Fujifilm GF670W – The beast from the east – PART 1

Fujifilm GF670W with lens hood

fujifilm-gf670w-medium-format-range-finder-camera

It’s really quite insane, but totally true – the Fujifilm GF670W is so silent that it’s got a red light indicating you have pressed the shutter. That’s gotta be the definition of a quiet shutter.

But hey, let’s add an insanely noisy knob for winding the film forward for the next shot in case you want to notice your neighbours you’re getting ready for the next shot.
Why bother to engineer this remarkable shutter and then having to leave the room for winding the film if you want to be anonymous?

It’s absurd.

Maybe Fujifilm’s shutter department is in Japan and the knob department is on the other side of the world – I don’t know. My 65 year old Agfa folder winds the film totally silent, the Fuji should too.

That’s just how this camera is, like it or not. I love it.

Right from when I picked it out of the box and the smell of a new (and already discontinued) analog medium format camera filled the room I was sold. And did I mention – it got the looks too. Even my M6 Classic looks odd next to the GF670W.

But let’s get down to business – it doesn’t really matter how a camera looks or smells. How it performs and feel is the clue. And performs it does.
The lens is great, no wait a minute…I gotta say superb.
The viewfinder is like those gigantic panoramic windows you’ll see downtown on a funky office building.
The ergonomics are superb.
And it got all the knobs and buttons a photographer would dream of – that’s like two or three.

If I could ask for two more things it would be a quiet film winding knob and a mechanical shutter, because the electronics is the only thing I would imagine fail in this well engineered camera.

Did I mention the lightmeter broke down? Yes it did, and repairing it wasn’t easy. Fujifilm Norway didn’t want nothing to do with this camera even though is just a few years old and crazy expensive. I was quite surprised by this lack of service from Fujifilm, the service was non-existing. Luckily I got it repaired in Japan through a local camera shop. The way Fujifilm is developing their business with shutting down production of most of their film related products makes the film part of their name look kinda funny.

It may look like I got mixed emotions about this camera, but I don’t. I’m in love and love isn’t meant to always be easy. The GF670W might be the finest piece of photographic gear I have ever owned.

In part 2 I will get more into details. See below for a couple of photos taken with the Fujifilm GF670W.

Read more in part 2 – coming soon.

Wading in the Gulf of Finland. Photo: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg (Svein Ove Ekornesvåg)
Wading in the Gulf of Finland. Photo: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg (Svein Ove Ekornesvåg)
Something bright in sight. Foto: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg (Svein Ove Ekornesvåg)
Something bright in sight. Foto: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg (Svein Ove Ekornesvåg)