Great! You made your choice and have started using the camera. Now shoot more film and enjoy!
I hope I'll be able to obtain pictures as good as the ones on this page, to be honest on paper the Bronica seemed the most "primitive" of the three cameras I considered.
Not sure why you think it's primitive. I'm curious to hear your point of view from an outsider.
Actually the OP is me and I'm still waiting to get all the parts ordered from different sellers!
I hope I'll be able to obtain pictures as good as the ones on this page, to be honest on paper the Bronica seemed the most "primitive" of the three cameras I considered.
Also the ETRsi is an ETRs with TTL and mirror lock, so not really a new model, of course the ETRs was more sophisticated than the original ETR tough, but we are talking about basically the same camera produced from 1978 to 2006.
Actually the OP is me and I'm still waiting to get all the parts ordered from different sellers!
I hope I'll be able to obtain pictures as good as the ones on this page, to be honest on paper the Bronica seemed the most "primitive" of the three cameras I considered.
Leaf shutter...top speed limited to 1/500s, lightmeter sensitivity (with the best AE finder) limited from 1 Ev to 19, I heard the mechanics is...ehm rough. I also heard the screen is relatively dark in comparison to the best in class. From the reading of the documentation shooting in manual like on a SLR seems cumbersone.
The most interesting data regarding the obsolescence of the Bronica is of course the year of the introduction of the ETRsi: 1989, i appears that after the death of the founder the new management (Tamron) never cared about updating the Bronica and let her die of a long death.
Also the ETRsi is an ETRs with TTL and mirror lock, so not really a new model, of course the ETRs was more sophisticated than the original ETR tough, but we are talking about basically the same camera produced from 1978 to 2006.
If you compare it to the development of the Mamiya 645 and the Pentax you notice there is a big difference between for instance the original 645 and the 645NII.
The top shutter speed is a function of leaf shutter lenses versus focal plane shutter bodies and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. The focal plane shutter gives you a higher top speed and, theoretically anyway, less expensive lenses. The leaf shutter gives you flash sync at all speeds, important for outdoor fill flash, and the ability to still use the camera if a shutter goes bad just by switching lenses. Of course it also gives you lower top speeds, theoretically more expensive and possibly delicate lenses, possible variation in shutter performance from lens to lens (one could say "definite" but it is not usually enough to make any difference) and more shutters to possibly fail or get out of calibration. Pays your money and takes your pick. If fill flash is important, go for the leaf shutter system. If highest top speed is important, go for the focal plane shutter. If you don't care much about either (like me) then disregard that difference and get the system you otherwise prefer.
Now buy a lens and film and get shooting. Enjoy.
That was a good suggestion, Ian kindly sold me a ETRSi body with 120mm back, grip and Bronica strap for reasonable money (at least in the EU), so right now I'm expecting the AE III and the PE 75mm, I assume I have a nice Bronnie kit to start enjoying the pleasure of 6x4.5 format, hopefully all the parts will be put together and I'll have the most updated Bronica model.
I'm waiting for the AE III prism and a 75mm PE lens to be delivered today.
OK I assembled the monster:
First impression: you can't shoot manual, and with manual I intend to set the shutter speed and change the F stop with the lightmeter that tells you plus or minus. What is called "manual mode" is basically speaking a an AE priority where you have to set up the shutter speed on the camera, so totally useless IMO.
That's a big letdown, I'll use this camera just as full AE priority...besides that the Bruna feels like a good quality camera, not too big to hold, good ergonomy with the grip, VERY noisy for being a leaf shutter camera, a little bit like an Hassy.
The max speed of 1/500 worries me as usually I shoot ASA 400 but I'll try get ASA 100 or lower, I'll test the camera in the weekend, still I'm thinking that perhaps a Mamiya 645 would have been a better choice, and yes it looks like more a camera from the 70s than from the 90s.
The max speed of 1/500 worries me
Well, sell it and buy a Hasselblad. That is what you really wanted from the start.
Set the A | OFF | M to M[anual] or Off.
Page 30:
http://www.cameramanuals.org/bronica/bronica_etrsi_ae_iii_prism_finder.pdf
Don't worry.
I think i have never shot at 1/500 or faster in medium format. This is because depth of field is narrower, at least 2 stop narrower (in 6x4.5 or 6x6 format) to more (3 stops in 6x7 format). So in practical terms having, for example a f2.8 lens in 6x4.5 format is like having a f1.4 lens on 35mm. This also includes into account that a MF shooter will probably demand bigger, sharper enlargements than the equivalent image shot in 35mm.
Thus, with ISO 400 film, if you are under bright sunny 16 day you'll go for 1/500 f16 which will give you DOF equivalent to about f8 in 35mm format. With iso 100 film, under the same conditions, you can get down to 1/500 f8 in 6x4.5 medium format, which is like f4.0 in 35mm; good enough for reasonably narrow DOF effects. Want narrower, you'll need ND filter, but we're consider the extreme case (sunny 16, EV 15 @ ISO 100)
Shoot wide open (f2.8) in medium format, particularly in 6x7, and you will suffer to get the focus point where you want it!!
Sure?
I've bad memories of Hasselblad: it's the camera of my uncle, he showed me that Hassi when I was kid (I don't know the model, I was 8) boasting it was the greatest camera of the world, that he paid the equivalent of ten of thousands of euros of today for it and of course he never allowed me to even touch it. Since then he keeps his kit carefully stored in the original packaging, my aunt says she doubts he ever used it more than once or twice. Since then the H for me is the camera of the selfish avaricious...should I ever go square I'll choose a nutcracker like the Kiev 88CM, possibly (re)made by Arax.
Oh, all these cameras for me are pointless because they never invented something simple like the mechanical handgrip of the Bronica, probably the best feature of this camera that allows it to be used not just for landscapes on a tripod.
I've bad memories of Hasselblad
1) I use my Hasselblads. They are not shelf queens.
2) Hasselblads conveniently fit in the palm of my left hand so I do not need a hand grip. Hassleblad does have a hand grip by the way.
Would like me to repair your memories? :devil:
Sure?
I've bad memories of Hasselblad: it's the camera of my uncle, he showed me that Hassi when I was kid (I don't know the model, I was 8) boasting it was the greatest camera of the world, that he paid the equivalent of ten of thousands of euros of today for it and of course he never allowed me to even touch it. Since then he keeps his kit carefully stored in the original packaging, my aunt says she doubts he ever used it more than once or twice. Since then the H for me is the camera of the selfish avaricious...should I ever go square I'll choose a nutcracker like the Kiev 88CM, possibly (re)made by Arax.
Oh, all these cameras for me are pointless because they never invented something simple like the mechanical handgrip of the Bronica, probably the best feature of this camera that allows it to be used not just for landscapes on a tripod.
Yes I have the manual of the camera, metering prism and motordrive (thinking about getting it, just because it looks cool)...in the "manual" mode you set the speed, but the prism still tell you the shutter speed it considers correct! So the "manual" more would be:
1) Setting the f stop at the lens.
2) Taking the reading (shutter speed) of the lightmeter.
3) Setting the speed according to the suggestion of the prism, obviously removing the eye from the viewfinder with the risk of missing the target, of course taking into account it's not a landscape!
The manual also suggest to under or overexpose inserting a speed different to the recommendation of the prism, but I've never done it, usually with a Spotmatic like camera with needle I simply close the diaphragm to move it down or open it to move it up, it is a simple thing that could be implemented in the AE III prism and I don't understand why they didn't do it.
Perhaps an older camera like the Mamiya M645 or the Bronica S2 has a prism more suitable to my needs?
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