The Slow Death of My Fujifilm GA645Zi - a Posthumous Review

... in which I document the languid demise of a 90's icon. Like watching Matthew Perry's post-Friends career, I've seen how every roll I've run through this camera has taken it's quiet toll so that the rear LCD is now just an anonymous grey panel. What was once a reliable companion devolved into a feeble friend, that has now wheezed its last shutter click. Blame the ribbon cable connecting the back door to the camera. It's a thing.

Fortunately I've had a decade of joy from the Fuji GA645Zi and in its final year, it came with me to Germany and China. As I take it on its final tour around the world (the world that is Shenzhen at least), I reflect on how it has performed.

Yes, it's a point-and-shoot but like no other. Despite its slow and clumsy nature it has taken some tack sharp high resolution photos and while it's fragile form factor definitely put it into the 'ticking timebomb' category of electronic devices, every tick of that clock was a joy.

But will I replace it? Is the Fuji GA645Zi worth buying in 2025? Should I look for an alternative (I'm not counting the Fujifilm X-HF1)? Maybe the hole in my medium format heart can be filled with another existing film camera?

Camera: FujiFilm GA645Zi
Film: Kodak Gold 200 | Lomography CN 800 | Ilford HP5 @1600 | Lomography CN 400
Dates: 6 September 2024 | 27 March 2025
Developed with Cinestill CS41 and Scanned with a Plustek OpticFilm 120

Web: https://markmcmahon.me
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