The Fuji GW670III, released in 1992, is the last model in a series of medium-format rangefinder cameras designed for professional landscape photographers. Like its predecessor, the third version features a fixed 90mm f/3.5 lens, but it has a newer, more rounded body made of a plastic shell, which makes the camera noticeably lighter than most medium-format cameras.
The “Texas Leica”
Commonly known as the “Texas Leica” because of its size, the camera looks quite bulky and, due to its plastic body, can feel a bit cheaply made. However, once you have the chance to hold one in your hands, you begin to appreciate its ergonomics, which almost makes you forget that you're shooting medium format. One small detail that immediately caught our attention is that the GW670 has two shutter buttons, one on the top on the advancing lever, and a second one on the front, making vertical shooting particularly comfortable.
Despite being so big, the GW670 is actually light enough to be carried around without becoming an uncomfortable weight on your shoulder. The camera doesn’t need a battery because it is fully mechanical and has no lightmeter. Sure, this forces you to use an external lightmeter and slow down the process, but somehow it perfectly suits the kind of photography you want to take with the GW670. As mentioned before, this is an instrument appealing to photographers who need a lightweight setup that can be easily transported outdoors, who want high-quality images on large negatives, and who are comfortable trading an internal light meter for this.
The aperture ring and shutter speed controls are located on the lens, under a movable lens hood that hides them when not extended. It can be at times a bit tricky to access them, but after shooting for a while it gets pretty natural.
Is it sharp enough?
The fixed 90mm lens is incredibly sharp, it renders beautifully the colors and creates images with a pleasant contrast. The fact that the lens is not interchangeable can limit the use to specific situations. The 90mm corresponds to a 45mm lens on a 35mm camera, which is very close to the natural field of view. This camera is therefore a good option not only for landscape photography but also for taking environmental portraits. For those that prefer a wider field of view, Fuji offers a variant of the 6x9 version, namely the GSW690 that is equipped with a 65mm lens, which translates to a 28mm on a full frame camera.
Being a rangefinder the GW670 has a leaf shutter and can therefore deliver sharp images also shooting handheld with long shutter speeds. The ergonomics of the body and its weight allows a firm grip that makes it easy to stay steady while firing; we tested it at a concert shooting at 1/30 of a second and we were surprised by how sharp the images were.
Choose your model
Fuji released 3 models of this camera: the 6x7, which is relatively rare and more expensive, the 6x8 and the 6x9, which is definitely the easier to find and also the most affordable one. The third version of these cameras was produced in the ‘90s and replaced the previous models from the ‘80s, which had a more linear body made of metal and are still easy to find on the market. One interesting and unique feature is a shutter counter on the bottom of the camera that allows you to easily know how many films the camera has shot (Fuji says the lifespan of these models is 500 films).
Our conclusions
In the end, the Fuji GW670 is an odd camera, with some limitations and not flexible enough to be used in every context. However, the camera has some clear points of strength, from the light weight to the super sharp lens and the overall very good ergonomics. For sure, this is not a camera for everyone, but there are good reasons to fall in love with it. Our impression is that the GW670 cuts photography down to the very basics: no distractions and less flexibility—that is to say, limitations as a way of focusing on the essentials.