The GA645Zi's built-in wide-to-normal zoom lens provides compositional flexibility and more shooting capabilities than fixed-focal length cameras provide. The scene above was shot at the wide 55mm setting. Photo by Ron Leach In the AE modes, the exposure-compensation button lets you select ±3 EV of compensation, settable in 0.5-EV increments and displayed on the LCD panel. But we didn't use this feature much, because we found the GA645Zi's built-in non-TTL center-weighted meter to be remarkably accurate—in program AE mode, it gave about the same percentage of right-on exposures as the exotic multi-segment TTL meters in some top AF 35mm SLRs. The GA645Zi employs Fuji's wonderful Barcode and Easy Loading systems: the film speed is set automatically when you load a Barcoded roll of Fuji film, the film automatically advances to the first frame when you push the shutter button after loading a roll, and the pressure plate is automatically set for 120 or 220 film. With non-Barcoded film, you have to set the ISO and pressure plate manually (the ISO by setting the Selecting Dial to ISO and rotating the Up/Down dial to the appropriate speed from ISO 25-1600; and the pressure plate by pressing the Pressure Plate Changeover Switch inside the camera). One thing 35mm SLR users need to watch out for is forgetting to remove the lens cap. Since you're not viewing through the lens, you won't see an attached lens cap when you look through the finder. The GA645Zi warns you if you try to shoot with the lens cap attached, by flashing the frame lines in the viewfinder.

It's not an exotic umpteen-segment exposure meter like those in higher-end AF 35mm SLRS, but the GA645Zi's non-TTL center-weighted meter seemed to handle most scenes we threw at it quite well, even on the unforgiving slide films we used. These shots were made in auto mode with no compensation. Photo by Lynne Eodice Flash Like 35mm point-and-shoot cameras, the GA645Zi incorporates a non-TTL automatic electronic flash unit (ISO 100 guide number 39, in feet), with sufficient coverage for the camera's 55mm wide-angle lens setting. Once you pop it up (by pressing the flash button), the built-in flash will fire when needed in P mode, and for every shot in the other modes. (If you want to shoot without flash, just don't pop the flash unit up.) As is the case with 35mm cameras, the built-in flash isn't powerful enough for serious flash photography (that's why the camera has both a hot-shoe and a PC terminal), but it's perfect for outdoor fill-flash and indoor flash shooting at close range (with ISO 100 film, out to 5.5 feet at the 90mm focal length, and to 8.8 feet at the 55mm focal length). In our tests, the built-in flash produced excellent exposures within its range, and no trace of red-eye, with human and animal subjects. If you need more flash power, you can attach an accessory shoe-mount flash unit in the hot-shoe atop the camera. Make sure it will cover the film frame—keeping in mind that the GA645Zi produces vertical-format images when held in the usual horizontal position, and horizontal-format images when held vertically. Also, with shoe-mount generic flash units, the shutter-speed limiter in P and A mode doesn't function. You shouldn't use a shoe-mount flash and the built-in flash simultaneously, or exposures may not be correct.

The PC terminal allows you to use the camera with studio flash systems, and important feature for many pros. Flash syncs at all speeds with the camera's lens shutter. Other Features Electronic shutter speeds range from 2 seconds to 1/700 (to 1/400 at maximum aperture), plus B for long exposures. The electronic self-timer provides a 10-second delay, with the red self-timer LED on the front of the camera glowing for the first 7 seconds, then blinking for the last 3 seconds before exposure. The built-in data back lets you imprint the year/month/day, day/hour/minute, shooting data, or year/month/day/shooting data outside the picture area for any or all frames on the roll. Shooting data includes exposure mode, lens focal length, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, AF/MF mode and use of built-in flash. We really like the shooting-data imprinting—it makes it easy to recall how a shot was made, and it's automatic—once you activate it, you don't have to set anything.

Minimum focusing distance is one meter, but that's close enough to create some interesting abstracts. Photo by Ron Leach Bottom Line The GA645Zi works just like a big 35mm lens-shutter point-and-shoot camera. But it produces big 6x4.5-format images (16 per 120 roll; 32 per 220 roll). And those big images are sharp—the built-in Super-EBC Fujinon 55-90mm f/4.5-6.9 zoom lens is a bit slow, but very sharp. The camera is very easy to use once you figure it out (that just takes a solid session with the instruction manual). We forgot to remove the lens cap only once, and quickly got used to the fact that the camera shoots vertical-format images when held horizontally, and horizontal-format images when turned vertically. We like the manual overrides, and the fact that the camera tells us what shutter speed and aperture are being used, even in programmed point-and-shoot mode. We like the ability to imprint shooting data when desired, out of the picture area. We like the way it looks in both titanium and black titanium versions. And we like the ease with which this 6x4.5-format camera can be carried around. If you want big transparencies and negatives, but don't want a bulky camera, check this one out