noahcee

The CLE meter reading operation is a little strange compared to other cameras, a trait it shares with the Olympus OM2 and other "meter reads off the film plane" bodies. In brighter light it takes a reading off the white pattern printed on the shutter curtains: the speed indicated on the display is pretty close to what you'll get. In dimmer light, the actual meter reading gets progressively more mixed, and the less the display speed might match the set AE speed. The display will show a "preview" reading off the white shutter curtain pattern, but as the shutter stays open longer, more of the reading is taken off the uniformly colored film surface.

 

The discrepancy usually falls in the photographers favor, with the real time reading off the film being more accurate than the preview reading off the curtain. One minor issue in borderline light is the display may show a hand-holdable speed when the actual AE speed set will be slower, and on rare occasions a darker-than-usual film base can fool the meter into overexposure in low light.

 

In the handheld photography a CLE is mostly used for, the discrepancy in display vs actual AE shutter speeds should normally not exceed one stop, perhaps two at the outside extreme (if the display reads 1/30, it should not fire much slower than between 1/15-1/8). Unfortunately many CLEs do seem to develop a bug as they age, where AE readings consistently go completely wonky below the 1/30th sec changeover point. This requires adjustment or sometimes replacement of circuit parts, which most repair techs are no longer willing to attempt (since spare parts are long unavailable).

 

Depending on the exact cause of the slow AE problem, you can sometimes fix it for awhile by exercising the shutter speed dial (click thru and fire all the manual speeds repeatedly). This helps clear off some of the oxidation that builds up on the contacts, which can alter electrical resistance and affect the AE system/display LEDs. If your viewfinder display LEDs tend to flicker or dance up and down the scale or get stuck on the bottom arrow, and you often get gross overexposure on films shot indoors, thats a tipoff either the contacts under the shutter dial need cleaning or the meter circuit needs adjustment at lower EV range. Theres also potential for oxidation buildup on the somewhat inaccessible battery compartment cover, and an interaction between normal AE and TTL flash circuits (the flash circuit sometimes need to be "goosed" to stabilize the normal available-light AE).

 

There are some common myths about the CLE, chief among them being the "every malfunction means it needs a new circuit board, but parts are no longer available" boilerplate excuse many repair techs throw out to avoid dealing with it. While its a unique one-off rangefinder camera, service adjustments are not that different from popular Minolta SLRs of the same period like XG or X700 (the CLE uses similar but not identical circuits/parts). Sadly most rangefinder techs simply refuse to touch it, more out of disdain for electronics than any real difficulty, while techs who normally handle classic SLRs are afraid of it just because its a rare rangefinder that most have never laid eyes on.

Thank you so much for the response and information. Aside from trying to find a tech that can service it, I suppose the most realistic remedy is to just use manual when shooting at slower shutter speeds. While maybe not the most convenient workaround, I do love using the camera and it’s lenses. I will also try cycling through all the speeds in manual mode as suggested. I sure wish they put an AEL button on this camera, or at least the ability to meter in manual mode, but I digress. It’s still a great camera. Thank you again for the detailed info!

Hello,

I recently acquired a Fuji GX617 Panorama Camera with the wide angle 90mm lens. From all the listings online it looks like the center filter is a standalone, threaded filter. However mine came with a Hood with the filter built in to it (at least that’s what it looks like). And the center filter spot seems a bit larger than the ones I am seeing online. Does anyone know if this is an actual hood/center filter combo that fuji came out with? Or is it aftermarket? Has anyone ever seen this before? Thanks so much.