I am always curious about new things to do with my film adventure. Every day, there seems to be always something new to learn about the process and the medium. On one such particular day, I was looking for an affordable way to shoot 120 film.
Any SLRs that shoot 120 film was way too heavy and bulky for my needs. The idea of a TLR was tempting as well, but I found that it didn’t really suit my shooting style after trying out a Rolleicord. I even played around with one of the Lomo cameras, but didn’t quite like the results.
Then came the rangefinders. First I came across a Mamiya 7 at a camera shop (it was gorgeous but was out of my budget), then read a post about the Plaubel Makina on 35mmc. Some further digging online later, I stumbled upon the Fujica GS645 Pro.
To be completely honest, up until when I received the camera, I still wasn’t sure what I’d take photos of with it. The fixed 75mm lens is not quite what I normally shoot with (my go-to focal length is 35mm on 135 film, this lens is closer to 50mm). However, the sharpness and the very quiet leaf shutter on the lens have more than made up for it. I found myself doing a few of light random snaps with it at first to get a feel for what it is capable of.
Then a bit of portraiture…
This camera has many little quirks. For example, the weird 40.5mm filter cannot be used without the proprietary hood. Besides, folding the camera without cocking the shutter and turning the focus ring to infinity first can also have devastating effect. That’s not to mention the bellow which is well-known to be prone to light leaks. At the end of the day, I think these quirks allow it to be neatly foldable and so compact while travelling. Since I roam and shoot in the streets a lot, this is both a great advantage and conversation starter!
I hope you’ve enjoyed these frames. You can find more shots with this gem on my Instagram at @famanson.
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Art Tafil on 5 Frames with a Fujica GS645 Pro by Son Pham
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
You may find that this camera perfectly suits your shooting style. All your photos in your post were beautiful. Keep shooting.
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
Colin on 5 Frames with a Fujica GS645 Pro by Son Pham
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
Stig Starr on 5 Frames with a Fujica GS645 Pro by Son Pham
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
Comment posted: 08/03/2018
Jacob on 5 Frames with a Fujica GS645 Pro by Son Pham
Comment posted: 09/03/2018
Comment posted: 09/03/2018
Peter Boorman on 5 Frames with a Fujica GS645 Pro by Son Pham
Comment posted: 14/03/2018
Before they both ended up in the 'must-fix-when-I-have-a-spare-afternoon' box, these were both very regular companions for me - either just the GS645, maybe with a Ricoh GR21 in my pocket, or else the pair of them, tucked into a huge bag along with some 35mm SLRs and Pentax lenses. I did so much work with them and was never disappointed - up until the roll that came back with light leaks from the failed bellows, of course. Loaded with a roll of 220, the 30 shots made these cameras almost as convenient, and just as quick, as shooting 35mm.
I also have a couple of Fuji's (old) interchangeable lens 6x9 rangefinders and really like them too. Back when I used to get transparencies drum scanned for exhibition prints there was a guy at the scanning place who would look at the slides with a microscope to assess the quality before starting the scanning process. Every now and then he would make a whistling sound sucking air in through his teeth and announce "Phew, that's sharp." After a while I got used to the fact that he would always say that when I brought him something I'd shot with the Fujicas, but not so invariably with other stuff, shot with 'mere' Zeiss, Schneider or Rodenstock glass...
I like the shots in this article, especially the two on Tri-X. I really must get on and repair my two Fujica GS cameras.
Comment posted: 14/03/2018
Jarrod on 5 Frames with a Fujica GS645 Pro by Son Pham
Comment posted: 02/05/2018