REVIEW: Fujifilm GSW690III - Big and Wide!
If you're looking for a great medium-format film camera that also happens to shoot in a larger negative, you'll quickly notice how few options there are on the market. It's a niche segment, for sure, and one that is sparsely populated with good examples. Lucky for me, I found this Fujifilm GSW690iii a while back, and on the surface, it seems to meet my needs perfectly. But, how well does it fare through the gauntlet?
Well, despite being born in the 90s (which itself is a derivative of its 1980s predecessors), the GSW690iii still holds up as one of the best cameras that you can buy today. Especially, for a bit of landscape, travel, or studio photography. Fujifilm's GW series of medium-format film cameras had numerous variants. You'll find loads of other formats on the second-hand market, but mine here has a distinct 6x9 negative.
UPDATE - I am currently selling this camera. It’s a fantastic camera but unfortunately, I need to sell some of my camera gear. Please read the listing carefully, link below :)
PLEASE NOTE: I PURCHASED THIS WITH MY OWN MOMEY AND NO PAYMENT OR CONTROL WAS EXCHANGED FOR PUBLISHING THIS UNBIASED REVIEW
I bought the GSW690iii as I wanted to find something that had a larger negative size... Most of my other film cameras have a 6x6 format, or the biggest among them would be something like the BRONICA GS-1's 6x7 format. But at the same time, I wanted to retain some degree of flexibility and portability that I'd no doubt lose out if I went with a large-format camera. 6x9 is as big as medium-formats go, it seems.
Granted, there are specialist and rare exceptions like panoramic 6x12 and 6x17 cameras. Though, if your needs don't require large negatives, there are other variants within Fujifilm's family of medium-format film cameras that come with a 6x7 and 6x8 negative, among others. Plus, they'd all come with the same (or somewhat similar) lens that's fitted onto this here GSW690iii. So, why did I pick this one, then?
Worth It To Go With Larger Negatives?
A larger negative, of course, allows you to retain greater detail, with enhanced sharpness, and a lot of depth from your shots. The same can be said of the Fujifilm GSW690iii, especially when you pair its large negatives and the super crisp lens (more on that later). What you end up with are a really good camera (by film standards), particularly for, as I've mentioned earlier, nature and landscape photography.
To be clear, it's not really the sort of camera that you'd want to bring with you for casual shooting. For the most part, the GSW690iii is aimed towards professional use and is likely to spend most of its life inside a studio or on a professional photoshoot. What's worth noting is the "S" in the model name. This denotes that it comes with a slightly wider lens than the GW models, which is paired with a 90mm lens.
The latter should equate to a 40mm in the 35mm standard. Meanwhile, the GSW690iii (not the GW) has a 65mm lens, which is a 28mm equivalent in the 35mm standard. Specifically, like the one that I have here, it's a Fujinon f5.6 fixed wide-angle EBC SW lens. It shoots in a 3:2 aspect ratio, is constructed from 4 components, and has 6 elements. The major downside to the GSW690iii is that it's a fixed lens unit.
Still, despite the inclusion of a fixed lens, this 65mm unit is one of the best film lenses of its era, and still is among the best in the business for medium-format film cameras. As far as the aperture is concerned, it'll go anywhere from f5.6 to f32, with half-stop increments in between. More specifically, you have options for f5.6, f8, f11, f16, f22, and f32. In practice, the GSW690iii's lens is a really good bit of kit to shoot with.
“This 65mm unit is one of the best film lenses of its era, and still is among the best in the business for medium-format film cameras”
One Of The Best Lenses In The Business
Personally, I find that the image sharpness can get a tad soft and lacking crispness at f32, though it's still pretty good, even at such high apertures. Ideally, I've found that there's more sharpness to be had at f8 and higher. The Fujifilm GSW690iii is capable of managing shutter speeds between 1 second to 1/500th of a second. Meanwhile, adjusting the shutter speeds as well as the aperture has to be done on the lens.
You can control the latter two with the dual parallel rings, near the retractable lens hood. On top of that, it comes with a T mode - which is Fujifilm's idea of a Bulb mode. While this works well in practice, using this feature does require a bit of getting used to. For starters, you're asked to turn the shutter ring and set it to something other than T when the exposure times out, such as a timed setting that's the closest to you.
Once you understand the general quirkiness of it, T mode can be handy for long exposure shots. Or, if you can't grasp how it all works, you'll otherwise need to DIY an even odder solution... Such as using a piece of cardboard, or a thick black cloth to block out light going into the lens. Another variable to contend with is the GSW690iii's use of a rangefinder. As expected, there is a bit of parallax to compensate for.
For those who aren't familiar, 'parallax' is an instance where what you're seeing through the rangefinder isn't really what the lens itself is seeing. Nonetheless, from my use case, the parallax on the GSW690iii is not really that bad - most of what I'm seeing and composing through the rangefinder translates well into the final shot. Although, it's definitely something to be wary of when you're composing a good shot.
Some Old-School Charm, Good And Bad
Whenever you're handling the Fujifilm GSW690iii, it's worth remembering every now and then that it's a pretty old slab of hardware. As such, it's a basic camera to use - for better or worse. For example, it has no metering system, nor does it require a battery. In addition, it gives you full manual control. So, it doesn't really match the point-and-shoot style of a modern digital camera, if that's more your style.
Still, at least it does have a hot shoe for a flash. Another interesting addition is a counter on the bottom of the frame that counts how many shots you've taken. It's sort of like an odometer on your car, but this only counts every 10 shots. So, if you see the counter reading 100, it means that 1,000 shots have been taken. The spring mechanism for this counter is what might explain the GSW690iii's loud shutter noises.
Looking around, there aren't a lot of other buttons or dials when compared to modern DSLRs. In fact, the only other dials that you'd have access to (besides the two shutter buttons; one at the top and the other on the front) would be at the top of the camera. This one's dedicated to film selection... 220 film with 16 exposures (but with no backing paper), 120 film with 8 exposures, or 120 film with 4 exposures.
Naturally, shooting with 220 film is out of the question, as they're basically ‘unobtanium’ these days. But, even with more "commonplace' 120 film, you'd only get (at the very most) 8 exposures from a single roll. Given how costly film is to buy and develop, the GSW690iii isn't really the most economical pick of the bunch. So, it does force you to be very careful when lining up a shot - mess up, and it'll cost you!
The Legend Of The "Texas Leica"
Now, depending on what you want to get out of it, those larger negatives may be worthwhile the added expense. Still, at least you don't have to worry (too much) about breaking your GSW690iii. Ergonomically, it feels really good in the hand, though the build quality is decent at best. This is thanks in no small part to its plasticky frame. So much so, that it almost feels brittle, as if it'll break into pieces if you dropped it.
Yet, hold it for long enough, and the GSW690iii gives off an air of robustness and solidity... Sturdy, and is more than capable of standing the test of time. You do require a bit of muscle to carry this around all day, as it is rather big and bulky. Weighing in at approximately 1,510g for the entire package, the GSW690iii is a heavyweight. There's even a cheeky nickname for the Fujifilm GSW690iii, the "Texas Leica".
"Texas", because it's overly big, yet it has that dainty old-school charm of classical "Leica" cameras. That's not to say that getting your hands on one is going to be easy. This is undoubtedly the biggest downside of the GSW690iii - trying to find one. As of writing, they're becoming ever more scarce, particularly if you're trying to find one in good nick. Thus far, demand for them is far outstripping diminishing supply.
Prices alone have doubled over the past few years. I paid around £450 for mine a while back. But, if you'd want one now, you're likely going to have to spend closer to £800 for a well-kept example. Additionally, it could keep getting higher. Nevertheless, it's a premium that might be well-worth spending if you value the GSW690iii's larger-than-usual negative size. Not to mention, the sharp, wide 65mm lens.
Specs And Details
About the Author - Ross Jukes is a professional Photographer and Videographer with over a decade of experience. Working in both Digital and Analogue formats, Ross has worked with international clients, had his worked published numerous times and exhibited his work extensively. With a passion for all things photographic, Ross combines his experience, enthusiasm and dedication to his art form to create engaging and educational content for the photographic community.
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