Bro, Nice Camera! AKA Bronica ETRS <3

[Peter_wrote:]

thanks for sharing...

great picture indeed. but even at the risk of being annoying, i still miss there something... but maybe it is not a technical issue anyway, it's just that these lenses do not produce the look i am searching for...

whatever... the bronica etr is a pleasure to handle, so i give it a try for a while.

and i hope, björn has a lot of fun with his etrs too! looking forward to see some of your results...

 

[Argenticien]

My brother's first MF SLR was an S2a, which I remember as a wondrous beast with the coolest of chrome and focus options.

+1. ETRS is gateway drug. You want the chrome and the Nikkors. 😀
--Dave

 

[dtcls100]

Back in my college days (mid 80's) and afterwards, I always wanted a medium format camera and was leaning most to the Bronica ETR and later ETRS. Couldn't afford it at first and later just never got around to getting one. Still somewhat tempted, although I am somewhat put off about the comments about the shutter kick and noise, after being spoiled by the virtual silence and total lack of shutter vibration from my Mamiya 6 cameras. Does the ETRS shutter vibration cause any observable effects with handheld shooting? How slow can you go and still get sharp images?

 

[Peter_Jones]

You could always get an ETRSi with mirror lock-up 🙂

1/125 (1/60 if I've laid off the coffee) handheld is achievable with acceptable results.

 

[timor]

This platform has two 35mm backs.

On one the film travels vertically and creates a normal 35mm frame.

On the other, the film travels horizontally and creates a panoramic frame, very similar in size to what you get from an X-Pan.

Because of the quality of lenses, you get virtually the same IQ as the X-Pan.

I have one in which film travels horizontally (from left to right, like regular 35mm camera) with normal 24x36mm frame. Never seen the panoramic one, but I guess is the same, just different mask and gear ratio for longer stroke. Frame maybe 24x55 ?

 

[KoNickon]

Which lens? I recall reading that the first version of the 75/2.8 was not well regarded. The "II" was fine.

just bought one a short time ago. i love the handling of this camera. unfortunately i haven't a waist level finder yet. just the prism finder.

but how happy are u guys with the lens quality? i'm not very pleased with it 🙁
i also looked through a lot of photos on flickr. don't know how to explain, but they all lack the typical mf-look somehow. a bit soft too...

 

[PatrickT]

The 75/2.8 is SHARP...I was very impressed when I scanned these...

 

[Katie]

The 75/2.8 is SHARP...I was very impressed when I scanned these...

Nice! These look great!

 

[kuzano]

Name Model of backs...

Name Model of backs...

I have one in which film travels horizontally (from left to right, like regular 35mm camera) with normal 24x36mm frame. Never seen the panoramic one, but I guess is the same, just different mask and gear ratio for longer stroke. Frame maybe 24x55 ?

The model for the standard frame is 135 N, and the model for the pano is 135 W.

And yes, the frame is 24X56.

 

[forsakenrider]

I would love to get my hands on the 135W.

Anyone have some shots from the 50 2.8? Im thinking of picking one up as its almost as wide as the 40 and a stop faster!

 

[Moto-Uno]

Will,that's one great picture!!
Regards,Peter

 

[Peter_wrote:]

am i crazy, or does anybody else has the feeling that pictures made with zenzanon lenses tend to have blown out hightlights...? don't know, if that makes any sense...

 

[timor]

am i crazy, or does anybody else has the feeling that pictures made with zenzanon lenses tend to have blown out hightlights...? don't know, if that makes any sense...

Lenses have nothing to do with that but exposure, development and in this case rather the scan.

 

[shadowfox]

Will,that's one great picture!!
Regards,Peter

Peter, thank you, as I told you before, I love the Bronica S.

 

[kanzlr]

am i crazy, or does anybody else has the feeling that pictures made with zenzanon lenses tend to have blown out hightlights...? don't know, if that makes any sense...

that's pretty much impossible.

highlights are blown if you exceed the films exposure latitude. A lens has not much influence on this.

 

[kuzano]

Finding a 135W

Finding a 135W

I would love to get my hands on the 135W.

Anyone have some shots from the 50 2.8? Im thinking of picking one up as its almost as wide as the 40 and a stop faster!

I manage to see two or three of the 135 W backs a year, but I am on eBay almost every day, as I buy and sell film equipment there.

I assure you that if you check eBay very often, as I do, you will eventually see one. I often do a general search on Yahoo for Bronica 135W or Bronica 135 W, and come across one occasionally.

Expect to pay dearly. This gives you the capacity to shoot X-Pan like panos w/ great lenses on your Bronica.

There is also a 135 W for the Bronica square 6X6 model. Same end pano format 24-56. That model is the SQ-A camera body. Then you can shoot square and 135 pano. I'd take either one. If I find a 135 W for the SQ-A, I'd snap it up and then find a nice SQ-A as they are also in great supply and low priced.

Bronica's biggest plus for me is the leaf shutter lenses... all of them. That keeps the body prices low, and opens up flash synch at all speeds.

I'd even step out on a limb here and say I've seen pics as good from the SQ-A Bronica lenses as any Hasselblad I have used.

BTW...I JUST LOOKED AT BRONICA SQ-A BACKS ON KEH AND THEY SHOW A 135-W BACK FOR $300. A LOT LESS TO TURN YOUR SQ-A INTO A PANO 135, THAN BUYING AN X-PAN. HEAVIER YES, ... BUT A LOT LESS MONEY...ALSO YES. PRIMARILY BECAUSE YOU CAN BUY A FULL SQ-A KIT FOR $400 TO $600, PUTTING YOU UNDER $1000 FOR THE KIT W/WIDE 135 BACK.

 

[MRohlfing]

BTW...I JUST LOOKED AT BRONICA SQ-A BACKS ON KEH AND THEY SHOW A 135-W BACK FOR $300. A LOT LESS TO TURN YOUR SQ-A INTO A PANO 135, THAN BUYING AN X-PAN.

But it only pays if you use it quite often. Otherwise you can just as well cut your pano from a 120 film ....

 

[rhl-oregon]

I'm very happy with my ETRSi, though I'm using my RF645 more these days. Here are several from the last roll of FP4, shot wide open on 100/4 macro lens.