Bronica Medium Format Owners Thread

ManxTom said:
Oh yes, one question.. does anyone use twin monitors for their photo editing etc? I see LR has the facility and I was wondering if it's worthwhile.
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It's probably better to ask the question about twin monitor usage in the Post-Processing & Image Editing sub-forum Tom.

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You'll get a lot more people with knowledge about such things in there than with it hidden away in the Bronica Owners Thread. :)
 
Sorry if this has been covered in the thread already.

My dad has one of the Etr cameras and was wanting a 50mm lens for it. I’ve bought him one, a PE lens that I believe has better coatings.

Only issue is it has some internal haziness. Seller doesn’t reckon it’s fungus but has recommended getting it cleaned.

Now I’ve stripped and cleaned lenses in the past myself but not sure I’ve done one with a shutter in it. Can anyone tell me if the shutter mechanism makes these lenses a lot more complex or is it quite contained within the lens?
 
Mr Warner said:
Sorry if this has been covered in the thread already.

My dad has one of the Etr cameras and was wanting a 50mm lens for it. I’ve bought him one, a PE lens that I believe has better coatings.

Only issue is it has some internal haziness. Seller doesn’t reckon it’s fungus but has recommended getting it cleaned.

Now I’ve stripped and cleaned lenses in the past myself but not sure I’ve done one with a shutter in it. Can anyone tell me if the shutter mechanism makes these lenses a lot more complex or is it quite contained within the lens?
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I'm afraid I can't help on a technical issue like this, but a quick Google got me the link below which is apparently a download of the service manual at $8.99, if that's of any use?
uscamera.com

Bronica-ETR Lens Service Manuals

USCamera Since 1998 | Service Parts for Cameras | Over 100 Seal Kits | Part Lists | Bronica-ETR Lens Service Manuals | Zenzanon | 40 4.0 | 50 2.8 | 150 4.0
uscamera.com uscamera.com
 
Ooh yeah that might be helpful. Cheers.
Going to see how bad it is when it arrives,

I’m hoping that “…slight haziness, might benefit from a cleaning…” is just the seller covering themselves.
 
I've just been offered a good condition ETRS with a speedgrip, prism finder, 80mm, 150mm and 40mm all in an aluminium case for £500.00.

I shall be having a closer look at it tomorrow, but is the price about right? Based on the Evil Bay's sold prices, I think it is.
 
Sky said:
I've just been offered a good condition ETRS with a speedgrip, prism finder, 80mm, 150mm and 40mm all in an aluminium case for £500.00.

I shall be having a closer look at it tomorrow, but is the price about right? Based on the Evil Bay's sold prices, I think it is.
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I paid £336 for the same basic setup a couple of years ago, but with just a single 75mm 2.8 lens and no case (the prism finder I got is the metered version), so I'd say the price you've been quoted is probably about right.
 
FishyFish said:
I paid £336 for the same basic setup a couple of years ago, but with just a single 75mm 2.8 lens and no case (the prism finder I got is the metered version), so I'd say the price you've been quoted is probably about right.
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That's great, thanks Nige. Hopefully, I'll get it later on today if I can make the arrangements. I'm hoping to haggle a bit over the price, so fingers crossed all is well.

I'll update you with some pics later . . .
 
Sky said:
I've just been offered a good condition ETRS with a speedgrip, prism finder, 80mm, 150mm and 40mm all in an aluminium case for £500.00.

I shall be having a closer look at it tomorrow, but is the price about right? Based on the Evil Bay's sold prices, I think it is.
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Going on current prices which do seem to be rising a little, that seems like a fair and decent price
 
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Thanks Darren, I never got to see it yesterday after all, but he's bringing it here tonight so that I can check/view/play/test etc.

As long as it's in the condition described and all working OK, I see no reason why I won't buy it. I've already got film and batteries so will be out with it tomorrow if it's not raining. I'll have to dig out a lead from my junk box so I can use it with my studio lights - that should bring back some memories.
 
Sky said:
Thanks Darren, I never got to see it yesterday after all, but he's bringing it here tonight so that I can check/view/play/test etc.

As long as it's in the condition described and all working OK, I see no reason why I won't buy it. I've already got film and batteries so will be out with it tomorrow if it's not raining. I'll have to dig out a lead from my junk box so I can use it with my studio lights - that should bring back some memories.
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Look forward to seing the results.
 
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I managed to get it for £400 in the end as the case is really tatty and fit for the bin (although still functional) and the winding handle is missing and a replacement on Evil Bay is £55.00.

Anyway, as it has the speedgrip I'm not bothered about the winder.

Overall, I'm very happy with it and am looking forward to using it. Now I need to modify my bedroom and bathroom (luckily en-suite) so they can double up as a wheelchair friendly dark room. :)

Where's the best place to buy chemicals (just mono for now)?
 
Sky said:
I managed to get it for £400 in the end as the case is really tatty and fit for the bin (although still functional) and the winding handle is missing and a replacement on Evil Bay is £55.00.

Anyway, as it has the speedgrip I'm not bothered about the winder.

Overall, I'm very happy with it and am looking forward to using it. Now I need to modify my bedroom and bathroom (luckily en-suite) so they can double up as a wheelchair friendly dark room. :)

Where's the best place to buy chemicals (just mono for now)?
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Why don't you send your early films away before setting up a Dark Room (DR)? You may find you don't use it enough to warrant a full DR. Also I'd try a roll of slide film first to test exposures etc on the kit before spending money on DR equipment. I've just bought another 50mm for my SQ-Ai and the first thing I did was put a roll of Provia through checking all apertures, It's a £20 test (film and dev) but once back I will know if the lens is good or not in plenty of time to return it if it isn't.

Just a thought.
 
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Topsy said:
Why don't you send your early films away before setting up a Dark Room (DR)?
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I will with colour, but I'll develop my own mono.

I won't need the darkroom unless I start printing as I'll be using a bag, but it's a toss up between an enlarger/darkroom or a decent printer. As much as I'd like a better printer, it's an outlay of another grand which I really don't want to spend at the moment - also I need to look at the running cost difference between the two.
 
Sky said:
Where's the best place to buy chemicals (just mono for now)?
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Prices are generally quite competitive, so delivery charges are something to look out for. I'm not sure whether the Isle of Wight gets counted under "Mainland Britain", but it can certainly increase delivery substantially if not. Check out availability at Ag Photographic, Wex, Silverprint, Morco, Process Supplies and the like.
 
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Thanks Peter, I'll do just that. I tend to use Amazon for most online shopping as I get free delivery as a Prime member.

You're right - delivery can be a problem and it's very annoying. We're under a Portsmouth Post Code and the ferries run so regularly it may just as well be a road, but still some courier firms insist on charging extra - it's a scam that's come about in just the last few years as it never used to make that much difference.
 
I've found that Amazon are pretty uncompetitive in terms of prices for analogue photography products, even when I factor in the free delivery I can receive. Wex have been pretty good in terms of pricing - at least for the Ilfotec DD-X developer I use - even when including the £2.99 shipping fee. Some places waive the shipping fee if you spend over a certain amount too. It's definitely worth shopping around.
 
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FishyFish said:
I've found that Amazon are pretty uncompetitive in terms of prices for analogue photography products, even when I factor in the free delivery I can receive.
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Wow! You're not kidding Nige. :eek:

Item / Wex / Amazon

Ilford DDX 1L / £15.99 / £28.39
Ilfostop 500ml / £5.89 / £11.14
Ilf. Rapid Fix 1L / £10.19 / £21.45
Ilf. Wet Ag. 1L / £17.99 / £22.83

Totals £50.06 / £83.31

That's well worth paying Wex's £2.99 delivery isn't i? :D(y)
 
Even better - Wex won't charge for delivery on this. :)
 
Sky said:
Wow! You're not kidding Nige. :eek:

Item / Wex / Amazon

Ilford DDX 1L / £15.99 / £28.39
Ilfostop 500ml / £5.89 / £11.14
Ilf. Rapid Fix 1L / £10.19 / £21.45
Ilf. Wet Ag. 1L / £17.99 / £22.83

Totals £50.06 / £83.31

That's well worth paying Wex's £2.99 delivery isn't i? :D(y)
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Wow, I'd never have thought there would be that much difference. (y)
 
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OK, well after spending the day playing with this ETRS, I'm happier about it than I was yesterday and as it turns out it's actually an ETRSi, so that's a little bit of a bonus.

I stripped it all down as much as I could (short of dismantling it completely) and gave it all a good clean and re-glued some of the leather where it had started to lift. The 'worn' speedgrip winder turned out not to be worn at all as I just had to tighten the two small screws on top.

I think the previous owner had used it around someone that was doing some decorating as there were fine spots of white emulsion paint on one of the lenses, lens hood, the winder, film back and main body. Thankfully all easily removed with a handy little 'pick' that I had in my toolbox, but it took ages. All the lenses have cleaned up nicely and are all free and functional with no signs of fungus or serious scratches.

I found a small PC/jack lead for it so that I could connect it up to my Godox Xpro trigger to test with my Godox studio lights and it triggers them nicely, so some more experimentation the next time I get a model to pose for me. I only shot half a roll of film today, so I'll try and get that used up in the next few days so that I can develop it to see if there are any light leaks. Hopefully, there won't be.

Overall though, all seems to be in very good nick for its age and today I managed to pick up a winder handle for it on evil bay for £50.00. I thought I was going have to spend double that or more judging by the prices, but thankfully one seller accepted my offer and let me have it before anyone had bid on it.

I don't like the prism finder much, I prefer the waist level finder and was most impressed at how much easier the little magnifying glass helps with focussing.
 
Sky said:
OK, well after spending the day playing with this ETRS, I'm happier about it than I was yesterday and as it turns out it's actually an ETRSi, so that's a little bit of a bonus.

I stripped it all down as much as I could (short of dismantling it completely) and gave it all a good clean and re-glued some of the leather where it had started to lift. The 'worn' speedgrip winder turned out not to be worn at all as I just had to tighten the two small screws on top.

I think the previous owner had used it around someone that was doing some decorating as there were fine spots of white emulsion paint on one of the lenses, lens hood, the winder, film back and main body. Thankfully all easily removed with a handy little 'pick' that I had in my toolbox, but it took ages. All the lenses have cleaned up nicely and are all free and functional with no signs of fungus or serious scratches.

I found a small PC/jack lead for it so that I could connect it up to my Godox Xpro trigger to test with my Godox studio lights and it triggers them nicely, so some more experimentation the next time I get a model to pose for me. I only shot half a roll of film today, so I'll try and get that used up in the next few days so that I can develop it to see if there are any light leaks. Hopefully, there won't be.

Overall though, all seems to be in very good nick for its age and today I managed to pick up a winder handle for it on evil bay for £50.00. I thought I was going have to spend double that or more judging by the prices, but thankfully one seller accepted my offer and let me have it before anyone had bid on it.

I don't like the prism finder much, I prefer the waist level finder and was most impressed at how much easier the little magnifying glass helps with focussing.
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Result (y) , look forward to seeing some of the shots from it.
 
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The replacement winder arrived at last yesterday. The despatch was a bit slow, but the seller did throw in a roll of FP4 (exp. 2008) so I shouldn't grumble I suppose. ;)

I much prefer using it with the WL finder and without the speedgrip, that's for sure.

I really must try and finish the test roll of HP5 today . . .
 
That 50mm lens came in and really didn’t look too bad.

Bit dusty if I shone a light right through it but fine to the naked eye so we are just going to leave it be I think.
 
Hi, I have a Bronica EC and have just received a prism finder from Japan that was advertised as EC - ECTL fit.
For the life of me I cannot get it to latch into the WLF housing. This is a pic of the finder, and of the camera. Have I bought/been sold the wrong one?

Thanks
George

camera.jpg
 

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I'm no Bronica expert but that looks like a prism for a later camera, maybe an SQ?
 
A quick google of "Bronica EC prism finder" turns up several that look like yours, its a bit hard to tell without a few shots of different angles of the prism.
 
Grimy Miner said:
Hi, I have a Bronica EC and have just received a prism finder from Japan that was advertised as EC - ECTL fit.
For the life of me I cannot get it to latch into the WLF housing. This is a pic of the finder, and of the camera. Have I bought/been sold the wrong one?

Thanks
George
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:love:

Although this is a Bronica thread, rarely is a question asked about the EC/S2a series.
I have an ECTL, I don't shoot it often but I've had it years and I have lots of it.
Quite a few parts of the EC system are not interchangeable with the S2, despite both the camera and parts looking very similar.
I bought a polaroid back once for an EC which turned out to be for the S2 and didn't fit, but I'm not certain about the prism finders.
If it looks like it should fit but doesn't, it may be a finder for the S2.
I have a finder for my EC, I'll see if I can spot any obvious differences but it might be tricky with no sense of scale or measurement in photos, they are very very similar.
 
Well, clearly there are differences, not least with the tags on the finder on mine that engage with the hook mechanism, yours has no tags but your body has hooks.
At first glance I'm gonna go with Nicks guess that its not EC or S2 but something later, both the EC and S2 have that hook mechanism even if they may be in slightly different places.
This is what happens with Ebay, people really have to know their Bronica onions before they describe the bit they're trying to sell, everyone thinks nearly everything is interchangeable yet the EC and S2 despite appearances share only the lens range, and the SQ shares nothing at all... :(
 
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Right, update, I change my mind...lol
I think now Nick, as usual is wrong... :LOL:
The S2 does not use the hook mechanism to attach finders, its the EC only, so I'm back to my original guess that its an S2 finder not EC and not SQ.
 
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