Bessa IIIW/GF670W prices - WOW

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Peter_S

Peter_S
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So I was looking around to potentially buy back a Bessa IIIW I foolishly sold in 2017. Now I would actually have some good use for it, but oh my, the prices.
5000 EUR and up, that is 1,5-2x the new price back in the day (and over 2,5x as much as I sold mine for). Amazing how a camera can go up in value, without even being particularly "cult" or anything.

Sure there are alternatives, but the image quality was really quite something.

I wonder what they go actually for. Anyone got one recently for a reasonable price?
 
I got the Bessa III - the wider version is just more solid. Would even trade it, but given the price hike...harldy an option. But the Bessa III is a very fine camera.
 
I have the GF670W. I bought it secondhand in 2012 for 1500GBP from someone on here actually. It's by a stretch the most impressive camera I own. I would never part with it.
 
A guy I know had a hell of a time trying to sell his GF670 and GF670W recently. I think he finally sold the GF670W for high $2000s and the GF670 ~$2000 after months of having them listed.

He let me shoot with the 670W. What a wild camera. Thank god for the light indicator otherwise I would never know if I had tripped the shutter or not. Absolutely silent camera.
 
Would a Mamiya 7 and a wide lens be a consideration? That combination may be less money with no compromise in quality.

I've not seen the Voigtländer, but the viewfinder and rangefinder patch on every 7ii I've looked at is the clearest and most contrasty I've ever seen on any camera, regardless of format.
 
BIN prices on ebay don't reflect much besides how much certain individuals expect to extort from unfortunate customers. Just researched a bit around platforms in Japan and China - where some of these are still listed. Looks like most are around $3000. Given the room for bargaining high $2000s seems fair.

There was a time (2015-16) a couple of NIB GF670W complete with hood and case were listed in Japan (like Map and even Amazon) for 170,000 yen. Seemed like it's not a camera that could retain its value back then. I remember those listings so vividly because I didn't pull the trigger...
 
Pál_K said:
Would a Mamiya 7 and a wide lens be a consideration? That combination may be less money with no compromise in quality.

I've not seen the Voigtländer, but the viewfinder and rangefinder patch on every 7ii I've looked at is the clearest and most contrasty I've ever seen on any camera, regardless of format.
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I enjoyed my Mamiya 6 for many years....and I understand the 7 is even better. If you do get one, make sure to purchase with all the matching lenses. My understanding is that the lenses were factory calibrated to the body.

The best shots I ever took were with my Mamiya. Why did I part with it....I was made an offer I couldn't refuse.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have sold it.
 
If you check the SOLD ebay prices,
the only Bessa Wide that sold on ebay in the last year sold for $3350

Asking price is one thing, selling price another.
 
Trogster said:
I was just offered a Linhof 617S (w/90mm lens) in exchange for my GF617W Bessa.

Seems like a good deal...

Thoughts?
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Well, it is more than double the width of a format and much different way to use I imagine.


If the prices are high and getting higher, maybe it would foster a re-run of these cameras. Mamiya 7 is also very expensive nowadays.
 
I am kicking myself I did not buy a GF670w for £1000 a few years ago. Will just have to make do with my standard GF670. The GF670 is such a great camera I have no dought the GF670W would be also.
 
I’m kicking myself for not buying the GF670 for US$1900 a few years ago when BH received a bunch of cameras that were lost in the warehouse.
 
James, I bought one of those B&H demos. It had a battery drain problem - a new battery died within 1 - 2 days. Fuji in the USA claimed that they had no circuit boards for it. I sent it back to Fuji in Japan, with Bellamy Hunt of Japan Camera Hunter facilitating the process. I got back a perfectly working camera, with a new circuit board. Trying to find the filter holder / hood and case was harder to do. I think CameraQuest had the case for some time. Anyway, I have the entire kit now.

I also had one of the Bessa III Wide cameras. Absolutely killer lens. The slides and prints were noticeably sharper than anything else I have in the approximately 28mm (35 mm film equivalent) range. I bought it from one of our fellow members from Switzerland. I told him at the time that if he wanted it back, I would sell it back to him at the original price. He eventually did want it back, and I honored my promise.

Prices - the wide one cost me about $1500 at the time, (which I thought was very high). Then, I missed having the Bessa IIIW, and I bought the folding one from B&H for about $2000, and had shipping and fees for the repair on top of that.
 
I would recommend the Fujica GW690 or GSW690 as “reasonably” priced alternatives. However they are rather big and heavy but are priced in the $800-$1000 range.
 
KenR said:
I would recommend the Fujica GW690 or GSW690 as “reasonably” priced alternatives. However they are rather big and heavy but are priced in the $800-$1000 range.
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I've considered it but it looks so HUGE and is meter-less. Something like 6 or 7 shots from a roll of 120? But I guess everything is small compared to the Pentax 6x7...
 
Gw690

Gw690

They are surprising comfortable to hold and very stable when shooting as there is no mirror slap as with the big Pentax. I find the shutter ping quite nice, but others find it annoying.
 
I think it distills down to whether you find 645 sufficient, like square (6x6) negatives or are willing to live with the extra cost of the superb 6x7 or 6x9 negatives. Personally, I haven’t a clue but am intrigued by them all. Don’t know what to choose.
 
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