a film start arrow engraved on the upper guide rail.

It takes about four strokes of the film advance lever to bring up the first frame and two strokes after each exposure to reach the next frame.

The back closes with a positive click. Be sure not to trap the neck strap when closing the back as the strap lug is very close to the hinge.

Camera front

Apart from the viewfinder, rangefinder and frame lines illuminating windows, the only controls on the front of the camera are the shutter release lock with an integral shutter release button and the X-synch terminal socket which has a sliding cover.

The front shutter release is useful when shooting hand-held in portrait format and the release lock prevents accidental release by locking both shutter buttons.

Conclusion

The Fuji GW690iii and GSW690iii cameras are built to professional use standard with a durable construction and resilient materials. The main body is die-cast alloy which is covered with a plastic material. This exterior covering has proven to be hard wearing in my experience of 25 years of ownership and using my GSW690iii in all weather conditions. Fuji made no claims to weather sealing when these cameras were in production, so with that in mind and I am careful to protect mine from rain, sea spray and sand in the Hebridean environment where I live.

All the controls are large and positive and most can be operated whilst wearing gloves. The trade-off of course is that these cameras are not lightweights and are far from compact, but they aren’t excessively heavy when balanced against a dslr or slr and a couple of lenses. They are solid, reliable basic manual cameras that encourage a disciplined, methodical approach, not least due to the ever-rising cost of film.

Those eight exposures on a 120 roll are going to cost you anything from £2-£3+ each time you press the shutter release!

That’s the stark reality of the pure economics, or otherwise, or shooting with film. We are all photographers and the financial outlay is often the minor consideration after the purchase has been made. In fact, it’s usually completely forgotten about very quickly!

The resulting huge negative or transparency with it’s extraordinary detail, smooth tonal transitions and sumptuous colours is what you are buying into with these cameras. That’s why those of us who use and appreciate them for their back-to-basics simplicity probably hear the clunk of the shutter and actuation counter rather more loudly than the ker-ching of the credit card hit as we buy more film.

Every photographer I’ve ever met who was using a Fuji GW/GSW690iii was doing so with a smile. I know that feeling because I smile too and these cameras provide good reasons to smile!

Related reviews

I use a variety of medium format and 35mm cameras. Several of them have been my fellow travellers for many years whilst others are relatively new to my ownership, but all are used often and appreciated for their individual qualities.

Please click on the links below to read my user reviews: