Fuji GW690II
I've been a fan of rangefinder cameras for sometime now, I've owned and shot a few from a Zorki 4, Yashica Electro 35, Ricoh 500, various Leica models and a Mamiya 6 Medium Format rangefinder, but not necessarily in the order. The Fuji list of rangefinders have interested me over the years, they come in a range of different frames sizes and all from a roll of 120 Medium Format film.
This week I got my hands on a Fuji GW690II Professional 6X9, this model which comes with a Fujinon f3.5 90mm lens which equates to 45mm when compared to 35mm film lenses. This camera is a Medium Format camera shooting 120 film (it can also take 220 film), each negative measures 6x9cm in which you can capture beautiful detail, you get eight frames to a roll of 120. The GW690II was manufactured from 1985 through to the early/mid 1990's. It's a well built camera with a solid feel to it, loading the film is easy, it has two shutter release buttons for landscape and portrait modes, winding the film to the next frame is done with a double stroke, the same as the earlier model Leica M3.
It was time to test this camera and with travel restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic I did not have many options, I chose to visit Glasnevin Cemetery on the north side of Dublin. Opening in 1832 Glasnevin Cemetery has seen the internment of over 1.5 million people.
I packed the big Fuji into my bag along with a couple of rolls of Ilford HP5+ black & white Medium Format film and made the short journey to the cemetery. The weather was bitterly cold, overcast and dull, I opted to push the film to ISO 800 which would help with the poor light and increase the contrast, which I like.
Glasnevin Cemetery, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800
I was pleasantly surprised with the handling of the Fuji, it's a big camera, so much in fact it's nicknamed the Texas Leica by some. The grip is comfortable and the additional shutter release button is quite handy.
As already mentioned, the weather wasn't great but the combination of the Fujinon 90mm EBC (Electron Beam Coating) lens and Ilford HP5 pushed to 800 made capturing these images a pleasure, or as enjoyable as one can be when photographing a cemetery. The Fuji GW690II really is a handful, it's a big camera and attracts attention, however you can carry it quite easily on a neck strap, it's much easier to carry and a lot more portable than my Hasselblad 501cm, but it would never replace the Hasselblad. I'm going to hold onto the Fuji for a while, I like the feel of it, I love the big 6x9 centimetre negatives and I'm really looking forward to putting a roll of Kodak Portra of Ektar through it, just as soon as the weather brightens up and improves.
Technical details-
Camera; Fuji GW690II
Film; Ilford HP5+ 120 rated at ISO 800
Developed in Kodak HC-110 in dilution B
All images ©Jim Leonard
Excellent post and great photographs Jim!
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