Reliable ?

[JON@ jb-ci]

Just picked up a 645 RF in mint nick with 65 mm. (d'nt look like its been used)
Run 6 or 7 rolls through it and got lovely negs.( HP5) Its a very early one 0001** and I would like to know if there are any reliability problems with this model before I buy the 45 mm. The focusing is spot on at f4 /very sharp lens/ great build /small/ I love this camera.

JON.

 

[Stephan]

Cant help you with that question, but would you mind telling us how much you paid for it ? I'm thinking about one of these too, the only drawback being that I could do with a long-ish lens and the 135's are apparently very rare and 'spensive :/

 

[Nick R.]

Stephan,
There are three for sale on ebay right now which is pretty unusual.
This one is close to you.
http://cgi.ebay.com/BRONICA-RF-outf...oryZ3350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
The BIN is less than what I paid for a similar kit but MF prices are fluctuating rapidly, so YMMV.

Jon, I haven't heard of any specific problems related to these cameras but I don't think they saw a lot of professional use before they were discontinued.

 

[tom_f77]

That BIN is maybe a bit much by today's standard...

Jonathan Harris has two for a good bit less than that, and he's a very high quality used dealer (just my opinion as an occasional customer).

Have a look on his website. But do NOT buy the 45mm lens or I will be most put out.

Tom

 

[stephanj]

Cant help you with that question, but would you mind telling us how much you paid for it ? I'm thinking about one of these too, the only drawback being that I could do with a long-ish lens and the 135's are apparently very rare and 'spensive :/

Visit www.dalephotographic.co.uk for a complete RF kit including 135mm, 45mm and polarisers for £895.

(another) Stephan

 

[Stephan]

Thanks, it looks like roert white has some left too, and a great kit price of 650 pounds (where is the bloody pound sign on this keyboard 😛 ) for the body, standard lens and 45mm 😱 Great price, I hope they are still there when I've got the money together :/

 

[Doug]

£ is Alt-3 on this Mac keyboard... 🙂

Hard to say how reliable the Bronica RF is, as I've not heard of any requiring maintenance, except for vertical misalignment of the RF spot. One of my two bodies has a slight misalignment that doesn't inhibit normal operation, but otherwise they have put up well with quite a lot of use.

There was of course the debacle with the 135mm lens not focusing well on some body/lens combinations, resolved with recall and replacement by the 100mm lens. Not a durability/reliability issue, but a service headache that probably made the whole system unprofitable for Bronica.