Fuji GF670W

<p>The 55mm lens as shown <a href="http://bit.ly/fnoGvM">here</a> is so much smaller than the Mamiya 7II 50mm lens. Both are 6x7 format. How is that possible?</p>

<p>Maybe the Mamiya engineers didn't consider size to be am important criterion? Maybe they thought that the look and balance of the camera in total with the lenses fitted was about right?</p>

<p>Or maybe the requirement for interchangeability forces some compromises.</p>

<p>The bellows. Very interesting camera.</p>

<p>Looks like no bellows with this camera...but what is that control tab - just to the upper left on the lens mounting plate?</p>

<p>I do like that the f.l. is 55mm - which, along with its apparent .7m minimum focus makes this equate nicely with my own favorite 28mm Elmarit-M on my M6.</p>

<p>Still weighing this out against a Mamiya M7. I can see some advantages of two bodies...each with its own dedicated lens (I often shoot with two M6's this way...one with a 28mm, the other with a 50), and from the looks of this, the total bulk of this would not be much more than one Mamiya 7-II with two lenses (plus the extra finder for the Mamiya 7's 50mm) - and I like the narrow profiles of the Fujis.</p>

<p>The thing that worries me most concerns long term use of the GF670 - and if the constant unfolding/refolding will eventually compromise the mechanism which keeps the lens in parallel alignment with the film. I currently own a classic Voightlander Bessa-II, with a wonderful Heliar lens...but there is some amount of play in the mount. </p>

<p>Still, I find the prospect of using these two Fuji's very compelling. I just hope the new wide version will be available before too long...and that its price point will compare favorably with that of the current GF670. One would think, that if the W version does lack a bellows, this would equate to a less complicated mechanism...and, assuming that the 55mm lens might, on balance, be a bit more complex than the 80mm from a manufacturing standpoint, that the price of these two cameras would therefore be about equal.</p>

<p>The Mamiya mount seems to protrude farther from the Mamiya film plane, I guess that the lens design is not the same as the Fuji (and may be a bit like 35mm SLR lenses of 28mm focal length, with the mirror box space making retrofocus or similar designs important and the lenses are larger than their rangefinder equivalents).</p>

<p>A 55mm lens is nice, but if they had opted for a 45mm lens it would be a very special camera.</p>

<p>Let me make a wild guess on the control tab on the upper-left of the mounting plate. It is to operate the built-in lens cover which opens and close just like a digital point and shoot. It is designed in such a way you won't accidentally open it while stuffing the camera in a bag. This would also prevent shooting with the lens cap on bungle.</p>

<p>My first impression on seeing the GF670 in person for the first time was that it was much bigger than it looked in the photos. It is not a "small" folder. It is much larger than an Iskra, which is a 6x6 folder. The finder is wonderful and it appears well built, but it is not petite. While it may be slimmer than the M7II, I seem to remember it being longer...I could be wrong. But other than being able to slip into a narrower place while collapsed, it did not strike me as much of a difference.<br>

edit: Ok, looked up the dimensions: <br>

The Mamiya is 159x112x123mm and 1210g with the 80mm lens.<br>

The GF670w is 178x109x89mm and 1100g. <br>

So...not much difference other than the Fuji being significantly wider and thinner. </p>