a Fuji for longer trip and more images is planned

[obakesan]

Hi

 

pardon me, but I don't normally poke about here as I have gear which sort of

straddles this format (digtal and 4x5). However I find myself considering a

camera much like the Fuji GW 690.

 

When I bought my LF camera I considered one of these range finders first, but

decided on the LF camera for a number of reasons.

 

But I'm thinking of something better than the 10D with me on a month trip of

India, and this means film limits. This is where the roll film cameras come out

over the LF in my suspicion. I'd think that 10 rolls of negative would be plenty

on the trip.

 

So, not knowing much about them (apart from what I've read here for the last few

weeks of searching) I thought I'd ask some advice.

 

I normally like wide angles (preferring my 24mm on my film EOS camera), so I

guess that the angle of view will be fairly close to a 28mm on my that system

(or the 90mm on the LF camera but with a different aspect ratio).

 

Is there anything I should watch for or be aware of in these older cameras?

 

Should I consider the later models?

 

I've become quite comfortable with using my coolpix digital camera as the light

meter for my 4x5, so assuming the same film stocks that I currently use, I'd

suppose the same would be translatable to the Fuji GW (which has no meter as I

understand it)

 

thanks for your time

[stuart_richardson]

80 shots in a month (10 rolls 120 on 6x9) is a pretty low number. If you are going to be

taking this trip in order to photograph, 10 rolls a week would probably be a safer

proposition...at least if that is the only camera you intend to use. If you bring the 10D as

well, just remember that a roll of 120 will only give you 8 shots on a 6x9, so that can go

pretty quickly.

<P>If you want a wide angle, get the GSW 690. The GW 690 has a 90mm lens which is

more like a 35mm lens than a 28mm. The GSW has a 65mm lens which is much closer to

the 28mm that you seem to like. <P>If you would like to learn about the Fuij

rangefinders, the best place to do so is at Dante Stella's web site. He has some great

information up there on them. The address is as

follows:<P>http://www.dantestella.com/technical/g690bl.html <P>And also:

<P>http://www.dantestella.com/technical/gw.html

[steve_larese1]

Take a look at the Mamiya 7 system as well.

[dougmiles]

People have different interests and priorities in their trips, so it's difficult to predict how much film someone else will need. But I agree that 80 exposures in a month seems low, even if you like to work slowly and carefully. Photography is a major thing in my travel, and I'm always looking for interesting photos... yet I prefer to take fewer good photos rather than trust to quantity.

 

So I'll average about one roll of 220 per day in 6x7... 20 exposures. Oddly enough if I'm shooting 6x4.5 it's still one roll/day of 220, or one roll of 36exp in 35mm. So I just pack the same number of rolls as days I'll be gone, plus a few extra.

 

BTW, I chose a Fuji GW670III over the 690 largely because many labs (incl my local lab) support 6x7 but not 6x9 in printing and scanning.

[cole_paquette]

cheap and easy and sometimes quite good MF camera... get a Holga. one without a built in flash.

[ilkka]

Last time I was on a short trip in India, I shot eight rolls of medium format in four days, and some 5 Gb of digital as well. There is just so much colour, history and activity going on all the time that it uses a lot of film from even the most determined photographers. And I would really hate to lug around a heavy camera for 3 weeks with no film.<div></div>

[link]

Chris,

 

I have both the GSW690II (wide lens 65mm) and the GW690III (slightly wide lens 90mm).

 

Fantastic cameras - superb lenses. The 65mm lens is f5.6 and the 90mm is f3.5.

 

If you get a model II they are just about the same camera as a model III, but because they

are older, you might need to replace some of the foam light seals. Beside that issue,

either camera will take the same quality photographs.

 

To get the most out of these cameras, I think you will need to get good quality scans,

probably better than a flatbed scanner...

 

Also, to see all the detail that these cameras are capable of, use a tripod whenever

possible. I have used mine handheld and found that there is so much camera shake that I

might as well shoot 35mm and save money :) This is because these large negatives can

hold up to making large prints...but handheld shows up in the large prints...

 

Please enjoy your trip to India.

For me, I'll be traveling soon and just got a Canon 5d for

the trip as I didn't want to fuss with rolls of film though the airports and I might not be

able to find 120 film where I'm going. That said, I'll probably bring one of the fuji

cameras for long exposure night shots and as backup in case I the 5D fails or I can't

charge the batteries.

[obakesan]

thanks everyone for your feeback,

 

because cross posting is against I'll let you know that I asked a different but related on the large format group

<A HREF="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00OVgJ" target="_blank"><B>here</B></A>

which was:

<br>

<I>"... you would also need a tripod permit from the regional ASI office. It can be done, but it is very bureaucratic and quite time consuming. I currently live in Delhi, so I know the process"</I>

<P>

which conbined with "b g"s point of:

<br>

"<I>Also, to see all the detail that these cameras are capable of, use a tripod whenever possible.</I>"

<P>

I think that the last point by "b g" in combination with something I found

out on another thread has sold me on not taking film at all. I know that last

time I was there (2000) that setting up a tripod was like issuing invitations for spectators, making taking the picture nearly impossible.

<P>

I'd been thinking that these cameras would allow hand holding as does my 10D, but in truth I've always found not using a tripod limited me to only 'good light' situations. I'll just have to make do with the 10D and stitching images I suspect.

[dougmiles]

Well, I've given up packing a tripod, and hand-hold only. If hand-holding the shot is less than ideal, well, lots of other things are less than perfect too, and we can live with that. But a medium-format hand-held is still far superior to a hand-held 35... partly because it's enlarged less to reach the same size print so the effects of shake are less visible. You might do some tests before you start packing to go...

[obakesan]

Doug

 

I can't really test, as I only have a 4x5 rail camera and effectively 35mm stuff (the 10D is effectively a 35mm camera right?)

 

Using the 4x5 hand held isn't my cup of tea

 

which is why I asked for opinions here :-)

[audun_sjoeseth1]

Why not go for a Fuji 645 Wide with 45mm/4?

 

In the middle of my first film I can just say that I love mine. 16 pictures in a 120 film in an easy to use package. Look forward to see the results. If it is as good as my Pentax 645 with my 45mm/2.8 I'll be happy.

[audun_sjoeseth1]

Sorry: My camera is a GA 645W (forgot the GA), and it give 16 pictures in a 120 film. :)

[nick_wilson2]

Most, I think, could hand hold a big Fuji RF pretty well. People vary in their ability to hold something still...if you can do it pretty well with your existing digital camera, then you will probably be similar with a Fuji.

 

Obviously not at too low a speed, but at reasonable speeds, why not? They have heft and inertia!

 

I have bought film in India (and taken a tripod too for that matter over numerous months, but not out on the crowded streets). At least then, one had to be a bit careful buying fresh film, but it was possible.

[ted_norris]

Take some rolls of Portra 800 and don't be afraid to shoot hand-held ! If you get a drum scan

(or other fluid-mounted film scan), you can easily enlarge to 16x20 and the grain will be

invisible except maybe in skies, and that is very easily dealt with in post-processing. Of

course if you want to get "all" the camera can do or you're shooting in dim light, you need a

tripod, but I find I can get grain-sharp pictures above 1/125 and nearly so at 1/60 on a

Mamiya 7 hand-held, and the grain on the new Portra 800 is only slightly larger than that on

either 160VC or 400VC. (Attached photo: Portra 800 shot at 1/60 f16, Mamiya7 + 43 mm

lens - after careful PP the grain may be visible on a monitor at 100%, but is invisible in a

16x20 print).<div></div>

[db1]

I went to Oaxaca for a month about 3 years ago. I brought over 200 rolls of medium format film with me. I think I shot about 70 rolls in 4 weeks.

 

Then I went to Iceland for 10 days and shot 55 rolls of medium format.

 

I would leave the monorail at home and take the medium format camera. Much easier to use. Fast film kills the tripod but bring that too.

 

Make your life a little easier.