Dubbed “The Texas Leica”, The Fujifilm GSW 690II is 6×9 medium format rangefinder camera produced from 1985-1992. This fully mechanical camera features a fixed EBC Fujinon SW 65mm f/5.6 lens with the aperture and shutter controls at the front of the lens. The 65mm focal length on the 120 format roughly translates to a 28mm focal length on the 35mm film format. This camera also features leaf shutter which is perfect for discrete street photography or preventing camera shake with handheld photos.
I recently took this camera out around downtown San Francisco with 1 roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 and 1 roll of Ilford HP5+ to see how this camera performs. Since this is a fully mechanical camera, I needed to rely on the Sunny 16 method to meter each scene. There is no built in light meter or any electronics in the camera to assist with exposure. This camera also features two shutter releases for ease of use: One on top of the camera and one on the front of the camera with a shutter lock mechanism.
Kodak Tri-X 400
Ilford HP5+
When I first held the camera, I thought, it truly is a larger Leica camera but not. The aperture and shutter speed controls are hidden behind a retractable lens shade which I thought was an interesting addition, almost similar to flip up head lights on early cars. This was a bit jarring at first coming from a 35mm Leica M but I quickly adapted to the new workflow of the camera. While using the camera, I did notice the top shutter release placement felt distant from my finger tips and found myself using the second shutter release on the front of the camera. This made for an easier grip as well.
As mentioned earlier, this camera felt like my Leica M and focusing with it came naturally. Since I only had 8 exposures, I needed to be more selective at what photos I wanted to make as well as not relying on “zone” or “range” focusing in order to get my shot quickly. I wanted to make sure I was making the most of each frame while looking through the viewfinder and taking my time composing the photo I want.
Although this fixed lens has a maximum aperture of only f/5.6, it provided a good amount of flexibility for day time photography and roughly translates to a 28mm equivalent in the 35mm format. I found myself floating between f/8 and f/11 in bright light and f/5.6 in the shade or overcast environments. There isn’t much shallow depth of field with this lens, however, the larger format helps create some depth and is decent for environmental portraiture but not an ideal choice. The leaf shutter in the lens helped reduce any ,if all, camera shake while I was using slower shutter speeds. Overall, the lens is quite sharp, resolves a great amount of detail, and does have a bit of vintage character.
The Fujifilm GSW 690II truly tested and reinforced my skills as a film photographer. Being limited to 8 exposures, a maximum aperture of f/5.6, and only relying on the sunny 16 method for metering meant I had to choose my scenes wisely and focus on areas that had a good amount of light. It really kept me on my toes. Ultimately I had a great time using this camera. This camera keeps it simple and focuses on the bare basics of photography: Intention, Form, and Light.
