The Bronica SQ, and the price of finders.

[Takkun]

Just a bit of wondering aloud here.
I know that obviously with Bronica being out of production small parts are getting more and more scarce, but I'm absolutely floored at the prices of finders.
But not all Bronica finders, just the SQ series, it seems.

I've been looking for a WLF for the longest time, after a stranger knocked my camera off the table and smashed my metered prism finder. The non-metered prism finder is very worn and loose and I don't trust it to come undone.

Poking around on KEH for the last year or so, it looks like waist-level finders go for at least $150. For the ETR series, as low as $50. What's going on here? Is suddenly everyone going toward waist-level?

And don't get me started on the cost of focusing screens.

 

[VTHokiEE]

Wow, I had no idea the WLF went for that much (If I ever sell my SQA I'll have to part it out, seems like the parts are worth more than the whole). Have you simply looked for a body on eBay or whatever? They may have a WLF attached. Of course I've been looking forever for an advance crank (mine didn't come with one, it had the speed grip) and I've yet to find a cheap body with a crank...

Personally, I only use the WLF when I've trying to travel "light."

 

[sevo]

IIRC the original SQ did not sell very well - it was incompatible to the EC series, and had no new compelling feature driving past owners to an upgrade (indeed, many legacy Bronica owners considered the switch from Nikkors to Zenzanons a downgrade). It was not until the SQ-A, which Bronica heavily promoted for its AE capabilities, that the SQ series took off, with a mostly new customer base. And with AE came the AE TTL prism finder - the WLF is comparatively rare.

 

[Brian Legge]

Yes, the price for the SQA WLF is crazy.

From what I understand, they weren't the preferred open when in the cameras heyday. There may be more relative demand for them now than when the camera was originally for sale. Mine game with the basic prism finder. It took me months to track down a WLF at a reasonable price... and that better price was because it was bundled with a Speedgrip.

Edit: Thanks sevo for the more accurate summary. We must have been responding at the same time. 🙂

 

[lxmike]

my recent acquisition, a sqa complete, came with a wlf all for £180, just bought a plain prism for £32, likewise I cannot believe the price of the focusing screens, good luck with your hunt for a waist level finder

 

[Bob Michaels]

...... Of course I've been looking forever for an advance crank (mine didn't come with one, it had the speed grip) and I've yet to find a cheap body with a crank.....

I looked for a winding crank for my SQA over 2-3 years. Then I found a new one in a box of miscellaneous Bronica parts at Beach Photo in Daytona Beach for $5-. You never can tell.

I finally sold my entire SQA system after not using it for several years after I bought a Mamiya 7. I kept telling the purchaser, who bought everything, that the most valuable of of the 3 finders was the WLF and the winding crank was worth much more than the camera body but I am not sure they ever believed me.

 

[benlees]

It is strange about the WLF. But the rest of the system is as cheap as cheap is going to get. I got the 65mm for $75. Perfect condition and optics that stack up against most, if not all.