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Author Topic: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help  (Read 29977 times)

hsteeves

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #20 on: December 18, 2011, 11:20:53 pm »

Thank-you Bryan. Do you have pictures of your adapted battery?  I have a number of 3es' available .
harvey
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #21 on: December 24, 2011, 03:07:55 pm »

excuse me for interjecting myself into the conversation.  I have a 680III that I too want to put a digital back on.  Where do I find these Chinese adapters on ebay?  The battery conversion to take D700 batteries - was that an EN-EL3e complete battery or pieces? 
If you have the old battery, the best thing to do is to carefully open it up (cut it just above the base where it looks like the top is connected), clean it inside, then wire in series 6 NiCads of 1.2v 1000-1500mah and glue the top back to the base! The NEW battery will work on your charger and it can be reopened when the NiCads die again!!! It will only cost you 6 NiCads and some simple work. I recently bought a GX680 LN condition with 2 dead batteries, charger, the 65, 125 & 210 and 3 finders (WL, AElupe, pentaprism) 2 inserts and a back for a silly price, I ordered from ebay the Contax 645 adapter and fitted my Imacon 528c back on it, I was also send the back-camera communication cable (thanks Peder) for multishot. The lenses are a gem, the camera is a masterpiece, hence my Sinar P2 is for sale. Anybody interested? Merry Christmas, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
 P.S. One back for my Contax and my Fuji? and multishot? and shift, tilt, swing? You don't want to know the total (silly) price guys.
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eddysmit

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #22 on: January 17, 2012, 08:23:41 am »

Hi, before i switched to the Hartbleicam HB1 i used the Fuji GX680 for all still live work in studio. I had the kapture group FujiGX to Hassie H adapterplate with new hasselblad style viewscreen. This works perfect. I think the Fuji is the best kept secret on the market. Peolple who have never serously worked with one will say that its viewfinder is to big, the camera is to clumsy, it is to heavy, lenses are bad........ all said by people who do not have ever used it an a serious level.
But, it is very importent to have your system aligned very wel: i used it with the hasselblad adapterplate and the standard view screen.... in one word horror! Not a single sharp picture. But after adjusting tolerances, it also produced top images. With the Kapture group H adapter it was perfect, better than any system i ever used, and i used about every camera set-up. To me, only the Hartbleicam HB1 tops the Fuji at this moment. Most lenses are excellent.
Kapture group adaptor plates are 50 percent cheaper at the moment, so almost for free :-)
Hi Peter,
adjusting tolerances? How did you do that?
I Have an Imacon with the original adapterplate. However shimming the sensor doesn't help, it's to far off focus. What's your secret? ;)
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #23 on: January 17, 2012, 06:03:00 pm »

I have a couple of GX680 II bodies and the 65, 125, 180 and 300mm lenses. I used this for many years with my P25 and a Kapture Group One Shot solution for wake-up and sync. This system rocked and was my go-to platform for my food and still life work.
When my batteries for the camera died and I discovered I could not buy new ones, I simply cut the base off one of the batteries, took the top off a Nikon charger, glued the two together and Viola! I now have a battery adapter that takes Nikon batteries (pinched from the D700 gathering dust in my cupboard).
Once I replaced my P25 with a P65+, and now the IQ180, I no longer need the Kapture Group One Shot solution. Using the backs in zero latency mode works fine. As I have also moved from V mount to M645 mount, I bought one of the Chinese adapters available on eBay and this works fine.
The 300 suffers from vibration issues due to the massive mirror, even when mounted on my massive Foba head and large camera stand. The other lenses are superb and have large image circles too. This is one of the most versatile systems around, but you have to get your head around the sheer bulk. I bought my system new in 1995 and it served in a high-volume studio environment for 7 years without missing a beat. For sheer ease and speed of use when using shifts, it's hard to beat. Full frontal movements with reflex viewing - what's not to love about that?
Cheers,
I pretty much do what Bryan does, I use the 65, 125 and 210 lenses and a chinese adapter that allows me to use the same MFDB as on my Contax 645 system. I just want to add the following:
 1. I do have 100% success (not one shot missed) in microstep 16x with my GX680 and Imacon 528c back, thus producing a 508MB, 88mpx file in stills, that easily beats the file of an 80mpx modern back (I repeat IN STILLS). This I have succeeded by using a SUPERB tripod (the FATIF) and I don't only do stills, but also reproduction of paintings with it.
 2. The best and cheapest way of redoing the batteries is to do what Bryan has done, but instead of using an EN-EL3, clean the inside of the cover and wire 6 rechargable Nicad AAs in series! They fit perfectly, you have 6x1.2=7.2Volts, it will rework with your charger, only cost 12Euros for the lot, can be replaced again whenever they die (just make sure you don't over-glue the top part of the battery when you put it back) and you can use 1500mA ones, that doubles the life of the original battery.
 3. To tether the back you require a special cable that will connect the dedicated multi pin connection of it with the one at the camera were the dedicated remote release plugs AND another one that connects the PC socket of the camera to the back. The camera has to be on "multi" in its shooting mode dial and will be triggered by the dedicated program on your computer.
 4. The lenses are super sharp and bear the most neutral color I've seen, but if you see the microstep 16x image out of it, It's good enough to ..."drop dead" ...You simply can't believe that such kind of quality exists in this world!!! Just imagine what will happen when I will be able to cover the whole 8x6 area, by stitching 2 microstep files together for 1GB total. Now where is that Kapture stitching adapter for the Contax.... if I won't find it and they don't remake it, I will have to convert one of their HassV ones or built one my shelf. Regards, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #24 on: January 17, 2012, 06:29:47 pm »

Hi Peter,
adjusting tolerances? How did you do that?
I Have an Imacon with the original adapterplate. However shimming the sensor doesn't help, it's to far off focus. What's your secret? ;)
No problem whatsoever with my (Contax adapter) Imacon and additional GX680 chinese adapter for Contax, focus is dead on! There must be something wrong with your adapter. Regards, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
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eddysmit

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #25 on: January 18, 2012, 02:27:57 am »

No problem whatsoever with my (Contax adapter) Imacon and additional GX680 chinese adapter for Contax, focus is dead on! There must be something wrong with your adapter. Regards, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
Now I'm getting confused. An additional GX680 chinese adapter for Contax ? What is it? Do you work with a Fuji 680 or a Contax camera?
I read that Peter uses a Hasselblad viewing screen. Is that specially made for digital? So, do you have to replace that if using film again?
Maybe I'm doing something totally wrong? I think the set normally comes with an extra plastic screen to put on the viewing screen. Or do I have to remove the original viewing screen and put the plastic one under the original one?
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #26 on: January 18, 2012, 03:52:52 am »

Now I'm getting confused. An additional GX680 chinese adapter for Contax ? What is it? Do you work with a Fuji 680 or a Contax camera?
I read that Peter uses a Hasselblad viewing screen. Is that specially made for digital? So, do you have to replace that if using film again?
Maybe I'm doing something totally wrong? I think the set normally comes with an extra plastic screen to put on the viewing screen. Or do I have to remove the original viewing screen and put the plastic one under the original one?
Perhaps its my English, I use both a Contax and a Fuji, my MFDB is Contax fit. I mostly use it on the fuji though for its shift/tilt capabilities for multishot 4x and microstep 16x, to do that I use a chinese adapter that mounts on the fuji and can take any back that is Contax fit. Those adapters also exist for Hasselblad V, Mamiya 645 and other MF backs, you don't have to use a back that is Fuji GX680 fit, on the ...GX680! It is very much the same with what "siebel" is doing. These adapters are affordable (>150 USD) and allow you to keep the fit of your back unaltered. You must use a simple pc sync to "prog" cable to trigger the back, but if you want tethered shooting or 4x or 16x shooting you will have to use an additional dedicated cable (made from the MFDB manufacturer), so that the back will be able to "order" the camera to shoot. If you use a P1 or Leaf back you additionally need the "one shot" device that is described above from others, if you use an Imacon/Hasselblad or a Sinarback, there is no need for the "one shot". I don't know about the screen, I use 2 of the original Fuji ones. Regards, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
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eddysmit

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #27 on: January 18, 2012, 04:06:57 am »

No, I think it's my English  ;D What is a MFDB?
Do you have a link to that Chinese adapter site?

Normally I use my Imacon with an Mamiya 645AFD. However I like to use it with my 680. It works when I focus working tethered using the preview.
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #28 on: January 18, 2012, 05:46:51 am »

No, I think it's my English  ;D What is a MFDB?
Do you have a link to that Chinese adapter site?

Normally I use my Imacon with an Mamiya 645AFD. However I like to use it with my 680. It works when I focus working tethered using the preview.
MFDB stands for "Medium Format Digital Back" (just the initials). Look at Ebay No: 370540100944, its one of those adapters for your Mamyia. Alternatively, you can buy the, much more expensive, "Kapture Group" one which is of better quality. I almost dropped my back when I first got mine, it didn't lock properly, I had to readjust the locks and do some simple modification, after I fixed it, its dead accurate. Regards, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
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eddysmit

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #29 on: January 18, 2012, 07:48:24 am »

Thank you for your time and explanation. Now the pieces fit together. So you put an adapter on an adapter...
I have the original adapter from Imacon Express for the 680, it is screwed directly on the MFDB (thanks for the initials), so no extra adapter is needed. However, everything is way out of focus.

I once really dropped a sliding adapter with the Ixpress on my foot  :-[
Without looking, I wanted to unlock the bellow of my technical camera, but I unlocked the adapter...
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #30 on: January 18, 2012, 08:37:56 am »

Thank you for your time and explanation. Now the pieces fit together. So you put an adapter on an adapter...
I have the original adapter from Imacon Express for the 680, it is screwed directly on the MFDB (thanks for the initials), so no extra adapter is needed. However, everything is way out of focus.

I once really dropped a sliding adapter with the Ixpress on my foot  :-[
Without looking, I wanted to unlock the bellow of my technical camera, but I unlocked the adapter...
If your back is an Ixpress it should work with the single adapter that you have. I think that I may know the solution to the problem you have! You obviously take the mamiya adapter off and then you screw the fuji one instead isn't it? If that's what you do, what do you do with the shimming plate? (its the plate that exists between your mamiya adapter and your back). This is used to keep your sensor at the correct position for critical image sharpness, if you don't have one, it means that your back doesn't need one to be at the exact position with your Mamiya, but it needs one with the Fuji! If you have one, its the correct one for your mamiya, but its wrong width for your fuji! What you have to do is very simple, buy a shimming kit from your Imacon dealer, this way you will create (just follow the instructions) a shimming plate for your Fuji camera adapter. You only have to use the right shimming plate for the right adapter. Regards,Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
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eddysmit

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #31 on: January 18, 2012, 09:16:38 am »

Thanks again,
I bought the Ixpress with an Hasselblad adapter, it was fitted on a sliding adapter for a TC, with one shim.
This combination is also ways out of focus. Only when I put lotts of shims, it is in focus, however then the springcontacts don't make contact and it doesn't work. No idea how the previous owner used it???

For the Mamiya AFD I added extra shims, home made from everything I could find. This is an extremely difficult work. But now it is sharp wide open! However on my spare AFD it is unsharp. The tolerance between to identical camera's is rather big...

For the 680 I tried a lot of combinations. But I can't remember if it back or front focusses. It's more then a year ago.
Reading this post brought it back to my attention.

Last week I bought an AFD II , now the whole story can start again.

I see that you do painting reproductions. Can you tell more about the light setup you use. I use 2 softboxes at 45°. But I can imagine there are better ways ;)

Regards Eddy.
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #32 on: January 18, 2012, 12:15:38 pm »

Thanks again,
I bought the Ixpress with an Hasselblad adapter, it was fitted on a sliding adapter for a TC, with one shim.
This combination is also ways out of focus. Only when I put lotts of shims, it is in focus, however then the springcontacts don't make contact and it doesn't work. No idea how the previous owner used it???

For the Mamiya AFD I added extra shims, home made from everything I could find. This is an extremely difficult work. But now it is sharp wide open! However on my spare AFD it is unsharp. The tolerance between to identical camera's is rather big...

For the 680 I tried a lot of combinations. But I can't remember if it back or front focusses. It's more then a year ago.
Reading this post brought it back to my attention.

Last week I bought an AFD II , now the whole story can start again.

I see that you do painting reproductions. Can you tell more about the light setup you use. I use 2 softboxes at 45°. But I can imagine there are better ways ;)

Regards Eddy.
The soft boxes of yours, is it flash or continuous lighting? If it is continuous, what is the temperature? Do you use a light tent around the subject? Have you tried shadow artificial lighting? How do you succeed even light distribution with artificial lighting or continuous lighting?  ::) I think this is really a conversation that should be avoided Eddy, it really needs a book of writing to analyze the procedure, it should start from capture and go down to the material used on the plotter for the final print, it needs a very difficult profile path that requires to be fine adjusted in between every link of the chain and at the end... A. Works only for that material B. Printing the same file on a different lab with the same equipment and profiles will require retuning. Paintings are very demanding Eddy, much more than photography... but its a great school, because it can IMO teach you more "photography" than any book and color and lighting knowledge beyond any expectation. The good thing is that if you are good at it, can be very profitable and interesting..., especially if you get involved with some masterpieces, the bad thing is that you never master it completely, just become better all the time. Regards, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
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eddysmit

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #33 on: January 18, 2012, 12:52:10 pm »

Hmmm lots of information and things to think about.
I use 2 800W/s strobes with 2 rather big soft boxes. The paintings are very big, at least 1m5 x 1m5 so no light tent.
And always on location.
Here some examples:
http://johanvanmullem.com/
I think I better come over in spring time ;)
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fotometria gr

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #34 on: January 18, 2012, 01:47:44 pm »

Hmmm lots of information and things to think about.
I use 2 800W/s strobes with 2 rather big soft boxes. The paintings are very big, at least 1m5 x 1m5 so no light tent.
And always on location.
Here some examples:
http://johanvanmullem.com/
I think I better come over in spring time ;)
I think you better stop using the strobes Eddy, the reflection is evident in some of them, next thing to do is to obtain a microstep capable back, next you've got to make your fuji to work, you need an extremely neutral color lens for painting reproduction and the Fujinons are exactly that... and sharp, neutral color lens and good lighting control will help you to have an "accurate" image on your superbly well calibrated monitor, now.... Oh! its spring already!  :) We can talk over some wine in "Fotometria"! Regards, Theodoros. www.fotometria.gr
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eddysmit

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Re: Fuji GX 680 III with digital back need info and help
« Reply #35 on: January 18, 2012, 02:31:03 pm »

Thanks for the advice. I have a microstep back. All pictures are taken in multishot mode (x4)
So I'm going to find a solution for the 680. The paintings are all varnished, I wonder what setup is best to avoid reflections.
Do you have a dropbox account? I can send you the original TIFF files if you want a look at them. I notice that the colors are a bit off in the website and that no detail can be seen.
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