S2a dark slide

canongary · Oct 11, 2019

I just picked up a bronica s2a at a antique shop.I does not have a dark slide and the shop person thought it was broken as he could not fire the shutter.everything looks in mint condition.
does anyone have a dark slide for this camera for sale?
let me know i would appreciate it.posting pics of camera soon.
thanks- gary

GRHazelton · Oct 11, 2019

canongary said:
I just picked up a bronica s2a at a antique shop.I does not have a dark slide and the shop person thought it was broken as he could not fire the shutter.everything looks in mint condition.
does anyone have a dark slide for this camera for sale?
let me know i would appreciate it.posting pics of camera soon.
thanks- gary

Some one, some where, some time MADE some and sold them. I bought one and it works fine. You might try Google or Ebay. If I find the receipt for mine I''ll let you know.
Mirabilu dictu! I found the envelope in came in, from Serbia. The name and addy SEEM to be:
Timon Tomasevic
Vrtlarska 3917
Zemun
Serbia
Good Luck! The S2a is a marvelous camera, but from what I gather repairs are expensive. Mine needs the foam spacers/bumpers on the ground glass and mirror replaced to give accurate focus.

canongary · Oct 11, 2019

thanks for the info.i will check e-bay and google.
i removed everyrthing but the back and the foam although not very good looking is not a pile of goo yet.the antique shop guy told me he couldnt remove the lens cap either. it was cross threaded a little and came right off for me.ran it back on 2 or 3 times and all seems good now on that.i told him it was going to be a shelf sitter.first i have to run some film through it just to see.i have to admit she is one good looking camera.almost rivals my canon's.

canongary · Oct 30, 2019

Just an update on the dark slide.I got one off the bay from the guy in Serbia.after a minute of tinkering the back comes right off.fired the shutters through all speeds and all seems fine.the curtain is in mint condition and the mirror slap,you guys aren't kidding this thing is Loud.real loud.so I took the back on/off a dozen times to check.seems ok.
Just needs some film and we go from there.will be fun
Thanks gary

GRHazelton · Oct 30, 2019

canongary said:
Just an update on the dark slide.I got one off the bay from the guy in Serbia.after a minute of tinkering the back comes right off.fired the shutters through all speeds and all seems fine.the curtain is in mint condition and the mirror slap,you guys aren't kidding this thing is Loud.real loud.so I took the back on/off a dozen times to check.seems ok.
Just needs some film and we go from there.will be fun
Thanks gary

Do check the viewing focus at infinity! There are dreaded foam bumpers on the mirror assembly, and also on the view screen; if these go bad the LENS will focus to infinity, but your focusing will be off. The fix isn't too bad, but not something I want to attempt. Check the Bronica group on Flickr for discussions of this, and how to fix it.
Enjoy! And be careful about shooting it near small children, horses, and maybe the police.....the noise, you know.

canongary · Oct 30, 2019

picked up a roll of xp2 today.going in the bronica on friday.try a test shot or 2 and set up up a test object at infinity to check focus.i was pressing down on the top screen and felt no movement but i realize it only has to move a couple of thousandths to be off focus.we'll see. cant wait to take it to virginia and take a couple of shots around my sisters horses.that will be fun.
thanks -- gary

Alan Gales · Oct 30, 2019

GRHazelton said:
Mine needs the foam spacers/bumpers on the ground glass and mirror replaced to give accurate focus.

I've seen moleskin commonly recommended as a replacement for the foam. You can find moleskin at your local drugstore.

Pentode · Oct 30, 2019

I sold mine more than 20 years ago and my ears are still ringing!

Seriously, though, those Nikkor and Zenzanon lenses were the stuff. It was never really the right camera for my style of shooting but I do miss the glass.

I’m glad you found a slide so you can take yours for a spin. Bring a tripod!

abruzzi · Oct 31, 2019

canongary said:
picked up a roll of xp2 today.going in the bronica on friday.try a test shot or 2 and set up up a test object at infinity to check focus.i was pressing down on the top screen and felt no movement but i realize it only has to move a couple of thousandths to be off focus.we'll see.

you'll have an easier time checking focus with objects at the close end of the focus range, since at infinity, the depth of field will be much larger. Set up an object as close as you can, focus using the screen (i.e. don't scale focus). Set the aperture as large as possible (f2.8?) and take the shot. Make a note of the exact place you set the focus, if your test subject has depth.

canongary · Oct 31, 2019

going to be taking some pics tomorrow.i'll be taking notes of every shot may even try one with the extension tubes i just got.this will be like going to school all over again trying to absorb a whole new chapter of info.
this is what makes film more enjoyable than digital , figuring out the exposure knowing there is a variable to take into effect.
thanks -- gary

GRHazelton · Oct 31, 2019

abruzzi said:
you'll have an easier time checking focus with objects at the close end of the focus range, since at infinity, the depth of field will be much larger. Set up an object as close as you can, focus using the screen (i.e. don't scale focus). Set the aperture as large as possible (f2.8?) and take the shot. Make a note of the exact place you set the focus, if your test subject has depth.

Abruzzi is quite right. A close target would be the best choice. You could perhaps shoot a ruler at an angle, perhaps marking the point you focused on and see on the negative whether the lens was in focus at the same point. Good luck!

GRHazelton · Oct 31, 2019

canongary said:
going to be taking some pics tomorrow.i'll be taking notes of every shot may even try one with the extension tubes i just got.this will be like going to school all over again trying to absorb a whole new chapter of info.
this is what makes film more enjoyable than digital , figuring out the exposure knowing there is a variable to take into effect.
thanks -- gary

Since you won't have TTL exposure you'll need to correct for the extension tubes, just as my Father did in the "dark ages." There're websites that will help; as an engineer he found a pocket slide rule handy.

canongary · Oct 31, 2019

thanks , good reference to use.i'll let you know.it may not be for a few weeks though as i do not develop my own yet.i'll just have a local shop develop and scan only so i can look on my computer.

cobbu2 · Nov 4, 2019

Congrats on your S2a! I have a S and a S2 and love using both. Don’t let the “mirror slap” deter you from using the camera hand held, I use them that way with normal and wide-angle lenses with shutter speeds as low as 1/60 with excellent results; most of the vibration occurs post-exposure.

S2a dark slide

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