120folder.com          Fujica GS645

The Fujica GS645 Professional Series (generally referred to as Fuji GS645) is a 120 film folding rangefinder camera, 4.5 x 6 format, released 1983 by Fuji Photo Film Co (now Fujifilm Co), Minami-Ashigara, Kanagawa.

The Fujica GS645 is a late model for a 120 film folding camera. It has automatic film advance, an extremely good rangefinder with parallax correction and a built-in semi-coupled light meter, and, of course, a wonderful lens.

Size (mm): 147 x 114 x 56
Weight: 820 g
Lens: EBC Fujinon 3.4/75, closest focus 1 m
Shutter: T, 1 - 1/500, F 3.4 - 22
Finder: coupled rangefinder
Film advance: automatic via lever

Here are some photos of the camera. As it's a 4.5 x 6, you have to turn the camera by 90° for ordinary landscape format. In consequence it unfolds sideways. There is a short introduction to the use of it and how it feels at the bottom of the page.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7497.jpg
Camera front closed. Top: film advance lever, shutter release button, rangefinder window, viewfinder window. In the middle:
camera opening button. Bottom: flash connector.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7498.jpg
Seen from the back. Viewer, film counter switch, film advance lever.


jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7500.jpg
Seen from the bottom. Tripod socket, battery compartment (2x LR44).

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7499.jpg
Seen from above. Hot shoe, shutter button (lockable), film advance lever (one stroke).

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7501.jpg
Camera front open.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7504.jpg
Seen from above of the camera bed, camera open. From front: s
peed setting ring, aperture ring, focus ring. The tiny, tiny ring between speed and aperture, only movable with your fingernails, is the film speed setting. And the tiny lever between aperture and focusing is the self-timer.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7503.jpg
Seen from the top, camera open. From front: Speed setting, aperture setting, focusing, depth-of-the-field scale and "T" setting

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7505.jpg
Camera back open.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7506.jpg
Film chamber. Note the little red buttons that liberate the pegs, similar to a plaubel makina.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_7496.jpg
Leather pouch.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_2000.JPG
Small, but important accessory: the tiny shade. It comes with a leather pouch that could be attached to the strap as it has to be detached before folding. And a new camera leather pouch.

jpgfuji/fuji_gs645_IMG_2001.JPG
Seen from the back.

Handling a 
Fujica GS645 is easy, it's like other 4.5x6 folding rangefinders. Loading film is quite easy because of the little red buttons that liberate the pegs. Open the camera back and put the film roll into place. Same procedure for the take-up spool. Insert the film paper backing into the spool and advance it using the lever, until the start arrow meets the index mark in the middle of the film plane. Close the camera back. Then action the film advance lever until the little window shows "1". It stops automatically.

Open the camera. The shutter is already cocked by the film advance. Look through the rangefinder and set the focus. Press the shutter button half-way and set speed and aperture. 3 LEDs to the right of the finder will guide you. Press the shutter release down. That's it. Action the film advance. To close the camera set focus to infinity, press the interior button on the front of the bed, it will fold easily. Do not try to fold the camera before the film is advanced (and the shutter is cocked) and the focus is set to infinity. It might damage the system.

The 
Fujica GS645 is a very nice, relatively small camera, easy to use. It fits into a coat pocket. Handling is fluid and logic, once you are used to it. The lens gives phantastic results, the metering system is very good. It's a nice advance to old folders. I liked it a lot.

Yet there are several weak points: the bellows are prone to leaks. The shutter/aperture system is less sturdy than on other professional cameras. If you try to fold it in the wrong moment, you can easily mess up the system. Mine has nicely worked for years, but when I took it out of the cupboard to write this, the shutter/aperture system was dead. It had worked some months ago. Quite a deception. Meanwhile I found the reason for the shutter problem. So here is a page about a Fujica GS645 shutter problem.

Fuji GS 645820147 x 114 x 56CAuto Lever,DEPEBC Fujinon 3.4/75 | 1T 1 - 1/500 | 22CLM

back