Bronica GS-1 update/review

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John Wiegerink

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After picking up a GS-1 body fairly cheap, I ordered a 110mm macro lens, plain prism finder, 6X7 back and the speed grip from KEH. KEH came through again and gets a 5-star rating from me on speedy shipping and their conservative rating system. A hardy two thumbs up 👍 👍 ! I put everything together, stuck a battery and roll of HP5+ in it and took it for a test spin. I must say it passed with flying colors. Not only that, but I could not find a fault with the camera or its ability took produce excellent negatives. It's slightly smaller than my Hasselblad 555ELX with its grip and H70 prism finder, but not by much. I really bought the GS-1 as a possible replacement for my Pentax 67, which it might just do. Now for things I like over the Pentax 67:
1. Interchangeable backs (one of the main reasons I would switch to the GS-1)
2. Handling seems as good and maybe just a little better.
3. Film loading is much easier, at least for me anyway. I think it easier than the Hasselblad also.
4. Higher flash sync, not that important to me. Yes, I have the 90mm and 165mm for the Pentax, but the Bronica is much simpler to use with a flash.
5. Very sharp lens. At least the 110mm Macro is, anyway. Probably not any better than my Pentax lenses, but I think just as good.
6. Nice, big 6X7cm negative are so nice. Again, same at the Pentax and one up on the Hasselblad.

Things I don't really care for:
1. Still pretty noisy.
2. Heavy. I don't know if it's heavier than my 555ELX or the Pentax 67 w/wood grip, since they are both at my cottage at the moment.
3. Being totally dependent on a battery, but so is the Hasselblad 555ELX and the Pentax 67 to some extent.
4. No rotating back.

One little note and that is about KEH. I order a bargain (BGN) 110mm Macro and it was near mint except for a small ding on the filter ring. I can remove the dent with a special tool I have just for that purpose. The 6X7 back was a BGN again and it too looks like mint. The speed grip was BGN and said to be inoperable, but for $27.00 I took a chance. It turned out that all that was wrong with it was the threaded collar the 1/4x20 screw onto the base of the grip had worked its way up the screw and prevented the camera from being mounted to the grip. A 3-minute repair and it's like new. I had ordered a plain prism finder because it was dirt cheap, but KEH sent me an AE finder instead and it looks and works perfectly. That's why I gave them the two thumbs up. In fact, I'll probably be looking to get my 65mm and 150mm from them also since their prices are no worse than eBay. Oh, and the risk of getting the Royal Screw seems much, much less than from eBay.
I have eye surgery tomorrow, so it will be a while before the GS-1 and I can get out for some more tests.
 

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itsdoable

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<snip>
2. Heavy. I don't know if it's heavier than my 555ELX or the Pentax 67 w/wood grip, since they are both at my cottage at the moment.
3. Being totally dependent on a battery, but so is the Hasselblad 555ELX and the Pentax 67 to some extent.
4. No rotating back.
With a similar setup, the GS1 is a little lighter (and smaller) than the P67

The P67 is totally dependent on the battery, no battery, no shutter. On the other hand, the GS1 has 2 fully mechanical speeds, 1/500 and T, both of which are usable without a battery.

The GS1 does have a "Revolving Tripod Adapter G" which with the "Rotary Prism Finder G" can mimic a rotating back in the studio.
 

tom williams

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Jan 24, 2020
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After picking up a GS-1 body fairly cheap, I ordered a 110mm macro lens, plain prism finder, 6X7 back and the speed grip from KEH. KEH came through again and gets a 5-star rating from me on speedy shipping and their conservative rating system. A hardy two thumbs up 👍 👍 ! I put everything together, stuck a battery and roll of HP5+ in it and took it for a test spin. I must say it passed with flying colors. Not only that, but I could not find a fault with the camera or its ability took produce excellent negatives. It's slightly smaller than my Hasselblad 555ELX with its grip and H70 prism finder, but not by much. I really bought the GS-1 as a possible replacement for my Pentax 67, which it might just do. Now for things I like over the Pentax 67:
1. Interchangeable backs (one of the main reasons I would switch to the GS-1)
2. Handling seems as good and maybe just a little better.
3. Film loading is much easier, at least for me anyway. I think it easier than the Hasselblad also.
4. Higher flash sync, not that important to me. Yes, I have the 90mm and 165mm for the Pentax, but the Bronica is much simpler to use with a flash.
5. Very sharp lens. At least the 110mm Macro is, anyway. Probably not any better than my Pentax lenses, but I think just as good.
6. Nice, big 6X7cm negative are so nice. Again, same at the Pentax and one up on the Hasselblad.

Things I don't really care for:
1. Still pretty noisy.
2. Heavy. I don't know if it's heavier than my 555ELX or the Pentax 67 w/wood grip, since they are both at my cottage at the moment.
3. Being totally dependent on a battery, but so is the Hasselblad 555ELX and the Pentax 67 to some extent.
4. No rotating back.

One little note and that is about KEH. I order a bargain (BGN) 110mm Macro and it was near mint except for a small ding on the filter ring. I can remove the dent with a special tool I have just for that purpose. The 6X7 back was a BGN again and it too looks like mint. The speed grip was BGN and said to be inoperable, but for $27.00 I took a chance. It turned out that all that was wrong with it was the threaded collar the 1/4x20 screw onto the base of the grip had worked its way up the screw and prevented the camera from being mounted to the grip. A 3-minute repair and it's like new. I had ordered a plain prism finder because it was dirt cheap, but KEH sent me an AE finder instead and it looks and works perfectly. That's why I gave them the two thumbs up. In fact, I'll probably be looking to get my 65mm and 150mm from them also since their prices are no worse than eBay. Oh, and the risk of getting the Royal Screw seems much, much less than from eBay.
I have eye surgery tomorrow, so it will be a while before the GS-1 and I can get out for some more tests.
Congratulations John! Looks like KEH did especially well by you! For me, KEH is the choice over ebay (except Roberts maybe) anyday.
 
OP
OP

John Wiegerink

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Congratulations John! Looks like KEH did especially well by you! For me, KEH is the choice over ebay (except Roberts maybe) anyday.

Yes, Robert's is good also, and I have zero complaints about the items I have bought from them. They also ship very fast. eBay is best if you are looking for some odd item you can't find anywhere else. PayPal also gives you pretty good protection from losing money, but it's a real hassle getting a refund sometimes. I really think eBay is about the only place to sell your excess items, but Facebook Marketplace is starting to give it a little competition. I'll be selling off some of my collection in a few months (bosses orders) and think I'll give Marketplace and here a try.
 

bimmey

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Location
New Hampshire
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Congratulations John! Looks like a good kit. Good luck with your up coming surgery. Look forward to see some images from your new camera.
 
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OP

John Wiegerink

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Joined
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Messages
3,641
Location
Lake Station, MI
Format
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Congratulations John! Looks like a good kit. Good luck with your up coming surgery. Look forward to see some images from your new camera.

Well, I'm still healing, but can see fairly well. The sun is supposed to shine tomorrow or Sunday, so I'm heading out. I'm taking my 4X5, one Rollei, the Bronica and just for fun, my Minox 35 Touring camera. I'll spend the whole day going up and down the Lake Michigan shoreline. I should get one or two good shots, I hope. The biggest problem I have is all my dang 72mm filters are up to my cottage, so I'll have to get by shooting straight. I do have the Bronica loaded with Fuji Acros so that might give me a little darker sky, but not as much as a yellow or red filter would. I'll post some pictures after I get them souped in some Pyrocat-HDC.
 
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