Just pulled the trigger on a GW690III, looking forward to trying some medium format. I didn't realize how popular they were until I tried to snag one on the bay
robsonj wrote:
Just pulled the trigger on a GW690III, looking forward to trying some medium format. I didn't realize how popular they were until I tried to snag one on the bay
Congrats! The lens is crazy sharp on it, and it is a very simple/easy to use camera. The only thing to be aware of is maintaining tension on the film when you load it/close the back. I do this by applying pressure to the film feeding side (the left side where you would load a new roll) as you advance the film as you are loading it. Then as you come up to the start arrow, keep slowly advancing the film as you close the back thus maintaining tension. The times (2) that i did not do this resulted in fat/loose rolls and light leaks.
I've never had this issue with any of my other medium format cameras. Including the Lomo LC-A 120!
Also... the Voigtlander VCII meter is an excellent hot shoe meter for this camera. But in daylight I normally roll nekkid and Sunny F16.
Desmolicious wrote:
Congrats! The lens is crazy sharp on it, and it is a very simple/easy to use camera. The only thing to be aware of is maintaining tension on the film when you load it/close the back. I do this by applying pressure to the film feeding side (the left side where you would load a new roll) as you advance the film as you are loading it. Then as you come up to the start arrow, keep slowly advancing the film as you close the back thus maintaining tension. The times (2) that i did not do this resulted in fat/loose rolls and light leaks.
I've never had this issue with any of my other medium format cameras. Including the Lomo LC-A 120!
Also... the Voigtlander VCII meter is an excellent hot shoe meter for this camera. But in daylight I normally roll nekkid and Sunny F16.
Thanks for the tips. I use a VCII on my M2, one of the reasons the 690 appeals in the same way the M2 does... 100% mechanical, no electronics to corrode.
robsonj wrote:
Thanks for the tips. I use a VCII on my M2, one of the reasons the 690 appeals in the same way the M2 does... 100% mechanical, no electronics to corrode.
I think it even mentions the maintaining tension thing in the owner's manual. Which is available online if you don't have a copy.
If you can get hold of 220 film, this is the camera for it! 16 exp vs 8.
Desmolicious wrote:
I think it even mentions the maintaining tension thing in the owner's manual. Which is available online if you don't have a copy.
If you can get hold of 220 film, this is the camera for it! 16 exp vs 8.
One of the attractions to the 690 is actually the 8 shots. I don't shoot a lot of film, so 24 & 36 is always a lot for me to get through. 8 is great for me
Photo was taken with 135mm f/4 lens. Great lens if I may say so. I also have a SMC Pentax 55mm f/4 (which is actually a wide angle lens for medium format).
I used to own a bunch of other film cameras (FUJI GA645, GSW690III, GW690, Nikon F100) but have sold all of them for various reasons.
What most people don't know is that you can buy a film camera, used it for a year or two and then sell it for a small profit!
Now, this Pentax 67 I picked up, I love it, shooting with the waist level finder is amazing. When looking through it everything has a 3D pop to it.
robsonj wrote:
One of the attractions to the 690 is actually the 8 shots. I don't shoot a lot of film, so 24 & 36 is always a lot for me to get through. 8 is great for me
I take 8 pics between picking up the camera to walking out the front door to go shoot...
Hahaha, after owning many film cameras that took 36, 16, and 8 shots I feel like my current camera that takes 10 shots is the perfect balance between quantity and quality.
You guys need to drag out the ol' Fuji 617 which only gets four frames on a roll of 120 and you have to put a lens on before loading the film or you ruin your film and then you can't change the lens until you've shot your entire roll. Well, theoretically you could attempt a very awkward change in a dark bag, but, no. So basically, the procedure is to view through the independent viewfinder, mount your lens of choice - and there are four - view through the viewfinder, fine tune and focus through the groundglass back, load your film and shoot a four shot bracket then move on to the next roll. AND if you manually cock the shutter in the wrong order, and I can't remember if it's before or after advancing the film, you'll lose a frame. The joys of that camera.
Peter Figen wrote:
You guys need to drag out the ol' Fuji 617 which only gets four frames on a roll of 120 and you have to put a lens on before loading the film or you ruin your film and then you can't change the lens until you've shot your entire roll. Well, theoretically you could attempt a very awkward change in a dark bag, but, no. So basically, the procedure is to view through the independent viewfinder, mount your lens of choice - and there are four - view through the viewfinder, fine tune and focus through the groundglass back, load your film and shoot a four shot bracket then move on to the next roll. AND if you manually cock the shutter in the wrong order, and I can't remember if it's before or after advancing the film, you'll lose a frame. The joys of that camera. ...Show more →
I briefly owned a Noblex Pro 175. That was 4 shots on 120 film. I think I only used it for 2 rolls before I moved it on.
Not sure why...
Peter Figen wrote:
You guys need to drag out the ol' Fuji 617 which only gets four frames on a roll of 120 and you have to put a lens on before loading the film or you ruin your film and then you can't change the lens until you've shot your entire roll. Well, theoretically you could attempt a very awkward change in a dark bag, but, no. So basically, the procedure is to view through the independent viewfinder, mount your lens of choice - and there are four - view through the viewfinder, fine tune and focus through the groundglass back, load your film and shoot a four shot bracket then move on to the next roll. AND if you manually cock the shutter in the wrong order, and I can't remember if it's before or after advancing the film, you'll lose a frame. The joys of that camera. ...Show more →
You can save yourself the lens changing issue by getting the OG G617.....
But you still have the rest of the issues. And no ground glass.
