Bronica S2 Leaving Shutter Cocked

[HaroldC3P0]

So I’m new to using medium format film and the one thing I have read is to not leave the shutter cocked. Is that right? With the Bronica S2 you wind the film advance knob and then keep going until the shutter is cocked. So should I advance until just before the shutter is cocked if I don’t plan to shoot anymore for the day?

 

[choiliefan]

IIRC the initial winding advances the film and the final hard turn cocks the shutter.
When putting the camera away for awhile, I take the back off, fire the shutter and reassemble the camera.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

So I’m new to using medium format film and the one thing I have read is to not leave the shutter cocked. Is that right? With the Bronica S2 you wind the film advance knob and then keep going until the shutter is cocked. So should I advance until just before the shutter is cocked if I don’t plan to shoot anymore for the day?

In the case of Hasselblad, the manufacturer suggests, almost demands, to keep the shutter cocked at all times.

 

[john_s]

In the case of Hasselblad, the manufacturer suggests, almost demands, to keep the shutter cocked at all times.

Likewise the Rolleiflex SL66 instructions insist also.

 

[HaroldC3P0]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Likewise the Rolleiflex SL66 instructions insist also.

Hasselblad claims that in a 30-year test, the spring took no damage or loss of strength from bein cocked for such a long time.

 

[murdockhendrix]

I just checked the manuals for the Bronica EC (pg33) and EC-TL (pg40). Both recommend not to leave the shutter cocked for prolonged periods of time. Unfortunately it does not specify what a prolonged period of time is. I looked at the S2 manual and it doesn't look as if this is addressed.

 

[HaroldC3P0]

I just checked the manuals for the Bronica EC (pg33) and EC-TL (pg40). Both recommend not to leave the shutter cocked for prolonged periods of time. Unfortunately it does not specify what a prolonged period of time is. I looked at the S2 manual and it doesn't look as if this is addressed.

Thank you for checking. Maybe a Bronica thing then.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Modern springs can be left under tension with no problems. The Bronica instructions are CYA (or Bronica is using really crappy springs).

A hundred year old camera - yeah, best to leave it all loose. I have some very old plate holders who's springs shattered all on their own, no tension needed.

That said, I detension shutters when I put them away and leave cameras unwound. It just feels better that way.

 

[murdockhendrix]

@HaroldC3P0 You're welcome. It could be a Bronica thing. I have an EC & EC-TL. If I'm not using them I always take the battery out and make sure the shutter isn't cocked. I agree with Nicholas leaving the shutter uncocked what could it hurt.

One warning about leaving the battery out on the EC-TL. It only takes one time to grab the camera, add a back to it and take off walking the neighborhood. Then realize about 3 shots in that all the shutter speed times seem slow. Because they are slow at 1/40s because of no battery. Now I keep a small ziplock bag with the battery on top of the cameras. Lesson learned.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I just checked the manuals for the Bronica EC (pg33) and EC-TL (pg40). Both recommend not to leave the shutter cocked for prolonged periods of time. Unfortunately it does not specify what a prolonged period of time is. I looked at the S2 manual and it doesn't look as if this is addressed.

One
That pretty much answers the OP's question. So when one is going to put the camera away for a while, one should remove the back, fire the shutter and put the film back on the camera. One bit of Hasselblad advice to use it to fire all the Bronica lenses with the smallest aperture and set on 1 second for ten to fifteen times every three months to exercise the lenses, avoid having the lubrication harden, and avoid the need for a CLA as often.

 

[MFstooges]

In the case of Hasselblad, the manufacturer suggests, almost demands, to keep the shutter cocked at all times.

Strange. It almost sound like they design the mechanism to rattle under no tension.

 

[reddesert]

Okay so Hasselblad and Bronica S2/EC are two very different mechanisms.

A Bronica S2/EC has a large focal plane shutter with a rather complex mirror mechanism and there's a lot that is under tension when you cock the shutter (Not just springs, but shutter curtains etc). But the shutter doesn't interact with the lens, apart from the aperture stop down lever. It is unlikely that there will be any problem if you leave it cocked overnight, but you probably should not leave it cocked if you store the camera for a month, since the manufacturer says not to.

On a Hasselblad, the leaf shutter is in the lens and the body and lens are both cocked, and it is well known that you are only supposed to dismount the lens when the body and lens are both cocked (this is also true of leaf shutter Bronicas like the ETR/SQ). So they tell you to keep it cocked, so that you don't jam it by forcing a dismount.

So IMO the Hasselblad advice has no bearing on the Bronica S2/EC.

 

[MattKing]

A prolonged period of time is a long term storage period of time.
The solution is to use them regularly .

 

[john_s]

Okay so Hasselblad and Bronica S2/EC are two very different mechanisms.

A Bronica S2/EC has a large focal plane shutter with a rather complex mirror mechanism and there's a lot that is under tension when you cock the shutter (Not just springs, but shutter curtains etc). But the shutter doesn't interact with the lens, apart from the aperture stop down lever. It is unlikely that there will be any problem if you leave it cocked overnight, but you probably should not leave it cocked if you store the camera for a month, since the manufacturer says not to.

On a Hasselblad, the leaf shutter is in the lens and the body and lens are both cocked, and it is well known that you are only supposed to dismount the lens when the body and lens are both cocked (this is also true of leaf shutter Bronicas like the ETR/SQ). So they tell you to keep it cocked, so that you don't jam it by forcing a dismount.

So IMO the Hasselblad advice has no bearing on the Bronica S2/EC.

This is a bit off topic, but the advice from Rollei for the SL66 is to always cock the shutter because if you don't you run the risk of allowing the interlocks to get into a state of lockup. The camera also has a large focal plane shutter. One wonders if the tension would tire the springs in the mechanism, but I do what I'm told. If this camera jams, it's not fun.

 

[VirtualFeature]

It's strange - most of the leaf-shutter system cameras I've seen recommend in some form or another to leave it cocked - the Olympus XA comes to mind with its manual (Always leave it wound before putting it away!). I always thought of it as ensuring you're ready to take the shot at a moment's notice, to ensure that you think favourably of the camera that got you the photo you were hoping for. It's good marketing.

Personally when it comes to larger mechanisms with more mass, like a cloth shutter or SLR of any kind, I tend to leave it uncocked, as while a lot of shutter curtains springs don't particularly wear out to the point of failure (just to inaccuracy of the shutter speed ) mirrors are under a lot more load with much stiffer springs.

Like a car's suspension, time under load will usually cause the spring to forget its original shape But it really does depend on the spring, and load.