Bronica 2-1/4 SLRs: The Agony & The Ecstasy, Part 1
The awesome Zenza Bronica Z and D and the man that envisioned them
By Jason Schneider
Vintage medium format roll film SLRs were wildlypopular among wedding, studio, and portrait photographers back in the day, in the 1960s to late 1990s, because they’re compact enough to shoot handheld and can capture images of outstanding qualitythat hold up remarkably well even when enlarged to exhibition sizes. These cameras are still great choicesas “cameras of record” for today’s film aficionados who want to create negatives, transparencies, and ultra-hi-res image files that will preserve their art for posterity. The downsides: roll film SLRs are mechanically complex, require more frequent service and “tune-ups,” are more difficult and expensive to repair, and are generally less tolerant of rough handling or physical abuse than, say, a modern pro 35mm SLR or DSLR.
The Swedish precursor of the Zenza Bronica Z and D
The very first modular 2-1/4 square SLR in production, and the camera that inspired the creation of the Bronica camera, was the Swedish-made Hasselblad 1600F of 1948. The brainchild of photographer and inventor Victor Hasselblad, it was based on a cubical module to which you mounted lenses on the front,viewfinders on the top, andinterchangeable film magazines on the back. The basic “box” contained only the corrugated stainless steel focal plane shutter (which ran horizontally and provided speeds of 1-1/1600 plus B), the non-instant-return reflex mirror, and the viewing screen. The body is extremely compact, measuring 4-7/8 x 3-1.2 x 3-1/2 inches (l x w x h) with magazine attached and weighs in at 2 pounds, 12 ounces with standard 80mm f/2.8 Kodak Ektar lens.
Hasselblad 1600F of 1948, shown with 80mm f/2.8 Kodak Ektar lens, was the first modular 2-1/4 SLR. It inspired many imitators, but had shutter problems.
A masterpiece of functionally integrated design, the Achilles heel of the 1600F was its ultra-high-speed shutter which was plagued with mechanical difficulties from the start and redesigned in 1950 but to no avail. Even the 3500 or so “late model” Hasselblad 1600Fs manufactured between 1950 and 1953 and badged “1600F” had unreliable shutters that were prone to fail and/or go out of adjustment. Later in 1953 the company unveiled the Hasselblad 1000F, based on the same design concept, but incorporating a brand-new focal plane shutter with its top speed reduced to 1/1000 sec. It was better, but still no paragon of reliability, so, in 1957 Hasselblad finally bit the bullet and came out with the considerably more reliable Hasselblad 500C. It had a Synchro-Compur 1-1/500 sec plus B leaf shutter in each lens, a design that also provided X sync at all speeds and was the basis for all subsequent V-Series analog Hasselblads.
The first Hasselblad 1600F copy? Hint: it wasn’t a Bronica
The Salyut 1600 made at the Arsenal factory in Kiev, Ukraine was an unabashed copy of the Hasselblad 1600F, complete with an unreliable corrugated metal focal plane shutter! The Type 1a made from 1957-1959, and Type 1b with separate self-timer knob made from 1959-1963, and the Type 2 with no self-timer, provided shutter speeds from ½ to 1/1500 plus B and were most often supplied with an 80mm f/2.8 Industar-29 standard lens in chrome. The mount is listed as a Hasselblad 1600 type bayonet mount, but some reviewers assert that the lenses aren’t fully interchangeable between the two systems.
Salyut 1600 of c.1957 was a faithful copy of the Hasselblad 1600F, complete with its foibles.
The Salyut 1600 was succeeded by the Salyut-S (C in Cyrillic) with a top shutter speed of 1/1000 sec. The same basic camera (finally with a reasonably reliable focal plane shutter with a top speed of 1/1000 sec) was marketed as the Zenit 80, Zenit 100, Kiev 80, and Kiev 88, often fitted with an 80mm f/2.8 Volna lens. The latter versions are competent Hasselblad 1000F clones, but none of them is nearly as audacious as the Zenza Bronica Z and D or even its simpler and more reliable successors.
Salyut-S (C in Cyrillic), a Hasselblad 1000F clone, sired many similar Russian/Ukrainian 2-1/4 square SLRs bearing Kiev and Zenit nameplates.
The Zenza Bronica Z: Man on a mission
Zenzaburo Yoshino is the man who conceptualized the first Bronica camera and tenaciously guided its development. Indeed, his first name is the source of the “Zenza” in Zenza Bronica and “Bronica’ is short for “Buroni” (the Japanese pronunciation of “Brownie”), then a generic term for any roll film camera. Zenzaburo Yoshino was born in 1911, the 3rd son of a prosperous rice merchant, and after World War II, when rice was rationed during the occupation, he was determined to diversify the family business. An avid photo enthusiast he opened a used camera store, Shinkoudou Shashinki in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo in 1946, and a year later established the Shinkoudo Manufacturing workshop behind the shop with the intention of making cameras. That never happened, butIn the meantime, to improve the skill of his workforce, the company began producing high-grade metal fashion accessories including cigarette lighters, cigarette cases, brooches, and women’s compacts.
Zenzaburo Yoshino: His tenacity, persistence, and dedication to his dream finally paid off, resulting in a line of successful Bronica cameras that endured for decades. Photo by Mukashi Banashi.
The accessory business flourished, and Yoshino reinvested a large portion of the company’s income into developing a camera. Although he wasn’t a trained engineer or a camera designer, he was persistent and enlisted a team of talented mechanical and optical engineers to realize his personal dream camera. It took 8 years to design and manufacture the original Zenza Bronica (which was made in a traditional Japanese-style factory building in the Itabashi ward in northern Tokyo) but the Bronica camera that went on sale in 1959 was an engineering marvel that in many ways outclassed the Hasselblad that inspired it.
Zenza Bronica original model, later dubbed Z, was replete with advanced features that outclassed the contemporary Hasselblad 1600F and 1000F.
The original Zenza Bronica, subsequently dubbed the Z, beat Hasselblad to the wonders of a 2 ¼ instant return mirror by only 17 years! Those lazy Swedish fellows with their over hyped Hasselblads did not make it to the instant return mirror big time until the Hasselblad 2000FC of 1977! The Bronica instant return mirror (actually mirrors, in later models like the EC) moves downward and backward before flipping up out of the light path, to accommodate deep-set retrofocus wide-angle lenses. The mechanical, vertical travel, cloth focal plane shutter provides geometric speeds of 1-1/1250 sec plus B with X sync at 1/50 sec, and long exposures from 1-10 sec set via the self-timer. Focusing and film winding are controlled by a single two position knurled knob on the right side of the camera.
When pushed in to focus position the knob controls a helical tube that extends as you focus closer (down 20 inches with the normal 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens) and terminates in a bayonet mount for the various lens heads. Pull the knob out until it clicks, and you can now use it to wind the film to the nest frame and cock the shutter. The interchangeable film magazines provide automatic first frame positioning, a unique feature that was dropped on the Model D (DeLuxe)), and inserting a dark slide fully automatically detaches the back—very cool. Words to not really suffice to convey how beautifully machined the Bronica Z and D really are. Placed side by side, classic Hasselblads just don’t measure up in beautiful mechanical brilliance. Maybe Bronica’s D and Z don’t deserve a place in the camera hall of fame, but they certainly deserve their place in the Louvre as incredible works of art. You have to see one and hold one to understand, kind of like a beautiful….ehh that is another story.
Bronica D (DeLuxe) of c.1960 replaced brass gears in the model Z with steel ones to improve reliability, and is identifiable by its black focus/wind knob.
Gorgeous high-performance Nikkor lenses from a 50mm wide-angle to a 1000mm super telephoto were available for the Zenza Bronica Z and D and the 50m 75 and 135mm lenses are equipped with instant return automatic diaphragms and designated as Auto-Nikkors. As if all this were not enough, what looks like “chrome” on the body is actually stainless steel, the camera is clad in a beautiful two-tone (darkand light gray) leatherlike material, and it’s exquisitely finished throughout, maybe even better than a Hasselblad—a true work of industrial art. The Bronica D (aka DeLuxe) that debuted around 1960 is basically the same as the Z but it has steel film-wind gears in place of brass to improve reliability, has a black wind/focus knob instead of a gray one, and uses compatible magazines, but with semi-auto film loading (line up the arrows on the paper backing with a pair of dots) rather than auto first frame positioning.
Bronica S, introduced in 1961, was simpler than the Z or D, had a 1/1000 sec top shutter speed and separate but concentric focus knob and film wind crank.
The Zenza Bronica Z and D are probably somewhat more reliable than the Hasselblad 1600F but they’restill relatively delicate creatures compared to, say, a Hasselblad 500C, are intolerant of rough handing, and difficult and expensive to repair. Approximately 2000-4000 of these gems were produced, and today they’ve attained the status of cult collector’s pieces that sell in the $1,800-$2,500 range (with normal lens) depending on cosmetics and functionality. Sales wise, the Bronica wasn’t a resounding success until the introduction of the simplified Bronica S-series, especially the popular S2A that debuted in 1965. But the original Bronicas are a testament to the vision and dedication of Zenzaburo Yoshino and his passions for excellence and photography.
Do you Zenza for more? Find one of Peter Braczko’s outstanding ZENZA BRONICA HISTORY books!
Woman with hat: Bronica EC with 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor-H.C lens. Handheld exposure: 1/30 sec at f/2.8 on Ilford HP-5 Plus.
The awesome Zenza Bronica Z and D and the man that envisioned them
By Jason Schneider
Vintage medium format roll film SLRs were wildlypopular among wedding, studio, and portrait photographers back in the day, in the 1960s to late 1990s, because they’re compact enough to shoot handheld and can capture images of outstanding qualitythat hold up remarkably well even when enlarged to exhibition sizes. These cameras are still great choicesas “cameras of record” for today’s film aficionados who want to create negatives, transparencies, and ultra-hi-res image files that will preserve their art for posterity. The downsides: roll film SLRs are mechanically complex, require more frequent service and “tune-ups,” are more difficult and expensive to repair, and are generally less tolerant of rough handling or physical abuse than, say, a modern pro 35mm SLR or DSLR.
The Swedish precursor of the Zenza Bronica Z and D
The very first modular 2-1/4 square SLR in production, and the camera that inspired the creation of the Bronica camera, was the Swedish-made Hasselblad 1600F of 1948. The brainchild of photographer and inventor Victor Hasselblad, it was based on a cubical module to which you mounted lenses on the front,viewfinders on the top, andinterchangeable film magazines on the back. The basic “box” contained only the corrugated stainless steel focal plane shutter (which ran horizontally and provided speeds of 1-1/1600 plus B), the non-instant-return reflex mirror, and the viewing screen. The body is extremely compact, measuring 4-7/8 x 3-1.2 x 3-1/2 inches (l x w x h) with magazine attached and weighs in at 2 pounds, 12 ounces with standard 80mm f/2.8 Kodak Ektar lens.
Hasselblad 1600F of 1948, shown with 80mm f/2.8 Kodak Ektar lens, was the first modular 2-1/4 SLR. It inspired many imitators, but had shutter problems.
A masterpiece of functionally integrated design, the Achilles heel of the 1600F was its ultra-high-speed shutter which was plagued with mechanical difficulties from the start and redesigned in 1950 but to no avail. Even the 3500 or so “late model” Hasselblad 1600Fs manufactured between 1950 and 1953 and badged “1600F” had unreliable shutters that were prone to fail and/or go out of adjustment. Later in 1953 the company unveiled the Hasselblad 1000F, based on the same design concept, but incorporating a brand-new focal plane shutter with its top speed reduced to 1/1000 sec. It was better, but still no paragon of reliability, so, in 1957 Hasselblad finally bit the bullet and came out with the considerably more reliable Hasselblad 500C. It had a Synchro-Compur 1-1/500 sec plus B leaf shutter in each lens, a design that also provided X sync at all speeds and was the basis for all subsequent V-Series analog Hasselblads.
The first Hasselblad 1600F copy? Hint: it wasn’t a Bronica
The Salyut 1600 made at the Arsenal factory in Kiev, Ukraine was an unabashed copy of the Hasselblad 1600F, complete with an unreliable corrugated metal focal plane shutter! The Type 1a made from 1957-1959, and Type 1b with separate self-timer knob made from 1959-1963, and the Type 2 with no self-timer, provided shutter speeds from ½ to 1/1500 plus B and were most often supplied with an 80mm f/2.8 Industar-29 standard lens in chrome. The mount is listed as a Hasselblad 1600 type bayonet mount, but some reviewers assert that the lenses aren’t fully interchangeable between the two systems.
Salyut 1600 of c.1957 was a faithful copy of the Hasselblad 1600F, complete with its foibles.
The Salyut 1600 was succeeded by the Salyut-S (C in Cyrillic) with a top shutter speed of 1/1000 sec. The same basic camera (finally with a reasonably reliable focal plane shutter with a top speed of 1/1000 sec) was marketed as the Zenit 80, Zenit 100, Kiev 80, and Kiev 88, often fitted with an 80mm f/2.8 Volna lens. The latter versions are competent Hasselblad 1000F clones, but none of them is nearly as audacious as the Zenza Bronica Z and D or even its simpler and more reliable successors.
Salyut-S (C in Cyrillic), a Hasselblad 1000F clone, sired many similar Russian/Ukrainian 2-1/4 square SLRs bearing Kiev and Zenit nameplates.
The Zenza Bronica Z: Man on a mission
Zenzaburo Yoshino is the man who conceptualized the first Bronica camera and tenaciously guided its development. Indeed, his first name is the source of the “Zenza” in Zenza Bronica and “Bronica’ is short for “Buroni” (the Japanese pronunciation of “Brownie”), then a generic term for any roll film camera. Zenzaburo Yoshino was born in 1911, the 3rd son of a prosperous rice merchant, and after World War II, when rice was rationed during the occupation, he was determined to diversify the family business. An avid photo enthusiast he opened a used camera store, Shinkoudou Shashinki in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo in 1946, and a year later established the Shinkoudo Manufacturing workshop behind the shop with the intention of making cameras. That never happened, butIn the meantime, to improve the skill of his workforce, the company began producing high-grade metal fashion accessories including cigarette lighters, cigarette cases, brooches, and women’s compacts.
Zenzaburo Yoshino: His tenacity, persistence, and dedication to his dream finally paid off, resulting in a line of successful Bronica cameras that endured for decades. Photo by Mukashi Banashi.
The accessory business flourished, and Yoshino reinvested a large portion of the company’s income into developing a camera. Although he wasn’t a trained engineer or a camera designer, he was persistent and enlisted a team of talented mechanical and optical engineers to realize his personal dream camera. It took 8 years to design and manufacture the original Zenza Bronica (which was made in a traditional Japanese-style factory building in the Itabashi ward in northern Tokyo) but the Bronica camera that went on sale in 1959 was an engineering marvel that in many ways outclassed the Hasselblad that inspired it.
Zenza Bronica original model, later dubbed Z, was replete with advanced features that outclassed the contemporary Hasselblad 1600F and 1000F.
The original Zenza Bronica, subsequently dubbed the Z, beat Hasselblad to the wonders of a 2 ¼ instant return mirror by only 17 years! Those lazy Swedish fellows with their over hyped Hasselblads did not make it to the instant return mirror big time until the Hasselblad 2000FC of 1977! The Bronica instant return mirror (actually mirrors, in later models like the EC) moves downward and backward before flipping up out of the light path, to accommodate deep-set retrofocus wide-angle lenses. The mechanical, vertical travel, cloth focal plane shutter provides geometric speeds of 1-1/1250 sec plus B with X sync at 1/50 sec, and long exposures from 1-10 sec set via the self-timer. Focusing and film winding are controlled by a single two position knurled knob on the right side of the camera.
When pushed in to focus position the knob controls a helical tube that extends as you focus closer (down 20 inches with the normal 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens) and terminates in a bayonet mount for the various lens heads. Pull the knob out until it clicks, and you can now use it to wind the film to the nest frame and cock the shutter. The interchangeable film magazines provide automatic first frame positioning, a unique feature that was dropped on the Model D (DeLuxe)), and inserting a dark slide fully automatically detaches the back—very cool. Words to not really suffice to convey how beautifully machined the Bronica Z and D really are. Placed side by side, classic Hasselblads just don’t measure up in beautiful mechanical brilliance. Maybe Bronica’s D and Z don’t deserve a place in the camera hall of fame, but they certainly deserve their place in the Louvre as incredible works of art. You have to see one and hold one to understand, kind of like a beautiful….ehh that is another story.
Bronica D (DeLuxe) of c.1960 replaced brass gears in the model Z with steel ones to improve reliability, and is identifiable by its black focus/wind knob.
Gorgeous high-performance Nikkor lenses from a 50mm wide-angle to a 1000mm super telephoto were available for the Zenza Bronica Z and D and the 50m 75 and 135mm lenses are equipped with instant return automatic diaphragms and designated as Auto-Nikkors. As if all this were not enough, what looks like “chrome” on the body is actually stainless steel, the camera is clad in a beautiful two-tone (darkand light gray) leatherlike material, and it’s exquisitely finished throughout, maybe even better than a Hasselblad—a true work of industrial art. The Bronica D (aka DeLuxe) that debuted around 1960 is basically the same as the Z but it has steel film-wind gears in place of brass to improve reliability, has a black wind/focus knob instead of a gray one, and uses compatible magazines, but with semi-auto film loading (line up the arrows on the paper backing with a pair of dots) rather than auto first frame positioning.
Bronica S, introduced in 1961, was simpler than the Z or D, had a 1/1000 sec top shutter speed and separate but concentric focus knob and film wind crank.
The Zenza Bronica Z and D are probably somewhat more reliable than the Hasselblad 1600F but they’restill relatively delicate creatures compared to, say, a Hasselblad 500C, are intolerant of rough handing, and difficult and expensive to repair. Approximately 2000-4000 of these gems were produced, and today they’ve attained the status of cult collector’s pieces that sell in the $1,800-$2,500 range (with normal lens) depending on cosmetics and functionality. Sales wise, the Bronica wasn’t a resounding success until the introduction of the simplified Bronica S-series, especially the popular S2A that debuted in 1965. But the original Bronicas are a testament to the vision and dedication of Zenzaburo Yoshino and his passions for excellence and photography.
Do you Zenza for more? Find one of Peter Braczko’s outstanding ZENZA BRONICA HISTORY books!
Woman with hat: Bronica EC with 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor-H.C lens. Handheld exposure: 1/30 sec at f/2.8 on Ilford HP-5 Plus.
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