Zenza Bronica ETRS system opinions?

[Kino]

I fell into possession of a Zenza Bronica, Zenzanon EII 500mm f8 lens in extremely good condition recently; leather carrying tube, original lens caps and clean glass.

Not owning a Bronica, and fearing for my pocket book, I nonetheless started down the rabbit hole of looking at bodies and trying to gauge user satisfaction with this generation of Bronica medium format cameras.

Not finding a huge amount of opinions on the ETRS system, so I thought I would see if anyone on there uses this system and garner their opinions.

I don't really need at all another 120 based camera system and will probably just wind up selling the lens, but I want to hear some opinions first.

What say you about the Bronica ETRS ecosystem?

 

[mshchem]

I had a lot of Bronica stuff both ETRSi and SQAi it was fabulous stuff. Not sure how it has aged, but it never let me down, electronic shutters, really nice. I had the last versions of both systems. The 45-90 zoom for the ETRSi was awesome. Ttl flash. Really nice.

 

[Kino]

I had a lot of Bronica stuff both ETRSi and SQAi it was fabulous stuff. Not sure how it has aged, but it never let me down, electronic shutters, really nice. I had the last versions of both systems. The 45-90 zoom for the ETRSi was awesome. Ttl flash. Really nice.

Thanks!

 

[Hassasin]

Not much to go wrong with it just keep in mind these were wedding workhorses for most who would not enter Hass system. And there are a lot heavily used ones, which may give you light leak problems. Fairly easy to tell how badly it was used by wear on the mating surfaces on body and film back.

Film magazines I would not buy anything besides the last models with crank rewind and double latch on top.

Best part of Bronica is the speed grip, brilliant accessory that bulks it up substantially but adds significant upgrade to speed of operation, immensely helping hand for wedding style shots or any rapid change scenarios, or any time bulkier set up is less important than handling comfort. Whenever grip makes things too bulky it's easy to take it off (so long as the crank has not been lost).

Speaking of crank, when you see a body with speed grip, make sure crank is in the offer too as it may prove difficult or costly or both to find one later. It's better to buy body with crank and search grip separately if that is indeed what you want to use.

In 645 I always preferred Pentax 645, but it has some disadvantages and that is outside the scope of this thread.

 

[MattKing]

The availability of current Bronica equipment varied quite a bit depending on where you were located.
So finding accessories locally was a challenge for some, and easy for others.

 

[wiltw]

Bronica cameras were indeed a strong contender as an alternate to Hasselblad for working photographers who wished to keep more of their assets liquid (less costly), as they were one of the few MF SLR besides Hassy using leaf shutters, making them ideal for electronic flash synchronization. The TTL flash control permitted perfect flash fill exposure, even in conjunction with TTL exposure automation permitting shutter speed control in rapidly changing ambient light. The ETR series handled much like a 135 format SLR, while the leaf shutter was very beneficial for wedding shooters. I used the ETRSi for wedding work 30+ years ago. The glass was very good, particularly the P* versions (PS, PE) which had improved coatings which had primarily benefit at wider apertures. I still have my system, with two bodies and most lenses except the 30mm, 500mm, and 100-200 zoom.

 

[Frank53]

Since a few months I use ETRsi and I’m very happy with. Having used several MF systems over the years (Pentax 645, Mamiya 645, Rolleiflex 66 and Hasselblad), I think there is no better system. Compared to the other systems it’s cheap, very undervalued and fool proof. I have 2 bodies, 5 lenses ( 40, 50, 75 all PE and 150 and 250), 4 backs, AE iii prism and speed grip.

 

[Valmidira]

Same opinion as the others. The ETRS system is really nice, with very good build quality and functionality. I would probably just look for the latest PE-series lenses; the only exception is the Zenzanon 150, which is great even in the older series.


My only complaint is that there is no dedicated holder on the camera for the film back dark slide

 

[Kino]

Many thanks to everyone for their opinions! It is always interesting to hear experienced opinions and explore an unknown (to me) camera brand.

After searching around a bit online, it appears the best chance of finding a selection of the Bronica is from a Japanese sellers on Ebay; it's rather thin on the ground everywhere else.

I also found a number of old sales brochures which paint a picture of a very comprehensive and sometimes overwhelming assortment of options for these cameras. Putting together an outfit looks difficult for a novice to the brand...

 

[AnselMortensen]

I have had a few over the last decade or so.
Lenses are very sharp.
I currently have an ETRSi, with a 75mm, a 50mm, AE prism and speed grip.
With the prism and speed grip, it is like using a "35mm SLR on steroids" ergonomically....great for photographing people.
I still have some 220 film, so I can get 30 exposures without reloading.

 

[abruzzi]

the achilles heel of the ETR system is very few places seem to service them at this point, but I've put close to 200 rolls though my ETRSi, its traveled Europe and Mexico with me, and in the tail bag of my motorcycle across the US southwest, and I have had no issues with mine. I have a spare ETRS body that I can call back to if the ETRSi body ever gives out. I have most of the PE lenses from the 30mm up to the 250mm, including the two Bronica branded zooms and none of them are bad, and most are very good. (don't have the 500 or the Schneider lenses.) My 3 lens carry kit is usually 50/75/150, but sometimes I exchange that for 40/60/150.

 

[4season]

It's a pretty nice system, but if I were shopping for one today, I might want to check out earlier body variants without the multi-exposure lever and more metal in their construction, particularly in the finder area. Love the electronic lens shutters which require only minimal maintenance. If you think you may want the wind crank and waist level finder, try to get them as part of a bundle, as they can be surprisingly expensive if purchased separately. Lack of 3rd party rear lens caps is a pain.

 

[abruzzi]

It's a pretty nice system, but if I were shopping for one today, I might want to check out earlier body variants without the multi-exposure lever and more metal in their construction, particularly in the finder area. Love the electronic lens shutters which require only minimal maintenance. If you think you may want the wind crank and waist level finder, try to get them as part of a bundle, as they can be surprisingly expensive if purchased separately. Lack of 3rd party rear lens caps is a pain.

The lack of hand cranks was indeed a PITA when I bought into the system, so I made sure to get my body with a crank. But now, China to the rescue:

Amazon.com : eTone Bronica Winding Crank for ETR/ETRS/ETRC/ETRSi : Electronics

Amazon.com : eTone Bronica Winding Crank for ETR/ETRS/ETRC/ETRSi : Electronics

www.amazon.com

 

[Dan Daniel]

The lack of hand cranks was indeed a PITA when I bought into the system, so I made sure to get my body with a crank. But now, China to the rescue:

Amazon.com : eTone Bronica Winding Crank for ETR/ETRS/ETRC/ETRSi : Electronics

Amazon.com : eTone Bronica Winding Crank for ETR/ETRS/ETRC/ETRSi : Electronics

www.amazon.com

A cable clamp can do a good replacement job. The rod goes through one side and the other side projects enough to make a nice compact winder. You need to take the camera to the hardware store to find the right size.

 

[Radost]

It’s the smallest SLR medium format camera. Compared to mamiya and Hasselblad it looks super small.. If you get the waist level viewfinder.
But try it first. It is hard to get used to.

 

[Radost]

Oh and get the PE lenses especially the wide once
You can also put a digital back on the bronica

 

[hsandler]

I had a fairly complete ETRSi kit. For doing verticals you really need the speed grip and a prism. Most lenses use 62mm filters. I ended up changing to an SQ-A system where you can get by without a speed grip and prism, and a lighter tripod can be used as no tilting required. Otherwise they are nearly the same, although nothing is compatible. Yes light seals are a weak point, but I just taped up the backs. There seem to be a reasonable inventory of gear available in Canada and the UK.

 

[gbroadbridge]

What say you about the Bronica ETRS ecosystem?

It's a great reliable system which I've used for many years.

Just had my whole kit CLA'd just two years ago so I expect another 30 years out of it.

 

[abruzzi]

I had a fairly complete ETRSi kit. For doing verticals you really need the speed grip and a prism. Most lenses use 62mm filters. I ended up changing to an SQ-A system where you can get by without a speed grip and prism, and a lighter tripod can be used as no tilting required. Otherwise they are nearly the same, although nothing is compatible. Yes light seals are a weak point, but I just taped up the backs. There seem to be a reasonable inventory of gear available in Canada and the UK.

I have the three systems--ETR, SQ, and GS. I've only had one one back with a light leak and it was through the darkslide slot. I took it apart, and its a clever design usiga a pair of thin sheet-metal light blocs that get pushed aside when inserting the holder. On the good side, they don't really wear like the felt light blocks on some other cameras. On the bad side if they do get tweaked, its pretty much impossible to fix--mine had a bend in it that was letting light through, and for the life of me I couldn't get it straight enough to work properly. It was a cheap fix though--the darkslide is part of the outer back itself, not part of the film insert in the back. Since 220 film isn't made any more, and the outer back is identical between the 120 and 220 holders, I found a cheap $30 220 back and swapped the 120 insert into the new back--fixed.

 

[Radost]

I had a fairly complete ETRSi kit. For doing verticals you really need the speed grip and a prism. Most lenses use 62mm filters. I ended up changing to an SQ-A system where you can get by without a speed grip and prism, and a lighter tripod can be used as no tilting required. Otherwise they are nearly the same, although nothing is compatible. Yes light seals are a weak point, but I just taped up the backs. There seem to be a reasonable inventory of gear available in Canada and the UK.

I have both ETRS and SQ-A. SQ-A is giant and heavy compared to the etrs.

 

[Kino]

Which body model introduced the gold pin contacts in the lens mount and is there a good reference online for the Bronica heritage other than sales brochures?

 

[4season]

If I were to buy another one today, I might choose one of the -C variants which use the regular film inserts, but lack interchangeable backs: One less maintenance hassle, and I never use the feature anyhow. Equipped with WLF and the regular wind crank, it's about as compact and lightweight as possible. Shooting vertical compositions with a WLF is "interesting", but the majority of my photos are horizontal. Prism finders work well, but add a fair amount of bulk and heft.

 

[Frank53]

Which body model introduced the gold pin contacts in the lens mount and is there a good reference online for the Bronica heritage other than sales brochures?

Zenza Bronica ETR System Guide

Explore the Zenza Bronica ETR System ETR Camera Bodies Learn about the six distinct ETR System camera bodies, and seven special edition variants, produced betwe

bronica-etr.com

 

[Kino]

Zenza Bronica ETR System Guide

Explore the Zenza Bronica ETR System ETR Camera Bodies Learn about the six distinct ETR System camera bodies, and seven special edition variants, produced betwe

bronica-etr.com

Thank you very much.

 

[reddesert]

Regarding the wind crank, I think there are models to make a 3D printed plastic knob that fits (look on thingiverse). Even if you don't have one, an ETRS missing the wind crank is usable by hand if slow, unlike a Mamiya 645 missing the wind crank.