Fujica GS645

[ChrisR]

As I understand it, there are 3 variants of this. The GS645 is a rangefinder folder with a 75mm lens, looks pocketable but I understand it can have bellows issues. The next up was the GS645W that (I think) has a 45mm lens on it (~28mm equivalent?). I think it's scale focus, but has that strange bar to protect the lens, so not a folder. The GS645S is a very similar form factor, with a 60mm lens, but back to a rangefinder.

From 1983-4, they look like pretty nice 645 cameras, with lever advance (which is one of the features that attracted me), fully mechanical except for a battery for the meter (can operate without a battery)

At the moment, the G645 only seems available from Japan, for over £500 plus the usual import costs. There was a GS645S on fleabay from the UK this week, but it sold before I could get any questions answered.

I'm led to believe there are some reliability issues with these though whether that is mostly the folder, I don't know.

Has anyone any experience to advise me? Thanks

 

[PeterSpencer]

I had a GS645S which was one of the nicest cameras I have ever owned. No problems with it apart from the split image rangefinder being a little bit jumpy now and then. Fantastic 60mm lens, very light and portable and I liked the upright 'half frame' aspect ratio. The viewfinder has parallax correction. I never bothered with the built in light meter preferring to use a hand held light meter although I have every reason to believe that the internal meter worked perfectly (not TTL by the way).

Unfortunately it was submerged in sea water. I asked Miles Whitehead to have a look at it but he wasn't prepared to work on it as he couldn't guarantee a repair knowing that the camera had been subjected to seawater exposure. I couldn't find a replacement at the time so I bought 690 instead, which I also like a lot.

If you manage to get hold of one I'm sure you will enjoy using it.

 

[desf]

Great cameras, I have two - a GS645W and a GS645S. I've had the 645W for years and had no issues. The 645S I've had for a couple of years, again no issues.

The lenses are fairly slow by 35mm standards, the 45mm on the 645W is f5.6 and zone focus as you say. The 60mm on the 645S is an f4. I generally use them as a carry around with 400iso or faster films.

Handling can be a bit slow as you adjust settings on the lens with quite small fiddly controls but that's never been an issue for me.

Highly recommend them for their good lenses and relative portability for a MF system.

 

[Andysnap]

Mrs Snap has the GS645s Wide 60 which has the cattle bars to protect the lens and it is an excellent camera, the lens is very sharp, in fact it's probably as good as any mf camera we've owned. Highly recommended.

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks folks. Now I'm annoyed I didn't plunge right in and buy that one from fleabay!

 

[ChrisR]

Bit of a thread revival. I did eventually buy a GS645S, and I've really enjoyed it. I wanted a metered rangefinder as I thought that would help me avoid the RF lens cap problem. Unfortunately the GS645S meter is not TTL, so I definitely have the lens cap problem. So far, I reckon I've only lost about 25% of frames... which is way too many with the current price of film! The camera is light, the lens is lovely the portrait VF is refreshing, and it's easy to hold and use in landscape (there's even a tripod mount to help).

However, I took mine out yesterday, for the first time in many months, and couldn't get a meter reading.. It's been a while, so I obviously blamed the battery. Replaced this morning with fresh SR44 (polarity checked!), and still nothing. Anyone any ideas?

 

[ChrisR]

I took [my GS645S] out yesterday, for the first time in many months, and couldn't get a meter reading.. It's been a while, so I obviously blamed the battery. Replaced this morning with fresh SR44 (polarity checked!), and still nothing. Anyone any ideas?

After a few bits of advice and re-checking tyhe batteries, I used Deoxit on the contacts, and it's working fine now. Sigh of relief!

 

[joxby]

I can't off the top of my head name a MF RF that is ttl metered.
There's a few 135's but nothing 120 I don't think.
I had a 645W with the 45, it was too wide, the 60 is a much more sensible focal length.
Despite that and its light duty nature compared with the Mam 6, I really liked it.
If the Mam 6 was an RB, the Fuji is a Bronica SQ, extremely capable without the Queen Mary build...