Is there a difference between the Bronica AE & AE II prism finder?

thewiccaman

thewiccaman

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DavidS
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Hello,

It may have been a while since I posted anything if at all :(

I do have a question though, having just added to my camera collection a Bronica ETRS; my first foray into medium format (and apologies if this has been answered elsewhere): per the thread title, is there a difference between the Bronica AE & AE II prism finder?

I can only see reference to the AE II prism finder online but there is an AE [only] listed on eBay. Somewhat confused.

Many thanks if you can help.

David
 
According to the Bronica Manual, there are no less than 5 finders in the ETR system. It refers to the "sophisticated AE-II as the only one to feature an integral through-the-lens open aperture metering system, complete with two exposure modes: aperture priority auto and manual exposure"

The others are the Waist-level finder, the non-metering Prism Finder, the Rotary Finder and the Action Prism Finder, which is also non-metering.
 
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Exactly what Peter has said.!

Just for your info, according to your profile you last posted a comment on here back in November last year, yes a little while ago, not that it matters as we always welcome victims, oops I mean people into the f&c dungeon , oops darned typos again, I mean forum ! [emoji23] lol
 
Asha said:
Exactly what Peter has said.!

Just for your info, according to your profile you last posted a comment on here back in November last year, yes a little while ago, not that it matters as we always welcome victims, oops I mean people into the f&c dungeon , oops darned typos again, I mean forum ! [emoji23] lol
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Thanks for the kind words, always a warm welcome.:LOL:
 
Peter B said:
According to the Bronica Manual, there are no less than 5 finders in the ETR system. It refers to the "sophisticated AE-II as the only one to feature an integral through-the-lens open aperture metering system, complete with two exposure modes: aperture priority auto and manual exposure"

The others are the Waist-level finder, the non-metering Prism Finder, the Rotary Finder and the Action Prism Finder, which is also non-metering.
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Appreciate this, it was a little confusing. Medium format is new to me as I said but excited to see what it brings to my picture taking.

My Bronica is coming with the waist level finder. I'd like an eye-level one too so may go for the AE II if I can get a decent one at a good price. I have my eye on a couple on eBay. Thanks.
 
I find that using the waist level finder transforms my photography. The image perspective is both lower and less natural so a slightly different part of my brain is judging what I see.
 
My ETRS came with the AE prism and a waist level finder. Plus the hand grip. I ditched the grip and prism, as I prefer a waist level finder. It makes me see the scene framed, and the lateral reversal adds an extra distancing that aids in really noticing things.

I don't get on with eye level cameras - they encourage me to just notice the centre, ignore the edges and just snap away regardless. But that's just me.
 
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john.margetts said:
I find that using the waist level finder transforms my photography. The image perspective is both lower and less natural so a slightly different part of my brain is judging what I see.
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That's an interesting perspective I'd not thought of. My DSLRs have a live view feature as many do but that's in no way comparable to a WLF view I appreciate.
 
StephenM said:
My ETRS came with the AE prism and a waist level finder. Plus the hand grip. I ditched the grip and prism, as I prefer a waist level finder. It makes me see the scene framed, and the lateral reversal adds an extra distancing that aids in really noticing things.

I don't get on with eye level cameras - they encourage me to just notice the centre, ignore the edges and just snap away regardless. But that's just me.
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Using the Bronica is going to be a wholly different experience clearly. The one I'm getting has a WLF.

I agree, using an eye-level finder, for me anyway, seems to lock my brain into snapshot mode. It's what I've been used to since I started with photography years ago. Using the Bronica with the WLF, the pace I'll take pictures will be much slower in the best way. I take mainly landscape so should prove ideal though I may look at getting an eye-level finder too so I have the option as I said above.
 
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thewiccaman said:
Hello,

It may have been a while since I posted anything if at all :(

I do have a question though, having just added to my camera collection a Bronica ETRS; my first foray into medium format (and apologies if this has been answered elsewhere): per the thread title, is there a difference between the Bronica AE & AE II prism finder?

I can only see reference to the AE II prism finder online but there is an AE [only] listed on eBay. Somewhat confused.

Many thanks if you can help.

David
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Just following up on my original post, is the AE II finder worth having as an eye-level finder so I do have the option over the WLF or am I better off with just the prism finder E?

I'm thinking if I'm going 'old school' as I was back in my youth, just me and my Zenith E [yes, really, my 1st camera :p]?

I do have a [Weston] light meter.

I'd appreciate your wise thoughts.
 
I have both the WLF and AE-II. I haven't used the AE-II much, but that has more to do with the bag, which was too small until recently. There are some situations where the AE-II could be useful...
  • Through-lens metering, obviously, such as through a filter like a polariser, or being able to do a reflected reading based on what the lens sees.
  • Works well in 'big SLR' mode with the Speedgrip, especially with moving subjects because left/right isn't inverted.
  • Being able to see when the camera is too high to use the WLF.
On the latter, I was trying to get a photo of the top of a lump of stone (possibly a gravestone, or some sort of graveyard ornament). The height of the stone, the desired angle of view, and distance to the camera were such that it was a struggle to look through the WLF. That (and the lack of an extension tube to get the 150mm to focus close enough - no room again) was probably what prompted me to finally get a bag with enough capacity.

To my mind, the two finders have their own pros and cons, and I have no particular preference (I don't really care if a finder is eye level, waist level, or large format with everything inverted).
 
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@Nomad Z Thanks, that is a good answer. I feel I want my bases
Nomad Z said:
I have both the WLF and AE-II. I haven't used the AE-II much, but that has more to do with the bag, which was too small until recently. There are some situations where the AE-II could be useful...
  • Through-lens metering, obviously, such as through a filter like a polariser, or being able to do a reflected reading based on what the lens sees.
  • Works well in 'big SLR' mode with the Speedgrip, especially with moving subjects because left/right isn't inverted.
  • Being able to see when the camera is too high to use the WLF.
On the latter, I was trying to get a photo of the top of a lump of stone (possibly a gravestone, or some sort of graveyard ornament). The height of the stone, the desired angle of view, and distance to the camera were such that it was a struggle to look through the WLF. That (and the lack of an extension tube to get the 150mm to focus close enough - no room again) was probably what prompted me to finally get a bag with enough capacity.

To my mind, the two finders have their own pros and cons, and I have no particular preference (I don't really care if a finder is eye level, waist level, or large format with everything inverted).
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@Nomad Z Thanks, that is a good answer. I feel I want both my bases covered.

So you would go with the AE II over the standard prism finder based on what you said?
 
thewiccaman said:
So you would go with the AE II over the standard prism finder based on what you said?
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I specifically chose the AE-II to get the metering - it wasn't just about having an eye level pentaprism finder. The main reason for getting a metered finder was the ability to meter through filters, especially a polariser because it doesn't have a defined filter factor.

Whether or not that suits you is for you to decide. I tend to the view that, if I'm going to have the added weight and bulk of a prism finder, it might as well have a meter in it.
 
Nomad Z said:
I specifically chose the AE-II to get the metering - it wasn't just about having an eye level pentaprism finder. The main reason for getting a metered finder was the ability to meter through filters, especially a polariser because it doesn't have a defined filter factor.

Whether or not that suits you is for you to decide. I tend to the view that, if I'm going to have the added weight and bulk of a prism finder, it might as well have a meter in it.
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I can't fault that reasoning at all. I'll go for the AE II over the Prism E. Many thanks for the input and advice :ty:
 
Have owned both the ae and ae ii. The ii appears to have one extra contact on it (10 instead of 9), and I’ve found that I have to press the display button instead of the shutter to see any metering on the I. Whereas with the ae ii I wasn’t even aware of the display button as the shutter press revealed it for me. Not sure if this is an error with my prism or an attribute of the ae I
 
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