Got my "new" Bronica C

First impression: Wow, what a beauty! Reeks of quality and built like a tank. Got to love that instant-return mirror. Feels great and doesn't sound objectionally loud. Has the heft of real metal, in spades (and stainless steel). I'm going to like this camera. First roll of film is at frame #8. I took some pictures on the way home from the individual I bought it from. I used f11 and f16 so I won't be able to tell about viewing screen registration, although it does not seem to get to infinity focus. I'll do the foam replace this week. I've got a ton of reading to do on the Yahoo Bronica users group site. I'm also looking forward to adapting some LF lenses (in barrel) to the focusing helix. I've got a Nikkor 300mm and an Apo Ronar 240mm that would be interesting to use (not to mention good for close-ups.) Yee-haw!

You've discovered a versatile and affordable system. Good luck with it!

Lenses of more than about 120 mm adapt pretty easily to the Bronica system. The registration distance is 101.6mm, if I remember correctly, but the rear portion of the lens can protrude into the mirror box, thanks to the falling-mirror design (this is why the Nikkor 40mm/4.0 is such an outstanding lens), so with shorter lenses you need to experiment a bit. Adaptations I've done include a 24 cm Voigtlander Heliar for portraits, and with a little help from S.K. Grimes a 500/5.5 Schneider Tele-Xenar, and with a little help from Frank Marshman I have a Canon FD-Bronica bayonet adapter for macro use.

The Tele-Xenar was a real coup. I think I paid around $300 for the lens in excellent condition, but in barrel (originally for Speed Graphic), and around $275 for a custom S.K. Grimes adapter tube to use it with the Komura focusing Helical II, which takes 300mm, 400mm, and 500mm heads, and which I already had with the 300mm/5.0. Imagine how much you would have to pay for a 500mm lens, perhaps even the very same 500/5.5. Tele-Xenar, for Hassy or Rollei, and such projects become very attractive.