Point and Shoot on Steroids!
Written: May 24 '02
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Pros: Simple to use; excellent manual; construction; vertical format
Cons: Motor drive noise, advanced settings a little complicated
The Bottom Line: Great camera in the medium format line of equipment. Autofocus, onboard flash, electronic zoom, great manual, ease of use, vertical format, all make this one a no-brainer.
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| gunner69's Full Review: FUJIFILM GA645Zi Rangefinder Camera |
As a professional, I shoot both 35mm and medium format, depending upon subject, purpose, etc. Also own a Mamiya 645 manual focus. This Fuji has practically replaced my Mamiya completely.
I must mention that this is a vertical format camera. To illustrate, when we take pictures of people or tall subjects when using 35mm, we turn the camera vertical to properly position the subject. Same with my M645. THIS camera, when held in a normal position, has the picture framed in a vertical orientation. So.. no turning the camera on its side when doing portraits. The camera must be turned on its side to capture the wider view of the image. Takes about two shots to appreciate this when doing portraitures. If shooting scenics, it can get a bit awkward, but no real big deal.
Exposure settings are simple: Program, Aperture priority, Aperture priority slow sync, and Manual. In aperture priority the shutter speed will never be slower than 1/45. In aperture priority slow sync, depending on the light measured by the camera, the shutter speed could be as long as 2 seconds.
Hit the zoom lens switch, and you can compose very nicely. The zoom range is 55mm to 90mm, which is equivalent to approximately 34-56mm in 35mm. Apertures at 55mm are F4.5-F22. Apertures at 90mm are F6.9-F38. The zoom is stoppable anywhere in between, depending on when you release the zoom lever. A minor complaint here, sometimes I want to re-compose to a different zoom setting, and I sometimes have a hard time getting the zoom to stop exactly where I want. My fingers could be getting slower at my old age...
The lens is very sharp at all zoom settings. Nuff said there.
The onboard pop-up flash feature is unheard of in a medium format camera. The guide number is 12(ISO 100). Good for outdoor fill, handy on some indoor shots, but not real powerful, as the guide number indicates. Interesting note: Fuji states that a different brand of external flash should NOT be used in the hot shoe of this camera, only Fuji. It further states that this is because signal pins of other vendor flashes may become lodged in the hotshoe, and damage may result to either the hotshoe, the flash, or both. The Fuji GA flash is not REAL expensive, but an interesting note nonetheless.
Some quick facts for the spec minded: 120 (16 exposures), 220 (32 exposures). No pressure plate setting is required when a film with the Fuji bar code system is used. It's automatic. The user can manually set the pressure plate very easily if necessary. Shutter speed B, 2 sec.-1/700 sec. Data imprinting outside the picture frame. Very tiny print, however. Film speed is ISO 25-1600 in 1/3 step increments. Again if the Fuji bar code film is used, this is automatically set when film is loaded. Easy to set ISO manually if using other film. Exposure compensation plus/minus 3 EV in 1/2 stop increments. Self-timer, ten second delay. Filter size is 52MM. Comes with lens hood, but use it very little. Doesn't seem necessary. Uses two 3V CR 123A/DL 123A Lithium batteries. Manual says about 1600 shots without flash, 450 when half have been taken with flash, on one set of batteries. They seem to last a long time for me. I use the flash about 40% of the time. The motor drive is not super quick, probably about two frames a second at most. BUT, it is a little louder than I would like. It's louder than my Canon EOS1N with the booster that runs 6 frames a second. The Fuji motor drive is noticeable in a quiet church setting.
Autofocus is very sharp and quick. The viewfinder is always in focus, so when you hear the focus motor stop, the camera is ready. Manual focusing is available as well, but not easily executed. Let the auto do it's thing, and you'll never regret it. Autofocus is accomplished by both active and passive methods. Active uses infrared rays, and the passive portion detects phase difference. Pretty scientific stuff, but works. Areas of weakness in the autofocus system are fast moving objects, subjects that don't reflect much light like hair or fur, shooting thru glass, extremely low contrast objects, or objects with no definite shape, such as smoke or fire.
Film loading is as easy as it gets with a medium format camera. Not exactly like an APS drop-in, but just as easy as your 35mm SLR.
View finder information includes distance to subject, shutter speed/aperture.
There's a beep to let you know that you've just shot the last frame of the roll.
This camera can be all automatic, all easy, all simple, like a 35mm point and shoot. Very intuitive. The more advanced features will require reference to the manual, which as I've said before, is excellent. Larger than a P/S, but not too heavy to carry around. You get that big medium format negative, which makes very nice enlargements. Definitely not for grandma to make pictures of the grandkids, but for the somewhat serious shooter who can appreciate medium format, and a very well-engineered piece of photographic equipment.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1300
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Epinions.com ID:
gunner69
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Location: Bloomington, Illinois
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 1 member
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