Edit: If the batteries die, you can keep shooting because the camera is fully mechanical. I also forgot to mention that the camera doesn't have auto exposure, but it's not a big deal in my opinion because of that reliable built-in light meter.

Your vid got me over the line with this, well done. It’s in the mail from Japan!

Amazing review man! I've had my eye on this camera for a while and you've definitely boosted my confidence in making the jump to Medium formate. And great point about the waist level viewfinder. Something like that seems a bit more novelty and would never work with the way I am accustomed to shooting. Subscribed!

Camera case for the GS645S. Fuji included a thin cloth (fake suede) which will hardly protect the camera from dirt. It provides no physical protection. Same situation with the other GS645 models. My solution for a protective case for both my GS645 and GS645W was to visit a larger camera store and troll through all of their small, padded pouch type cases for digital cameras. It didn't take long to find a case the right size to hold the camera very safely and had some additional compartment(s) to store film, a few filters, cable release, etc.

Zain the part is the hammer. I have long been looking for a camera that does exactly what Fuji offers. small. rangefinder and always portrait orientation 😍

Great review! I loved this when I first laid eyes on it and you've just sold it to me

No one ever mentions the best introduction to medium format photography, the Kiev 60.

Owned one of these, the GS645 with the bellows lens. Great camera. I'd like to find this version now but all sem to be in Japan and prices are around $500+ now days.

Damn, I love watching reviews of cameras I own :)))

Thank you for a great review! I've been looking for an inexpensive step up from my Brownie Hawkeye Flash for medium format. Cheers.

just want to point out your awesome soft keylight. Looks amazing.

Like most amateur/hobby level photographers, I've grown up on 35mm film photography. However the inherent higher resolution enlargement capability of medium-format film negatives is not lost on me. I just love those sharp rich 'calendar photo' type photos and portraits taken with medium format film..therefore I'm considering making the foray into medium format. The twin-lens type medium format cameras do not especially appeal to me..but this camera looks like to be an ideal tool for me to get into medium format photography without spending my retirement nest egg on equipment. The question for me is more of film availability and processing..I do not develop film myself nor do I really want to get into that unless I have to. Informative video I will bookmark it for reference.

Looks like a cool camera…

Awesomeness with your video man I am sold.i am looking for on right now

Thank you x a milli for this! I think this is my next camera but not much on this model online!

Waist level finders are not a pain to use. You can get a higher view point than a normal viewfinder (like above your head) while actually looking through the viewfinder. It's not that hard, I got used to it in about 5 minutes. However, I do like 645 cameras. They get left out of conversations just because 6x7 is cooler.

This looks like a leaf shutter, so it should flash sync at all speeds. That's an advantage. For this camera, I'd probably use a rubber hood (instead of metal) so that any bumping of the hood won't hurt the lens. Single lens cameras are in a real sense actually zooms .... you just have to 'zoom with your feet' :)

Do you still shoot this camera? What's your opinion on it now?

Great video. Another very affordable medium format rangefinder is the Koni Omega Rapid series of cameras.

It looks kind of cool with the cow bar thing. I'm very tempted by one of these but can't decide between the 3 versions. I want it for landscape mainly.

Just got one from Japan...I paid WAY too much, but can't wait to shoot.

Really loved this video, you've got yourself an easy subscribe

Great video. I so agree about waist-level viewfinders.

I have a Fuji GS645 without the S. Even better in my opinion since the lens is closer to 'normal'. Love everything about it, except the slightly misaligned rangefinder, nice video :)

Great review and I really like the red shutter button you got! Where did you buy it from?

this is not a cheap camera in 2024 due in part to reviews like this one

I have to disagree about waist level finders. It’s about the user and the subject matter. I use a rolleiflex 2.8e extensively for the past 4 years. If your focus is model based I can see your point but With street portraiture I’ve never found issue. To call it a novelty or say that it sucks is a bit much. Gordon parks and Richard Avedon both used them to an extent and created polar opposite work. But thats discipline, you know. The whole one camera thing.

like your enthusiasm, good video, I will consider this, do have several meduim format already.

What websites do you recommend to buy analog cameras? I am very interested Fuji GS645S amazing video!!

Interesting vid! My first medium format was a Minolta Autocord. Very underrated. I find it much better than a Yashica, for about half the price. I'd love a Fuji GS645 but I prefer to save a bit more for a Pentax 65

Thanks for this great video. I will retire mine it's just not working properly now been to camera shop twice but still not fixed. I will keep it because it is my 1st MF camera.

Love this channel

This camera does make the Mamiya 7ii scared as far as performance! I had the Mamiya 7ii.

Great video! Thank you ! )))

Thank you, great video! )))

Damn just when I was decided on the bronica etrs for my first medium format camera you might've sold me on this one! Ugh thanks for a great review and added indecision, bro! Hahaha

This is a very helpful review, thank you truly! One question, if you don't mind: do the self-timer and T switch work together, so that one can take long exposures without shaking the camera? Many thanks!

Great review!

The features which qualify a camera for "best" are quite subjective, however their negative character should knock them out of consideration, which IMO applies to the GS645S. Specifically, the focus helix and mount of the lens on the GD645S is extremely vulnerable to breakage with no parts or repair now available. That guard bar around the lens is not there to be stylish. Even a modest rap on the lens from the front or the side probably will break the threads in the focusing assembly. You must remove filter(s) or hood from the lens for storage, as they will extend beyond the protection of the bar. A significant percentage of such cameras for sale have suffered this damage, which can appear as lens wobble in the mount and/or rough focusing. On the positive side, the camera body is light and strong, the meter is good, the focusing adequate, and the lens is very good. As a starter 645 format camera, I'd prefer a Mamiya 645 SLR.

I bought one and had CLA on it. It is really beautiful and working great. The store who did my CLA also fixed the broken light meter! However, the rangefinder path is really dimmer than other cameras, such as the fuji GW690 II, or the Olympus 35 RC. Still, it is better than the Olympus XA. How is the rangefinder path in yours? It would be a perfect camera if the rangefinder was a little easier to see!

What film would anyone recommend for getting used to this camera?

Looking to get one of these Fuji medium formats!! There’s just so many choices though: the GW670, the GW680, or the GS690. I’m not sure which format would be the best for me. What factors should I consider? Any help?

beautiful video. What song are you using?

Great review. Ive found you can get 16 shots out of a roll if you're careful. Love that camera.

Bronica never gets mention either :(

These are still $300-$500 :( I wish 120mm wasn't so expensive...

300-400 pounds, 7 months later more like 600-700 euros (from Japan, so excluding import costs and all that jazz) 😜

...no cool and great review

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So stupid they dind make these cameras 2 formats , 6x4.5 and 6x6