brad_hiltbrand

Although some folks around here seem to think it's a toy

because it's an autofocus, the Fuji GA645Zi is a great lightweight

medium format camera.

Zoom is in four steps from 55mm at F4.5 (33mm equivalent for

35mm camera) to 90 mm at F6.9 (56 mm equivalent for 35 mm

camera). So the zoom covers the moderate wide angle to normal

lens range. It is good for landscapes, group shots, and waist-up

portraits. It has a decent on-board flash, accurate meter, easy

operation, and a good price. It has program AE, aperature priority

AE, slow-sychro AE, and can also be easily used in manual

exposure mode if desired. Manual focus is achieved by setting

distance, not by turning the lens barrel.

It does not have interchangeable lenses, but I would bet the

picture quality is comparable to the Bronica RF mentioned above

and you don't need to carry around at least two lenses. Because

the lens is slow, you may want to use faster film. But the

Bronicas fastest lens is F4 and has no zoom capability. Cost for

the Bronica, even with the current rebate, including the normal

65mm lens and the 100mm lens, would still be more than the

Fuji.

From reading all the threads on this site I realize that this is a

'love it or hate it' kind of camera, but you should give it some

consideration. Problems are vastly overstated in my opinion, and

it is clear that some folks ridicule the camera simply because it

is a 'point-and-shoot' medium format. But for travel photo, that is

an positive thing, not a negative. It will make great pictures and it

is easy to use in manual mode if you choose.

I love mine. It fits in a large coat pocket and goes anywhere

easily. Scott Bacon (www.naturalorderphoto.com) uses his for

travel photography and makes great images. Take a look at his

page for his recent European trip photos. If you want something

that will minimize weight, space, and fuss, the Fuji GA645Zi is a

great camera.

I don't think there is any difference other than the color (TX-1 is

titanium, XPAN is black). They are both made by Fuji in Japan.

The units sold in the USA get the Hasselblad name tag and a

price increase. Perhaps there is a difference in warranty or the

documentation, but I think they have the same quality control.

You may not be able to get warranty service by Fuji USA for the

TX-1.

I did see some slight vignetting when using the smallest

aperatures available in very strong light (slide film). However,

since the lens seems sharper and has plenty of DOF at F8-16

for most of my photography, I am no longer trying to use the

smallest aperature I can. It is simply not necessary and does not

always produce the optimal image.

As for your autofocus shake problem with cable release, the

autofocus should be complete and the lens still at the time the

shutter opens. If you are convinced this is the source of trouble, a

simple workaround would be to use the manual focus button

and select an appropriate distance for your aperature and DOF

requirements instead of using AF when using cable release. MF

eliminates the autofocus time lag and may help. You could even

use the AF to check distance, and then switch over to manual

using the same distance. I would still look to your tripod/head as

being the most likely source of motion blur.

I find myself using MF more for landscapes since the AF does

get confused sometimes depending on conditions. If your

subject is between 5m and infinity, this approach seems to work

very well.

Scott, as an aside, your images are one of the main reasons I

decided to buy the GA645Zi last spring. Thanks for sharing! I love

this camera. It is not perfect, but it sure strikes the right balance

for me.

...drink your ovaltine? I have heard from highly unreliable sources

that what they have actually recommended drinking is the

special Jim Jones formula for grape KoolAid.

And that doesn't come in digital color. Yet...

That is the right method for a GA645Zi. Press in exposure comp

button, turn mode dial to ISO. Display in LCD is in hundreds of

exposures, eg. 1 00 or 2 00 or 10 00, etc. Only the first set of

numbers will change every hundred exposures.