This beast of a camera, I mean it this time, is the Fujica GW690. Mechanically it is in great condition, but the looks are another matter. Just a few of the cosmetic issues:
-virtually all lettering is missing from the top
-eyepiece ring is missing
-cracked/poorly applied paint is all over the metal parts of the body, and a good portion of the leather.
-a skylight filter was so tightly attached that it was destroyed in the process of removing
-some dust is between the lens elements but does not affect image quality
Looks aside, this is a fun camera to shoot with. As someone with larger than average hands it does not feel too unwieldy or awkward to use.
| Make | Fujica |
|---|---|
| Model | GW690 |
| Year | ~1978 |
| Format | 120 (6×9) |
| Shutter | Seiko #0 leaf |
| Speed | T, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, 500 |
| Lens | Fujinon |
| f3.5 90mm | |
| Focus | 1m – ∞ |
| Aperture | f3.5 – 32 |
| Light Meter | No |
| Rangefinder | Yes |
The shutter counter indicates 439 (x10) or almost 4400. Given the state of the camera I would not be surprised if the actual count was much, much higher. That being said the camera is great mechanically and I experienced no issues with the two rolls run through it so far.
Though the lettering is completely worn off on my camera the GW690 has a selector lever next to the accessory shoe that changes the number of exposures (4, 8, or 16) depending on 120 (short/long) or 220 film.
There isn’t much bad about this camera, with the possible exception of bulkiness. It doesn’t fit in any but the largest of my camera bags.
Sample images: TMax 100 and Pancro 400, stand-developed HC110 30 min.
