Bronica GS-1 user

[Yon]

Hi I've just joined here as I just bought a Bronica GS-1 6x7 Any others in the UK I can share the experiences with ?

 

[jarvasm]

The world is small and you are not alone.

 

[Yon]

Brill. How long have you been using the Bronica system, and is proving to withstand excursions out and are there any reliability issues I need to be aware of i.e. sticky shutter blades ?

 

[skysh4rk]

Brill. How long have you been using the Bronica system, and is proving to withstand excursions out and are there any reliability issues I need to be aware of i.e. sticky shutter blades ?

Welcome aboard.

I haven't used the GS-1, but have experience with a number of its 6x6 Bronica stablemates (e.g., SQ-A, SQ-Ai, SQ-B, EC). I find the Bronica cameras and lenses to be very reliable with the exception of the blasted battery door on the SQ-Ai.

I've always thought about picking up a GS-1 because of my positive experiences with the SQ series, but I already have a Plaubel Makina 67 and Pentax 6x7 for 6x7 shooting, so I don't really need another 6x7 camera.

I hope that you enjoy it.

 

[itsdoable]

Not in the U.K., I'm on the other side of the pond. But I've been using the GS1 for 10+ years, and the only thing that failed is the battery.

 

[Johnkpap]

Hi I have been using My Bronica GS for many years, as well the GS being the lightest 67 camera, it can expose multiple formats, as well as the 6x7 back you can get a 6x6 and a 6x4.5 another great feature is the low price of the lenses.

You can get a almost mint version of every lens except the 80mm the 50mm and the 500mm for less than $200, considering the lenses when new cost about $3000.00 or more when new they are dirt cheap,.

The only problematic item is getting the TTL dedicated flash, I have been told that some Minolta flashes will work but no one has confirmed this, METZ SCA300 adapters for Minolta may also work.

Johnkpap

 

[craigclu]

That Minolta idea is interesting... I always wondered why the GS-1 didn't get an SCA300 module made for it as it was likely a wedding workhorse, using professional strobe gear. I mistakenly picked up a Bronica module many years back, assuming it would work on my GS-1 gear but found it was intended for the other Bronicas that supported TTL but not the GS-1. For my duties, I get along fine with some favorite auto flashes anyway but TTL can be comforting in some situations.

You're right. It's become a very affordable system. I need to exercise mine again and have gone soft, carrying rangefinders instead in the field. So much of what I once used the GS-1 for seems to require quicker turn-arounds and forces the digital gear into action....

 

[Tony-S]

Brill. How long have you been using the Bronica system, and is proving to withstand excursions out and are there any reliability issues I need to be aware of i.e. sticky shutter blades ?

I've lugged my GS-1 for miles and miles in the Rocky Mountains during the last 10 years and it's still going strong.

 

[Michael333]

Hey guys Michael here from California I also own the gs-1 bronica .

Absolutely love it very underrated camera.

I don't think they made it sca 300 for this camera. I too was looking for some flash that would give me TTL besides the bronica Flash.

I've heard that the bronica gs-1 dedicated flashes very weak doesn't have a lot of power.

So I'm here on this forum looking to see what you bronica users are using for a flash on and off camera any suggestions?

 

[Michael333]

Okay I guess this thread is dead.

 

[Sirius Glass]

When I was a teenager I wanted a Bronica S in the worst way. I always thought that I would never have the money to buy one much less additional lenses.

 

[craigclu]

What flash duties were you considering? Weddings? Fill light? I mainly used the big Agfatronics (643CS) because I liked the wink light and their power. They can function with 8 AA's or Quantum 4 and 5's. GN 212 and a clever head for articulating bounces. As a fill light, almost anything should cover that duty. The Agfas could use regular PC cables but I preferred the heavier SCA plugged cables that they could use with a single pin adapter as they were much sturdier and more secure. I still have some of the Agfa units and they keep on working fine. Because of the left hand mounting of most potato masher rigs, some functions are a bit awkward for focus and shutter tripping on the GS. Using the winder handle and a good shoe mount unit is handier but then one's power can be more limited. I think that if I went back to using the GS and flash for things, I'd use my Metz 54MZ-4 in the winder shoe and the Quantum Turbo (it also works with 4 AA's). When pushing these hard they tend to eat AA's but are very good performers. I like this flash as it has decent horsepower and the head design is quite versatile as this flash has a wink light for very natural lighting. I'm attaching an Agfa-lit shot to illustrate how the harsh shadows are reduced and the back-scene shadows are diffused, maintaining some depth but still lighting the subjects. I'm on a laptop in a motel room and downsized to 74k on the only software on this machine but you can get the idea.....(file was too big at 5400k, every hair and suit threads were crisp in the original). I mention that because the indirect flash helps to control blowing out textures that direct flash can do.

 

[btaylor]

Great system, available now at very low prices. Can't help with the flash questions as I don't use flash. Mine has always worked perfectly, amazingly good lenses. The winder grip is a nice ergonomic accessory and the internal meter is a very nice feature. The lack of revolving back is unfortunate, but lower weight and compactness make up for it.

 

[wiltw]

The Bronica GS-1 has a dedicated flash called the G-1, which provides TTL automated flash function with an ISO 100 Guide Number of 32(m), which is not all that powerful.
There was no SCA adapter offered for the GS-1, so it has no way to link to SCA-compatible flashes for TTL control.

 

[norphot]

The g-1/gs-1 combo was the first ttl flash for any medium format camera, so it is not surprising it did not follow a standard solution. The g-1 looks similar to some National (Panasonic) flashes, and may have been produced by them. Dont think they produced other ttl flashes though. I tried a Metz flash with 300 series minolta adapter, but it didn't work...

One Japanese repairmans webpage recommended the later Gs film backs (black button) as there was some kind of problem/irregularity with the earlier ones, but I have not had any myself..

 

[Michael333]

Hey guys glad to see you're still around thanks for your reply.

Actually I don't think I want a flash to mount on my speed grip I think I mostly want to do off camera flash.

I've had some recommendations for Nikon SB 25 or the SB 26 supposedly is a very good older Flash.

What I'm wondering can I use a modern-day Flash that's just in manual mode put a trigger on the hot shoe on the speed grip put another trigger on the flash off the camera and shoot like that.

Just not that familiar with flash kind of just getting into Flash so basically what I'm wondering is I don't think I want to mount a flash on the speed grip I think I want to mount one off camera like on a light stand with a small umbrella or softbox something like that.

So want any modern-day Flash that has a manual mode I know the TTL won't work and has a PC port in the flash should work is that correct?.

Yeah I gave up on trying to find the gs-1 Speedlight not possible I looked high and low all over Japan I looked all over then I started reading how underpowered it is so it's like now I don't even really want one.

That picture you put up looks really good that looks very nice.

 

[Michael333]

Actually that Metz flash that you mentioned looks interesting I may go with that so that will go right in the shoe on the winder and what do I need to do just run a PC cord to it and plug it in the side of the Camera to work ?

 

[Johnkpap]

The flash unit I use with my gs1 is a Metz 32ct4 mounted on the Handel/winder this flash works well and is very reliable. Good coverage and works well as a fill flash.

If you need any more light than this you will be looking at Metz 45’s and 60’s I find these to be too heavy to carry around with a 67 bronica

Johnkpap

 

[spijker]

What I'm wondering can I use a modern-day Flash that's just in manual mode put a trigger on the hot shoe on the speed grip put another trigger on the flash off the camera and shoot like that.

Just not that familiar with flash kind of just getting into Flash so basically what I'm wondering is I don't think I want to mount a flash on the speed grip I think I want to mount one off camera like on a light stand with a small umbrella or softbox something like that.

You may want to have a look at generic flash brands like Godox and Yongnuo. These have several portable flashes with built in RF receivers and small hot shoe transmitters. A Yongnuo 560 flash with a rf603 transmitter will get you going at a fairly low cost. If you want something a nicer but more expensive that works well with a softbox, then the bare bulb Godox AD200 with the S-type speedlite bracket and a Godox X series trigger (in manual mode) is a good option. There are a lot of videos about this flash on youtube. The S-type speedlite bracket works a great to use a Bowens mount softbox with (almost) any speedlite or the AD200.

 

[WilmarcoImaging]

Many good choices recommended so far:

Metz models
Nikon SB models
Sunpak 622 Pro

All function with the GS-1 in the same basic way, which is fully manual mode or automatic mode using the flash output control. None are TTL.

All can be triggered in similar ways, some can be triggered in multiple ways:

- pc cord
- - on camera with Bronica grip or dedicated bracket, or
- - off camera
- hot shoe on the Bronica grip
- wireless trigger off camera (requires a pair of transceivers for example PocketWizard).

I suggest going with the largest light output in your budget.

 

[wiltw]

What I'm wondering can I use a modern-day Flash that's just in manual mode put a trigger on the hot shoe on the speed grip put another trigger on the flash off the camera and shoot like that.

Just not that familiar with flash kind of just getting into Flash so basically what I'm wondering is I don't think I want to mount a flash on the speed grip I think I want to mount one off camera like on a light stand with a small umbrella or softbox something like that.

So want any modern-day Flash that has a manual mode I know the TTL won't work and has a PC port in the flash should work is that correct?.

You can use ANY flash unit which connects to the PC sync connector, or hotshoe, or radio/IR trigger (with receiver at the flash) ...manual flash or photosensor Auto flash. Just not any TTL flash except the G-1

 

[Michael333]

Many good choices recommended so far:

Metz models
Nikon SB models
Sunpak 622 Pro

All function with the GS-1 in the same basic way, which is fully manual mode or automatic mode using the flash output control. None are TTL.

All can be triggered in similar ways, some can be triggered in multiple ways:

- pc cord
- - on camera with Bronica grip or dedicated bracket, or
- - off camera
- hot shoe on the Bronica grip
- wireless trigger off camera (requires a pair of transceivers for example PocketWizard).

I suggest going with the largest light output in your budget.

Looking at the Metz 54mz 4. Found one on eBay but it's the 4i. Trying to figure out what the difference is between the two it's basically unused brand new on eBay I'm ready to pull the trigger on it but I can't find out what the I means.