ben conover Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 Hi, I have a Fuji G690bl and I am happy with it. However......My friendly camera local store have a Fuji 690 ii with 90mm lens, it is very nice except the shutter seems to be 'stuck'. The camera is much lighter than mine, it has better ergonomics, takes nikon diopters and right angle finder, it is just plain cool. What is the camera worth in this condition (326 on counter = 32600 shots fired). My friend wants $100 for the camera, I feel like drooling but don't have a competent repair shop nearby to rely on. Prices for overhaul ? Can I simply trip the shutter myself to fix it? Cheers and many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_warburton Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 326 on the counter is 3,260 shots. (Fuji recommended a service at 5,000 and a shutter life of 10,000 shots. If I remember right.) Might be a bit too simple to be true but I don't suppose it's just been fired on "T" and is waiting for somebody to wind it on and allow the shutter to close? Oddly there is no B setting but there is a T. If it is I don't know how all those little springs would have liked the shutter being open for however long? I was told that the shutter is a copal 0. If that's correct there are clever people with little tiny fingers who can fix these. $100 might be worth a spin! If it's not the problem might be spares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_warburton Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 Sorry, brain in neutral as usual. There is a second thought, the shutter will not cock or fire without a film in the camera. It will cock and fire with the back open. Remember if you do this the shots still add up on the devaluation counter on the bottom. When I first realised I could fire it with the back open I got off about 20-30 shots before I realised! I spend my other free time watching grass grow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 17, 2005 Author Share Posted May 17, 2005 Hi, I will buy it anyhow since it is going for only Euro 50.00 Seems the counter is quite low and the camera would benefit from an overhaul at 5,000 like you say. I really hope I can close the shutter by simply winding it on....like you say, it would be simple. Life seems to be worth living and if I can send it off for overhaul then cool, I'll spin the dice. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 17, 2005 Author Share Posted May 17, 2005 Hi, my post arrived at the same time as yours! Well, you can fire a Fuji (even when they do good work....) by setting the swith on the back from Roll film ® to Sheet film (S). That works on my Fuji beast but I can't remember (Brain?) if the 690 ii has that switch on the back. I hope that you are right and that the Fuji will fire with a roll of film in it. I will load a roll of Tech-Pan (I like taking risks) and see what cometh of the beast. Although I will try it first with the back open. Green grass, I understand you. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelging Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 I am not saying that this is not a good deal. I collect clocks as well as cameras, and many times you will see that a clock is broken because it was "wound too tight".Only clocks that are broken have the sympton of being "wound too tight".I guess what I am saying is that a stuck shutter might be a sympton of a greater problem, like impact dammage,stripped gears , ect. and not the only problem.This might not be a problem if you know the seller well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 18, 2005 Author Share Posted May 18, 2005 Excellent observations and clock analogy, I concur. Given a wider diagnostic matrix one can see the root of the problem. In this case it appears that the symptoms may not be obvious, so the signs are not easy to see. Instead there appear to be signifiers which may point to an 'Other' problem (Paul Verhaege on Lacan). Anyhow, I heard there is not much to go wrong with an old Fuji, lets see what $$ it takes to get it back on the road. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Ben, Buy the camera and then sell it to me! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 18, 2005 Author Share Posted May 18, 2005 Sorry but I want to keep it, mainly because of the weight. I was staggered at the difference between my old g690bl and the newer 690ii. It is so much lighter, John in the camera store says they used composte alloys instead of the old metal. It is very comfortable to use as a result, however at least I can still dream about finding the other lenses for my 690bl, any ideas where they turn up? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Ben: I don't blame you for wanting to keep the camera. As for the other lenses, they show up here and there [rarely] and at a high premium. I would love to get the wideangle lens. I guess, it's a 65mm lens, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 19, 2005 Author Share Posted May 19, 2005 Raid, there are 3 wides for the Fuji, the 50mm is very rare. http://www.dantestella.com/technical/g690bl.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted May 19, 2005 Share Posted May 19, 2005 Ben: I am surprised that Dante says the following: "The 100/3.5 AE lens is the rarest G690/G670 lens". Isn't this a commonly found lens? Do you own it too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_buck1 Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 Ben - You obviously like the lightness of the ii. For great examples of what you can do with that model (ii with 90mm) *handheld*, see Andrew Borowiec's book Along the Ohio. Gorgeous work and almost all handheld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 20, 2005 Author Share Posted May 20, 2005 Hi Raid, without understanding the statistics behind luck, I can safely say I envy you and your 100 3.5 AE Fujinon, wish I had one too. Anyhow, For my purposes the standard 100mm will do. I think Fuji should bring out a new version of the 69 format rangefinder with interchangable lenses and a lightmeter a la Mamiya, that would be excellent. Perhaps it could be made of titanium with the Konica Hexar style viewfinder. Also it should have better ergonomics than my big old brass beast. I won't waste time thinking how much such a new camera could cost........ Andy, Thanks very much for the book link, I wil try to get a copy sometime. Cheers all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 20, 2005 Author Share Posted May 20, 2005 Hi, I resisted buying the book for a few minutes then gave in, can't wait to get it in the post, bought a used copy. I have a book by a photographer called David Plowden, title is 'The American Barn'. He grew up on a farm and obviously misses the old life, he has documented the Barns extensively and specifically. He has used Hassleblad since 1966. He provides technical details of his method and I think the photos are very good. My copy is a first edition. There are many fine barns still left to admire, wonderful wooden roofs. The subject of the American barn is of some interest to me. I am thinking of documenting the Irish farmhouses and their people, not much has changed here, it will take time. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 Ben: The AE lens is wonderful for flash photography at any speed. Results are stunning and flash photography is made super easy. I paid $500 for used camera and lens about 10 years ago when prices were still high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted May 21, 2005 Author Share Posted May 21, 2005 Raid, I think the Fuji 65mmm f/8 will be too pricey for me these days, I would prefer to wait for the 50mm if I ever find it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted July 19, 2005 Author Share Posted July 19, 2005 Hi, I bought the Fuji 690ii for $80 and fixed the shutter problem. The lock on the front shutter release was simply stuck so when I freed it and cleaned the gears inside the camera top plate it is now working like a dream. I will use the camera mainly for environmental portraiture and landscapes. Thanks for the responses and cheers to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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