Rental Cameras: Fuji GW670 & GSW690, Part 2

Into The Woods; Fuji GSW690III, Ilford HP5+

This continues part 1 of my discussion of the Fuji fixed lens rangefinders, the GW670 and the GSW690. I took these two cameras on a walk through Golden Gate Park, and shot two rolls of Velvia (50 and 100), and one roll of HP5+. I took two rolls with the GSW690, since I suspected that would be my preferred camera of the two.

 
 
Various; Fuji GSW690III, Fuji Velvia 50, Ilford HP5+

What I found is that these cameras have wonderful sharp lenses; certainly I can't see any difference from the RZ67 or the 503C/W shots. The 65mm in particular compares very well to the 65mm on the RZ67. Additionally, just as 6x7 doesn't seem much larger in dimensions than 6x6, but looks much larger, 6x9 looks huge compared to 6x7. Indeed, it's almost large enough to be satisfied with for contact printing.

 
Various; Fuji GW670III, Fuji Velvia 100F

I also enjoyed the 65mm lens on the GSW690 a lot; the wide angle view makes a very nice change from the usual fixed normal lenses. While I'm not quite as good with a wide angle as I am with a short tele or a normal, I was able to get some very successful shots with it, as long as I remembered to keep something in the foreground! Worth noting, however, is that even the 90mm lens on the GW670 will never do anything more than environmental portraits; apart from the field of view, you just can't focus close enough with a rangefinder.

Broken Tree; Fuji GSW690III, Ilford HP5+

In summary, either of these cameras would be a good travel camera for landscape/street/urban use; they have great lenses, large negatives, are easy to use, and easy to pack and carry. The GSW in particular would be nice for carrying around a city, with its wide angle lens. For my usage, though, it would have to be a second camera, which is just not feasible for me at this point.

Green & Red; Fuji GW670III, Fuji Velvia 100F