Fujifilm Panorama GX617 Professional

Review Date
January 1, 2004

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by
andrew lee , Intermediate

Price Paid
$2200.00 at locally

Photography Experience
6-10 years , Other

Summary
the g617. Right off the get go i was taken aback by the size of the camera... yet when it fits in your hands (or on a tripod) it feels surprisingly nimble. I just fully expected it to be awkward.
The size of the negatives and lens quality jump out at me.

Strengths
the negative size, image quality and glass

Weaknesses
none that i have found. its not cheap. But as a strength it isn't cheaply built so...

Similar Products Used
i have never used panoramic equipment before
but hasselblad and assorted other medium format gear over the years.

Customer Service
none needed (nice counter to tell how many frames have been taken though)

Review Date
November 21, 2002

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by
Tim Ruckley , Professional , from Australia

Price Paid
$0.00

Photography Experience
6-10 years , Outdoor

Summary
When using this camera I found it very difficult to determine if the horizon was straight. I did not have the ground glass and found the viewfinder often contradicted the bubble level. The round bubble level is useless as it is not visible through the viewfinder and is affected if the camera is looking slightly up or down. I now own the older G617 which has a single axis bubble level built into the lens guard and is visible through the viewfinder. The GX617 boasts 4 interchangeable lenses (90mm f5.6, 105mm f8, 180mm f6.7, 300mm f8) where as the G617 only has the one fixed lens (105mm f8). Given that a used G617 in mint condition can usually be purchased for about a third of the price of a GX617 I think that the G617 is better value.

Strengths
4 Interchangeable lenses
Large 6x17 format

Weaknesses
Bubble level
Viewfinder

Similar Products Used
Fuji G617 Panorama

Review Date
April 5, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.20 of 5, 5 votes

Reviewed by
palli , Professional , from Iceland

Price Paid
$0.00

Photography Experience
21+ years , Other

Summary
Got mine in june 1994, the day it went for sale. Since then I have taken thousends of shots on and they are as good as it can be.

Strengths
Simple, fast and sharp lenses. I have all four.

Weaknesses
None, to speak off.

Similar Products Used
Linhof 612PCII