Need a Bronica ETR Waist-level-Finder, suggestions?

marius cramer · Jan 16, 2017

You hell of a lucky guy Richard (or Jack, idk? )!
cheers

itsdoable · Jan 17, 2017

20% off at KEH today with coupon code...

henryp · Jan 24, 2017

cooltouch said:
Also, if you don't have one yet, I highly recommend you pick up a Speed Grip E.

IMO the Speed Grip is not optional if you're using any prism finder (meter or not) but not essential with the waist-level finder. YMMV

derelict · Jan 24, 2017

pdeeh said:
Also, my suggestion is, don't buy a camera that is incomplete

I bought my ETR with a prism but also wanted the WLF.

OP, I found mine off eBay.

Also, I use a prism most of the time and do not have the speed grip. I do not feel like I am missing anything though. It is expensive, adds more weight to an already weighty package, and forwarding to the next frame is not a one time movement of the thumb thing. I have even attempted panning shots without a grip. No real loss of stability.

pdeeh · Jan 24, 2017

derelict said:
I bought my ETR with a prism.

but the OP didn't.
He bought a camera without a viewfinder, whether prism or WL.
Hence, an incomplete camera

cooltouch · Jan 24, 2017

derelict said:
Also, I use a prism most of the time and do not have the speed grip. I do not feel like I am missing anything though. It is expensive, adds more weight to an already weighty package, and forwarding to the next frame is not a one time movement of the thumb thing. I have even attempted panning shots without a grip. No real loss of stability.

Are you sure you're referring to the Speed Grip E and not the Winder or Motor Drive for the ETR-series? The Speed Grip E is not expensive, unless you consider $40, which is what it usually sells for, to be a lot of money, it is actually a very light accessory, adding a negligible amount of weight to the system, and while it is true that one must stroke the lever twice to wind film to the next frame, I've seldom seen this as an inconvenience. But you know, if you can use your ETR without a grip or winder or motor, more power to you!

dynachrome · Jan 27, 2017

I forgot to mention another possibility. You can get a prism finder for very little and add an angle finder. The angle finders seem to sell for very different prices and you should be able to get one for not too much.

neilt3 · Jan 28, 2017

pdeeh said:
but the OP didn't.
He bought a camera without a viewfinder, whether prism or WL.
Hence, an incomplete camera

It would seem to be a very incomplete camera , and a bit of a bad deal .
It would appear it's not just the WLF or prism missing .
In this thread ; (there was a url link here which no longer exists) , he asks about the dimensions of the ground glass focus screen .
He must also be missing that , as if he's was just scratched , he would measure it himself .
He might not realize that it has a metal frame , but as he hasn't replied to his own thread , who knows ?

His profile has him down as being in Germany , but he is referring to money as "Bucks" .
If he refers to the Euro dollar as a "buck" , then at 230 euro's he over paid for the camera in it's very incomplete state .
I pail £175 for a ETRS ( which turned out to be an ETRSi when I went to collect it ), 75mm lens , 120 back and WLF , which is less than 200 euro .
I bought a prism separate as these are cheaper and easier to find .

If he's buying from America and refers to US $230 , by the time he's added import duty and lacal tax (VAT) to Europe , and a focus screen , and a WLF or prism ......
Cheaper to have bought something that is complete and in a fully usable condition .
Not all bargains are a bargain !

Hassasin · Apr 11, 2023

henryp said:
IMO the Speed Grip is not optional if you're using any prism finder (meter or not) but not essential with the waist-level finder. YMMV

And 6 years later I will say no to this post. While Speed Grip is a great add on, it is also lots of bulk and weight cannot be discounted either. ETRS with prism without speed grip handles just fine. Similarly, Speed Grip and WLF also work fine together.

Going into the woods, my speed grip stays home, it's a nuisance to carry it around when light is key. Grip is a no brainer for weddings, street, other fast shooting, but not when tripod in the field is far more essential.

Marcelo Paniagua · Apr 11, 2023

Whoa, took a look at ETRS WLF prices and whoa. I mean, $200+ dlls?

All other finders are cheap (less than $100) but the WLF seems very expensive. I was lucky I got it for cheap (probably $30) when I assembled my ETRS kit.

And yes, grip is great when you are shooting on a controlled environment or events, but not great when traveling and when a small footprint is wanted.

Speed grip and metered prism makes for a aperture priority beast that I quite like.

abruzzi · Apr 11, 2023

for using the prism, I actually prefer the pistol grip over the "speed grip". it works well, doesn't require me to remove and lose the advance crank. It is a bit heavy, so you really need to be able to drop it on a neck strap when you're not shooting or your hand will cramp--with the side grip hanging from your hand at your side, you dont need a tight grip, but the pistol grip is very top heavy, so you always need a tight grip. Its also easier with an AE finder, since it makes accessing the shutter speed knob a clunky reach-over.

neilt3 · Apr 11, 2023

Hassasin said:
And 6 years later I will say no to this post. While Speed Grip is a great add on, it is also lots of bulk and weight cannot be discounted either. ETRS with prism without speed grip handles just fine. Similarly, Speed Grip and WLF also work fine together.

Going into the woods, my speed grip stays home, it's a nuisance to carry it around when light is key. Grip is a no brainer for weddings, street, other fast shooting, but not when tripod in the field is far more essential.

Unless I'm planning on just using my ETRSi on a tripod , I'll always have it with the speed grip .
Regards bulk and weight, I disagree.
I dont find it excessively bulky and I consider it fairly lightweight.
I do have three versions of the motordrive as well , and depending on the version , they can add considerable weight .
But each to their own .

Marcelo Paniagua said:
Whoa, took a look at ETRS WLF prices and whoa. I mean, $200+ dlls?

All other finders are cheap (less than $100) but the WLF seems very expensive. I was lucky I got it for cheap (probably $30) when I assembled my ETRS kit.

And yes, grip is great when you are shooting on a controlled environment or events, but not great when traveling and when a small footprint is wanted.

Speed grip and metered prism makes for a aperture priority beast that I quite like.

I've been using my Mamiya TLR's quite a bit of use and had the Bronica set up with the winder handle and WLF , and as I have a fair bit of kit ( o.k , too much !) I managed to misplace my speed grip in one of the numerous bags , boxes or draws .
I had a good look , but no joy .
When I bought it the grip cost me £15 , so hardly worth spending too much time looking for , I decided to just buy another off ebay.
Plenty available, but £80 - £100 now !
Needless to say I've had another look and found it !
What the heck happened to the prices ?!

When the camera is in the bag , the speedgrip is disconnected and slotted in next to the camera and takes up very little space when travelling.
In use with the camera on a necks trap whilst waking around , it's never got in my way.
YMMV .

neilt3 · Apr 11, 2023

abruzzi said:
for using the prism, I actually prefer the pistol grip over the "speed grip". it works well, doesn't require me to remove and lose the advance crank. It is a bit heavy, so you really need to be able to drop it on a neck strap when you're not shooting or your hand will cramp--with the side grip hanging from your hand at your side, you dont need a tight grip, but the pistol grip is very top heavy, so you always need a tight grip. Its also easier with an AE finder, since it makes accessing the shutter speed knob a clunky reach-over.

I haven't seen a specific Bronica pistol grip for the ETRS , or is it a generic pistol grip that screws into the tripod mount and has a built in cable release you have ?

AnselMortensen · Apr 11, 2023

I use my ETRSi with the Speed Grip, AE prism and 220 back...it handles very ergonomically and gives 30 exposures per roll. Any size differential from a 35mm camera with a motor drive is easily made up for by the gain in image quality.

abruzzi · Apr 11, 2023

neilt3 said:
I haven't seen a specific Bronica pistol grip for the ETRS , or is it a generic pistol grip that screws into the tripod mount and has a built in cable release you have ?

Genuine Bronica. Ignore the description of this ebay listing--this is actually the Bronica Hand Grip E for ETRS:

【Exc】Zenza Bronica Pistol Grip for S, S2, S2A, EC, ECTL Japan 1146929 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 【Exc】Zenza Bronica Pistol Grip for S, S2, S2A, EC, ECTL Japan 1146929 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Mine had the original box and it says: Hand Grip-E T-Type (Pistol)

It fits the ETRSi perfectly, and doesn't fit the SQ-A or GS-1 I have. In the next few days I can dig it out a snap a picture mounted on the camera.

(the ones intended for the EC-TL have two triggers--one for the shutter and one for the stop-down/meter read.)

abruzzi · Apr 11, 2023

AnselMortensen said:
I use my ETRSi with the Speed Grip, AE prism and 220 back...it handles very ergonomically and gives 30 exposures per roll. Any size differential from a 35mm camera with a motor drive is easily made up for by the gain in image quality.

I have the later powered grip (not the huge one that adds an inch or two the the camera height. I don't shoot with it very often, but with that and the AE prism, you can go through a 150 roll in about 30 seconds pretty easily. One plus of the powered grip is due to the instant advance, the blackout is very short. All you have to do on your own is focus and set a reasonable aperture.

wiltw · Apr 11, 2023

neilt3 said:
I haven't seen a specific Bronica pistol grip for the ETRS , or is it a generic pistol grip that screws into the tripod mount and has a built in cable release you have ?

This is the Speed Grip for the ETRS, mounted

abruzzi · Apr 12, 2023

I would avoid the larger lenses with this--but I do anyway, liking the smaller, more portable lenses:

Hassasin · Apr 12, 2023

When I refer to bulk, I compare with and without condition. Speed Grip on ETRS makes it significantly bigger. Same applies to left hand grip. ETRS is a nice compact set up, without any grips.

Speed Grip was a brilliant invention in my opinion, but just like like majority add-on accessories it is not for every occasion. If one appreciates it to the point of never having it off camera, that I can understand. I am in the camp which applies set ups to each case as needed.

As such I still think that any Bronica owner (all late 3 body sizes, E/S/G), ought to at least look into Speed Grip as it is a one of a kind add-on in medium format. And in addition to generally improved handling (in most cases) it is quiet ... unlike motor drives.

I would venture to guess a number of Bronica converts did it because of the Speed Grip.

Hassasin · Apr 12, 2023

abruzzi said:
I would avoid the larger lenses with this--but I do anyway, liking the smaller, more portable lenses:

View attachment 335552

I forgot about this one. There a few accessories that Bronica stopped introducing as "updated" versions post ETR. Sports finder was another one, and apparently quite rare. I do have it and while hardly use it, still find it much more useful than the Action Finder.

Radost · Apr 12, 2023

For the ETRS i think the best is waist level and no grip. Makes it very small.
I have never used my waist levels with mamiya 645 pro tl II and RD67.
But I think for Bronica ETR/S/C/Si it makes sense

Hassasin · Apr 12, 2023

Radost said:
For the ETRS i think the best is waist level and no grip. Makes it very small.
I have never used my waist levels with mamiya 645 pro tl II and RD67.
But I think for Bronica ETR/S/C/Si it makes sense

Portrait shooting on ETRS with WLF is not exactly ... convenient.

Radost · Apr 12, 2023

Hassasin said:
Portrait shooting on ETRS with WLF is not exactly ... convenient.

Agree. And the reason why I never use waist level with mamiyas.
But the size makes it worth it.
The bronica with other viewfinders makes it big. At that point why even shoot a bronica.

Hassasin · Apr 12, 2023

Radost said:
Agree. And the reason why I never use waist level with mamiyas.
But the size makes it worth it.
The bronica with other viewfinders makes it big. At that point why even shoot a bronica.

Mamiya RB67 has rotating back, WLF is a non issue.

Bronica is not that smaller than Mamiya 645. With AE III finder, or even more with non-metered prism finder, is not that much bigger either.

abruzzi · Apr 12, 2023

I prefer the ETRSi with the waist level finder and no grip at all. Portrait orientation can be done but--for me--only with static subjects. I'm traveling on vacation in a month and if I bring the ETRSi, I'll use it as shown above--with an AE prism and pistol grip because I'll be with family who won't have the patientce to wait for me to frame a portrait orientation shot, or because I'll be in places where crowds make the careful awkward movements to get it lined up in portrait toy annoying.

Right now I'm deciging between the ETRSi as shown above, or a SQ-A with WLF and handheld meter. I haven't decided yet, but am leaning towrd the SQ-A despite the fact that my PS80mm is acting up.

Need a Bronica ETR Waist-level-Finder, suggestions?

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