New Fuji for Film Fans

I'm sure most TOP readers are aware that, a couple of years ago, Fuji introduced the GF670 (also badged as the Voigtländer Bessa III 667), a multi-format modern replica of the classic medium-format folder. The camera has been a good seller considering what a small niche it occupies, surprisingly popular especially in Japan.

So now Fuji has announced a wide-angle version, the Fuji GF670W Professional. The standard 670 has a fixed 80mm ƒ/3.5 lens on a collapsible bellows; the 670W will have a fixed non-extensible 55mm ƒ/4.5. The new camera will be available in Japan on March 23rd.

Mike
(Thanks to Oren)

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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured [partial] Comment by Mike Plews: "A quick check of Ebay shows a Plaubel W67 with a 55mm Nikkor and an asking price of four grand. Clearly this will scratch someone's itch."

Mike replies: Good luck to the buyer of that $4k Plaubel. Those Makinas—at least in some SN ranges—were notorious for fragile advance mechanisms. I had several friends who used Plaubel Makinas for serious work, and each had one or more film-advance failures necessitating expensive repairs. One friend had it happen so many times that he put the cameras in a closet and forgot about them...he said that otherwise his anger about the breakdowns would have taken over his life.

I was glad to learn that trick from him; I later used his strategy with a particularly balky tube amp that cost me a fortune but that worked—between repairs—for a cumulative total of a handful of hours. I finally took my friend's lead and just put it in the closet and washed my hands of it. It was good advice. The anger I found myself stewing in over that amp was not good for my health, I'm sure.

Featured Comment by Richard: "Well, include me in with the Japanese! I've had the Voigtländer Bessa III for over a year, and it's a joy. Not sure I will go for the wideangle version though, because one of the great things about the Bessa is its pocketability when folded."

Comments

[Stan B.]

A hunka, hunka burnin' love!

[Miserere]

Anybody else see the similarities in external lens design between this GF670W and the X100?

[Jeff]

Japan apparently loves those film RFs (earlier discussion about Japan's being the largest market for modern film Leica Ms).

[MJFerron]

I'm such a camera ho. Everytime I see something like this I want it. Has anybody had the pleasure of handling one? I'm curious about the build quality.

[mike plews]

A quick check of Ebay shows a Plaubel W67 with a 55mm Nikkor and an asking price of four grand.
Clearly this will scratch someone's itch. I could see one in my pocket on a hike through RMNP. But my budget could see a Canon S95 more clearly.

[m3photo]

Don't bother. You'll have to by (sic) a cartridge of tape for this one too!

[raccou]

Hmmm, seeing this title in my rss-feed I was overcome by joy thinking that Fuji released a new type of film. Some replacement for neopan 120 film? Yeehaa!

*Views the page itself* Hmmm... A company still releasing film cameras should commit to making films as well. There's no 120 B/W 400 / 1600 iso film in their line.

[erlik]

Miserere, yes. Actually, I find the whole design of X100 remarkably influenced by this one.

[Marty]

That tube amp must have been an Orange.

[Dan Mouer]

I don't think it's "surprising" that the Japanese have taken to the GF 650/Bessa III. They have been keeping the prices of ZI Super Ikontas and Mess Ikontas in the stratospheric range for a few years now. They truly appreciate a 6x9 cm folder!

[Stephen Best]

Love my Bessa III. Some images from my Sandholes Road project (both shot on Ektar 100):

Build quality of the earlier model is excellent. It's a joy to carry and use and enables you to just concentrate on photography (a novel idea I know). It's not however without its quirks. Firstly the battery can die with little warning. Always carry a spare. Next the 120/220 plate can slip. Hasn't happened to me in a while though. Lastly it overexposes by 2 stops in bright sunny light (EV15). This may be by design though as it's somewhat advantageous with modern colour neg film.

[Peter]

The chrome Fuji GF670 is USD 1,664.00 with BHPhoto -instead of USD 2,250.00 for the black identical Voiglander model.

[Lynn]

my closet isn't big enough for my B9180 - the second one, not the first which was replaced under warranty. Anyone interested in an oversize paperweight?

[Ramon]

Very off topic, but I keep my film in the freezer, I shoot so little film nowadays that I take a roll out and wait for it to thaw at room temp for a day or two before using it, (and by using it I mean load it into my minolta SRT 201 and keep it there for a couple months).
And while selecting a roll from the small bunch I found a roll of good old Kodachrome! I didn't think I had any. So, can I cross process it, or something? Or should I keep it as a reminder of better times?

[Mike Johnston]

Ramon,
Keep it as a reminder.

Mike

[Ed]

And shed a tear on it on a weekly basis and dream of Velvia......although "Mama don't take my Velvia away" still does not sound the same. Maybe, Paul Simon should update his song. Any thoughts? Maybe we could use Ramon's roll as a price for a contest :-).

An hey, the compact Fuji 6x7 is sure nice to have.........if you already shoot with "The Beast" that is.

Greetings, Ed

[Tom Kwas]

"...surprisingly popular, especially in Japan."

Shoot professionally a couple of times a year in San Francisco, and always try to shoot film as much as possible. Noticed the labs I used there are drying up, but asked some of the people working in the latest lab I'm using, how business was lately. They said they do an amazing amount of 120 transparency from Japanese tourists! Go figger....

[Miserere]

Erlik wrote:
Miserere, yes. Actually, I find the whole design of X100 remarkably influenced by this one.

I imagine there must be some feedback loop going on at Fuji. I can see the engineers swapping blueprints over sushi at lunch:

"I like your approach to the X100 aperture ring, it is most sublime and spirit-calming, would you mind if I borrowed it?"

"I am undeserving of such praise, truly. It would be my great pleasure and honour to have you copy my most unworthy design, that I toiled on for a mere 6 months."

"And I am undeserving of using your most beautiful, awe-inspiring, elegant design. But I will copy it anyway—damn February deadline for the GF670W is looming and I am empty of ideas."

"I am filled with sunshine knowing you will copy my design. I do not deserve you as a friend. Truly."

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Ramon, the only cross-process options I've seen for Kodachrome are to give a B&W image, and that doesn't seem terribly interesting to me. (The dyes aren't in the film, they were provided during processing, so there's no source of color there for any ordinary chemistry to work with.)

So you're probably better off keeping it as a memento.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

People are asking $3-4K for Plaubell's on Ebay, but nobody is buying them. At least, there are no completed transactions within the (rather short) history window ebay lets you see. But there are something like 5 of them on offer now.