Bronica Lens Question

[KingJon]

Am looking for some advice from the Bronica gurus. Just picked up an Etrsi w/a 75mm PE and a 150mm E and am having a great time learning to use it. Would like to get a 50mm wide angle to round out the lenses. I am wondering about all the variations in the lenses, i.e. mc, e, eII and pe. Are there were any problems common to them(esp. the older versions) I should look out for?
Thanks,
Jon

 

[PeterinJapan]

MC & E-II lenses have a metal barrel. PE have plastic barrel. Whilst a lot of folks quote the coating as improved in PE, where is the evidence? I have never seen any specific info from the maker. In some lens lengths the MC was physically larger than its later counterparts.

 

[David Henderson]

According to the Hove guide the PE lenses were introduced in 1992 with superior coatings and half stop click stops- so broadly compatible with the age of your camera body. The others will date from somewhere between 1976 and 1992. Ease of getting parts if the lens develops a fault might be an issue for you though you might equally argue that the older lenses are cheap to the point that you would replace rather than pay for any serious issue to be fixed.

 

[whlogan]

Go for the PC lenses, if you can get them. Also consider the super, magnicient 40mm that is often available

Using them all for years..... work great..... 40mm is good with the 135W back for making panoramics

 

[Jonathan Taylor]

I'm afraid PeterinJapan is wrong about PE lenses. All of the standard black PE lenses have very solid metal barrels. Other than your normal rubber focus ring grip it's pretty much all metal....

Where he might have gotten confused is with the silver 40th Anniversary kit-- it has a special silver plastic barreled 75mm lens.

As mentioned they do have 1/2 stop detents and in my opinion a much more convenient long time switch.

I've got a ton of PE lenses-- they rock! My 40mm is my most frequently used.

 

[Jonathan Taylor]

Oh yeah, I have alot of Bronica literature that really talks up the newly redesigned PE lenses. My literature goes from '76 to 2001, and the company made the biggest deal about their PE lens re-design-- so it's not just some internet myth.

You should definitely check out my ETR lens spreadsheet:

http://www.sover.net/~jtyr/bronica-ETR-lens-v-1.0.xls

...and camerapedia article:

http://camerapedia.org/wiki/Bronica_ETR

Now, of course, I've never really heard anything bad about the MC lenses... I don't think you can go wrong as long as the optics and shutter are in excellent condition.

 

[Ole]

I'm using an ETRS, and have one MC lens, one EII and one PE. They all work, they're all sharp, and they're all great.

The main difference in use is the half-stop settings on the PE lens.

 

[Steve Smith]

I have an ETRS with 75mm and 50mm lenses, both MC type. As Ole says, theyre great and sharp. I think any improvement in the later designs would be marginal.

Steve.

 

[KingJon]

Thank you for all your answers. You have given me plenty to think about.
Jon