Above is a photo of my latest camera, a medium format Fuji 680 III camera, which I recently bought off eBay. It’s an unfashionable camera with many commercial and hobbyist photographers having abandoned medium format (MF) for digital. I’m bucking the trend, replacing my digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) with a MF camera.
I prefer the look of film over digital, so hence my latest purchase and the planned disposal of my tiny Sony digital kit on eBay. This is my first MF camera, with me having moved directly from 35mm to large format (LF). The Fuji will not be replacing my LF cameras which I will continue to use.
The Fuji 680 needs to be used on a tripod for optimum results, which suits my slow, deliberate shooting style. I see my new acquisition as the Rolls Royce of MF cameras, with it having a full range of movements on the front standard, allowing me to change the plane of focus, just like you can with a LF view camera. The Fuji 680 will allow me to work much faster than LF, and it’s an ideal camera for portraits when used in conjunction with a prism viewfinder. I can’t complain about the price of the Fuji, which cost me a tad more than an entry level DSLR. I see the Fuji as a bargain, with it being such a versatile camera capable of giving image quality almost on par with 5x4 film.
I have only had limited use of the camera since I bought it, so I’m still evaluating it, but my initial impression is very positive. When I get around to it I will post some jpegs from scanned negatives now that I have a scanner capable of scanning negatives from 35mm right up to 10x8. Yes I have made another eBay purchase, a Microtek i900 scanner.
Labels: Fuji 680, Fuji 680 III
