Bronica EC-TL w/ 35mm to 120 film adapter

[Julián Gómara]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. My name is Julian and I'm from Arg. Recently I bought a new (not so new actually) camera: Zenza Bronica EC-TL. The camera is incredible, I really like the construction.

The thing is, I have an adapter from 120 to 35mm to use these films (which are cheaper here in Arg), but when I load the film, the load lever doesn't charge, I mean, it still spinning like there is nothing inside (this is a normal behavior when the camera isn't load with a film).

Another user is experimenting the same problem? Maybe it can be the adapter? It is a 3D printed adapter, seem's very weak actually. But I don't know why it doesn't work properly.

Thanks! And sorry for my english haha

 

[neeksgeek]

Hey, welcome. I think if you could post pics of the adapter, some of the mechanical geniuses (I’m not one of them!) here could figure out what it’s doing...

 

[Julián Gómara]

Hey, welcome. I think if you could post pics of the adapter, some of the mechanical geniuses (I’m not one of them!) here could figure out what it’s doing...

Of course! Here some pics of the adapter

 

[polka]

I have a Bronica EC-TL and I post here a quick made picture of its film holder, to explain why your adapters cannot control alone the spooling of 35mm film under its pressure plate. I marked on the picture with two red "V" two rubber rollers that are designed to measure the length of film that is spooled when you move the 120 film to the next view and arm the shutter. You will notice that 35mm film does not drive these rubber rollers, so they don't rotate and thus, the camera does not think that the film is spooled.
One solution could be to modify your adapters so that the 35mm film will not sit in the middle but on one side and thus will drive at least one of the two rubber rollers. It may work, but not for sure.
POLKa

 

[polka]

Another idea that I just had : don't use your adapters but instead, prepare (in the dark) 120 rolls (used) with 120 type (used) backing paper, but some suitable length of 35mm film in place of the 6cm wide 120 film. The 120 backing paper by itself may be able to properly drive the rubber rollers.
POLKa

 

[reddesert]

I have run a roll of backing paper only without film through various 120 cameras, including a Bronica, to test the film advance and shutter. So yes if you hand spool 35mm film into the backing paper, it should work.

I think you could make the 120-35mm adapters work in a complex way on the Bronica EC by using the double exposure switch on the back. You would have to wind the film on the normal setting, guessing how many turns of the knob to advance one frame (you could measure this, but the number of turns will depend on how much film has been wound onto the takeup spool. Then, you push the back's double exposure switch to D for double, and wind again. This will cock the shutter without advancing the film. Take the picture, switch the back to A, and wind the film to the next frame, and so on.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

EC measures frame spacing by the rollers mentioned, so no way this can work as expected. But you have a great camera that screams to be used with medium format film. It appears you want to use it primarily with 35mm, and if even adapter worked, it is not an optimized solution. There are MF cameras that had factory made 35mm film magazines (that cost more than the camera). For your EC there is a 645 film magazine, so you would get 6x4.5 frames and 16 shots per 120 film, which might be a way to lower cost per frame.