Bronica ETRSi, 75mm PE or EII ??

I'm putting together an ETRSi system and cant decide between the 75mm PE or EII lens. I've seen some things written that say the EII is every bit as good as the PE version and the EII is considerably cheaper. Anyone out there have some good first person type information/experience on these two lenses? I understand that the PE has half stop increments and the EII is only full stop and this may be enough to sway me to the PE but what about optical performance?

Thanks for any input...

Check out Cheryl Jacobs gallery, she uses the Bronica and pretty much only one lens. I have had Bronica cameras since S2A days, currently Bronica RF 645, I have been impressed with how sharp all of the lenses are. 16 x 20 prints are no sweat.

If your funds stretch to it, go for the PE lens. I used to have a Bronica ETRSi before switching to a Mamiya RZ67. The 75mm PE is is excellent I assure you.

I have the 75mm PE, I have a 100mm EII, they both are great glass. I am not convinced that you'd perceive much difference. The PE has half stop aperture which the EII does not offer. I can't imagine that, in today's day, there would be much of a price difference between both lenses. I'd still go for the PE.

Thanks all for the input. Not sure if I care or not about 1/2 stops...it would be nice but other cameras I have don't do it either. As to cost, its about a $30 difference. Not much at all except I'm doing this one on a budget and that extra $30 would make the second back much easier to buy. I'm off to work tonight and will have all night and the next day to ponder...

PE lenses retain a marginal increase in value in the used market compared to the MC and EII. I have the 50mm MC, 75mm EII and the 150mm PE and all three are teriffic lenses, sharp and very good at the corners. As Delphine has noted you will not notice any percieved differences between the EII and PE.

I had the same setup - the PE is the way I went for some of the reasons listed above - oh, and in terms of market value I bought the lens new old stock (which I was warned can be a little dangerous due to potentially sticky shutters or some such thing) and after using it for a couple of years sold it off for more than I originally paid.

And don't turn your nose up at 1/2 stops, they can sometimes make all the difference.

Are you the type of person who will always wonder if the PE is better than the EII? Or can you buy the EII and just move on? Serious question! I bought the EII, and I know that I have my moments looking at a PE on ebay and think, yep time to see if it really is better.

So if it will always bug you, spend the $30 now and get it behind you. Over the years, that money will be minor.

But if you can be content with an excellent lens without the half-stop aperture settings, get the EII, the extra back, and get shooting. Either way, you'll get good shots.

In the end it was the PE. I normally buy all my gear from KEH and had the system selected with an EX condition ETRSi body. Coming back today to place the order the EX body was no longer available. I usually buy BGN grade gear from KEH though so I re-selected a BGN body, saving much money allowing me to go with the PE lens and 2 120 backs. So, the body with the Speedgrip E, an AEIII prisim, 2 120 AI backs, and the 75mm PE and 150mm MC lens' are ordered!

To Dan Daniel; It is a good question but no not having the PE wouldn't bother me. I could have gone with the EII and been happy with it I'm sure. I decided though that the money saved with the BGN grade body was better spent to get the half stops.

Now the waiting begins....

Nice setup! Enjoy.

The Bronica equipment is so reasonably priced, I find it has been easy to put together a very complete kit.

You're going to love this kit. Using the ETRSi system is a blast. The 75mm PE is indeed very sharp. I've got the 150mm mc as well and its a fantastic performer.

jsouther said:

You're going to love this kit. Using the ETRSi system is a blast. The 75mm PE is indeed very sharp. I've got the 150mm mc as well and its a fantastic performer.

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Thats really good to hear on the 150 too. The waiting is going to kill me!!!

Ed, I've got the 75, 150 and 250 PE's - all beautiful lenses that give me razor sharp 12 x 16 exhibition prints - the ETRSi's a KISS system too so any mistakes, and you won't be able to blame the tools.
Patricia

Well, Ed, wish I'd seen the thread sooner...either way don't sweat it. I would have said for the budget, get the E-II, but $30 isn't all that much either for the latest, in fact last, incarnation. The E-II and PE are pretty much interchangeable. I have both and have found no practical difference. They are by my experience functionally identical. Both really good optically. It's said the PE's coating is slightly better. It is slightly different when you look at the coating reflections, but I haven't seen any difference in pictures. They both take the bayonet hood. The E-II does have f/16 on its DoF scale, and even more important, a nifty green stripe! The PE has the somewhat easier to grasp wider, uninterrupted aperture ring. You're good either way.


The best place to spend a little extra is on backs. The backs are, IMO, the most likely spot to have age/use related problems, like improper frame spacing and such. The AEIII prism is good if you need to meter TTL, but it seems a little fragile. And it's not fully coupled on manual-you have to transfer the readout to the shutter speed dial. As a meter it's great, and I like its separate ISO and exp. comp. dials, so there's always full range on both. The built-in diopter is nice and so is the eyepiece blind. I just wish it was fully coupled and beefier!

Hello guys, do you have sharp images from Zenzanon EII 75 f2,8? Last weekend I tried to shoot with Bronica ETRS and Zenzanon EII 75 f2,8 (handholded, kodak ektar 100, 1/125s f8-f11). I am disappointed from result in terms of overall sharpness. I didnt get very sharp images. Lens looks like new, leaf shutter work fine and iris too. Maybe problem is with scanner (Noritsu S-4) or exposure time 1/125s is too long for this camera and lens without tripod. I must try with tripod.

The E II lens is excellent. The PE adds the 1/2 aperture. But they are equally excellent. You must have done something wrong. Make some contact prints to see the negatives.

I think, you are right, because this lens has very good reputation. I must test this lens again with and without tripod. I will try to scan photos with another scanner.

RedSun said:

The E II lens is excellent. The PE adds the 1/2 aperture. But they are equally excellent. You must have done something wrong. Make some contact prints to see the negatives.

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The 75 E-II is largely 'the same' optically as the 75 PE...the E-II came mount after all the other ETR MC lenses. Optically speaking, with wide angle PE lenses have improvement in contrast and freedom from flare that the MC wide angles are more prone to issues of contrast or flare.

transporti686 said:

Hello guys, do you have sharp images from Zenzanon EII 75 f2,8? Last weekend I tried to shoot with Bronica ETRS and Zenzanon EII 75 f2,8 (handholded, kodak ektar 100, 1/125s f8-f11). I am disappointed from result in terms of overall sharpness.

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I do get sharp images from my 75mm PE. I mostly shoot from a tripod, though, and print in the darkroom. It's a fine lens and excellent value for money these days.

To clarify something regarding the matter of a lens having or not having 1/2 stops: the PE lenses have clicks at full and half stops, and unlike the older lenses, communicate the half stop positions to the metering prism. But all lenses may be set and used at any point on the aperture scale, including between clicks.