best rugged MF SLR camera....

A

AlexMax

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HI

Although no RF related, I am considering to try for the first time MF...

My choices have narrowed down to Bronicas MFs... The rationale being : availability, repairability, bang-per-buck, IQ.

I would like to know which of these bodies are in metal :

Bronica SQ A
Bronica SQ Ai
Bronica ETRS
Bronica GS -1

Do they all share the same mount??

Is it realistic to expect from the Zenzanons the same resolving power that I get from the Leitz, Zeiss, Schneider Kreuznachs, and CVs that I use in my RFs... ??

...I am reasoning in terms of maximum acheivable resolution per mm2 for a given film, say an Acros 100, or a Rollei 400 IR... Times the total area of the negative...

I want to get in the brave New world of Gigapixels...😀
 
Avoid the GS-1. They seem to suffer from reliability issues. If 645 is enough an ETRS is a surprisingly rugged and reliable camera. Plus they are super cheap!
 
ETRS(i) easily.

645 gives you more shots per roll to learn with, but the quality is also excellent.

Reliable and sturdy, good lenses (albeit not stunning).

AI prisms are handy and turn it into a really fun camera to shoot.

It was my 2nd MF camera, after my rolleiflex T, which is sadly out of action (and has been since 1 month after owning it)
 
I would highly recommend the SQ series. I have two. Rugged and all metal. If you already have 35mm this will give you the wonderful 6x6 square. Lenses are cheap and sharp. Metered heads are available cheaply too.

Cheers - John
 
Rolleiflex
Pentax
Mamiya
Fuji

These are the first ones I would think of before I considered Bronica.

But...if I were to decide to go with Bronica, then I would pick the SQ series.

If you are serious about reliability, find a good Rolleiflex 2.8F or 3.5F, have it serviced and it will take pictures for another 40 years.
 
If you're not set on interchangeable lens cameras the Fuji GW670/690 sure is a rugged beast.
I've owned a couple GW690iii cameras now. The first took quite a bit of heavy use and was still fully functional when I sold it.
My second is still a toddler with less than 50 rolls.
Easy loading and beautifully sharp large negative.
The 6x7 versions are the same body and lens just a smaller film gate and advance/counter set up for 10 frames vs 8 with 6x9 frames.
 
Hasselblad 500c / cm both rugged, zeiss optics and cheap.

For a little more money a Rolliflex SL66 will give the reliability of the Hasselblad but much more versatil. Instant return mirror, very big and bright VF, built in bellows, reverse lenses from 50-150 without the need for adapters and 120/220 magazines. The Rollei uses Zeiss glass also. I had three I my studio that I used in studio and on location for nearly 30 years and put many thousands of rolls through each with no repairs till the last couple of years. They are tough cameras.

Two other commercial photographers in my area used the Fuji slr. Can't remember the model but they were excellent with fantastic optics. I think it was a 6x8.

Another studio owner friend used Mamiya RZ which was excellent. Another studio used Mamiya RB which was excellent.

All of the above are really cheap now.
 
Bronica ETRS series is a good choice. Only thing I'd mention is that they require a battery to operate -- not a big deal but something you need to keep in mind if you plan to use it far from a source of batteries.
 
KoNickon said:
Bronica ETRS series is a good choice. Only thing I'd mention is that they require a battery to operate -- not a big deal but something you need to keep in mind if you plan to use it far from a source of batteries.
Click to expand...

But that is true for all medium format pro SLRs built past 1980, short of the Rollei SL66, Hasselblad 500 series and Mamiya RB (which were continued past that date even though they had electronic successors).

Overall I agree with the thread. Stay off the GS-1, which essentially failed in the market, and never got rid of its teething problems (most notably failing electronics and stripped gears) - if you want 6x7 (or 6x8) in a cube shape camera the Mamiya RB/RZ and Fuji GX680 are the way to go. The ETRS/ETRSi and SQ-A/SQ-Ai are reasonably good cameras. Service and popularity vary on a country by country base, though - in Germany I'd take the corresponding Mamiyas or Rolleis over them any time.
 
One camera that hasn't been mentioned here and is as rugged as you can get is the Pentax 6x7. They're a real bargain and the optics are excellent. I owned a couple that I used for aerial work and loved them.
 
Another vote for the Pentax 67 and 645, and the Hassy.

Hasselblads used to be extremely expensive when new, but now in the used market they're affordable.
 
I don't know much about the repairability of Bronicas. A friend had the Bronica SQ-A years ago and had a lot of issues with it.

In medium format, I prefer 6x6 format. For excellent lenses, overall serviceability, robustness, and solid value, at today's prices it's hard to fault a Hasselblad 500 series camera.

My 500CM w WL finder, A12 back, and Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 T* (all approximately 1978 vintage) altogether cost me less than $800 and is in terrific working condition. I'm sure a) that they haven't been serviced since new and b) if I sent them off to David Odess, he'd find plenty to clean up and adjust. After all, it's altogether about 36 years old... But it's working just fine and shows no signs of giving up the ghost yet. 🙂

G
 
If it were me I would also go for either a Pentax 67 or a Mamiya RZ or RB 67 - all of which can be had very cheaply and are excellent. For ruggedness you really can't go wrong with the Pentax. I had one for several years; at one point it was on a tripod that blew over onto some rocks- it survived completely intact with only a small dent.
 
sevo said:
Well, better, then... 😛
Click to expand...

That's not my experience, although you're welcome to your opinion. Having owned Hasselblad, Pentax 6x7, Pentax 645, Mamiya 1000S, and Mamiya RB67 SLRs over the years, as well as bunches of other MF cameras, I disagree.

None of them were bad cameras and most of them were/are cheaper, but nothing has been so versatile, so usable, so well-made, so reliable, and so serviceable as the Hasselblads. That's why the two Hasselblads (500CM and SWC) and the Voigtländer Perkeo II (for a pocketable 6x6...) are my last and final medium format cameras. I figure they'll out-live me at this point. :-\

G
 
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