I'm using a GW690III as my walk-around camera. I love the camera for what it is, a really compact light-weight 6x9 rangefinder with great optics. The Fuji 6x9 rangefinders go by the nickname Texas-Leicas. Here are my pros and cons, some of these have already been mentioned.
Pros:
• The camera is relatively small and lightweight (1460g incl. lens) considering the 56x82 mm capture format which is larger than IMAX and twice the area of 645
• The 90mm is a great lens that is relatively fast and already pretty sharp wide open at f/3.5 in the center of the frame and thus usable for shallow DOF portraits. When stopped down to f/5.6 it's already getting excellent throughout the frame with an optimum performance in the f/8-11 range. On f/16 you can already see some loss in contrast from diffraction but it's still excellent. It's only in the very far corners where the lens is noticeably softer than the rest of the frame. Fuji used the same lenses for their 6x7 and 6x8 rangefinders. Of course the 6x9 format is the most demanding on the IC.
• Excellent image quality, I'd consider it as one of the best when it comes to handheld photography.
• It's a film camera with all the great properties that film brings to photography
• The rangefinder focusing is pretty accurate on mine.
• The central leaf shutter and lack mirror slap allows excellent handheld results at fairly slow shutter speeds and flash sync up to 1/500.
• 2nd shutter release button for portrait orientation
• shutter release lock lever to avoid accidental triggering
• completely mechanical camera, no battery, no electronics
• built-in bubble level
• takes 120 and 220 film
• Cheap! I paid $750 for mine with a very low shutter count.
Cons:
• When your subject has some depth and you're trying to align your composition, e.g. in architecture, the viewfinder is not as accurate as an SLR.
• The lens blocks some of the viewfinder.
• The viewfinder is dimmer than a Leica M. The rangefinder patch is also quite dim and not as large as on a Leica M.
• The built quality feels cheap compared to a Leica M. On the other hand it's not in the same price range, and the feel that you don't have a multi-thousand dollar camera around your neck can be relaxing.
• The T shutter setting is a joke: I love the T-setting on my Copal LF shutters. On the Fuji you open the shutter by pressing the release button. But to close the shutter you need to either forward the film or change the shutter speed on the lens. So it forces you into physical contact with the camera before the shutter is closed. I'm using the lens cap to block the light path before closing the shutter to avoid motion blur. Shutter speeds in the 2-4 seconds range are almost impossible to achieve this way.
• No option for double exposure. So if you accidently left the lens cap on while releasing the shutter which is a common mistake with a rangefinder you've wasted the frame.
• I wish Fuji had used a few more aperture blades. The pentagon shaped out of focus rendering from distant light sources when shooting slightly stopped down can be distracting.
• Closest focus distance is 1m.
• Requires external metering which might slow you down a little.
• Non-interchangeable lens: There is only the GSW 65mm wide angle body alternative. With this concept Fuji could calibrate each lens to the body and thus avoid inaccuracy from tolerances in the lens mount. My Leica M was several time in Solms for recalibration of the rangefinder to the lens.
• It's only 8 frames per 120 film which can be a good thing if you want to try different films throughout the shooting.
Here is a sample shot handheld on Kodak E100G (f/5.6 at 1/250 or f/8 at 1/125, cannot remember exactly; slightly underexposed) and two crops when sampled to 201 MP (5334 ppi):
Please use the right-click view image function of your browser to see the samples in their proper size.
At this magnification the CA from the lens on high contrast edges is visible.
Another sample shot at f/5.6 for 1/30 on Fuji Provia 400X:
The crops are from the scan sized to 81 MP (3378 ppi):
The motion blur from the slow shutter speed is visible but 1/30 is definitely usable handheld with the 90mm lens on this camera.
The best alternative to the Fuji 6x9 rangefinders though a little more pricey is the Mamiya 7II with its highly recommended lenses. I never owned one. So I'm not sure how the Mamiya lenses compare to the Fuji. From the samples I've seen I would assume they are in the same league, and it comes down to the questions if the Fujis cover enough range for your needs, or if you're planning to shoot slides for projection then 6x7 offers this option.
-Dominique