Tested my ETRS today

spacer · Jan 19, 2014

Since my recent purchase came with a Polaroid back, I figured I'd test the camera with that. Quick and easy, ya know.
First shot, I used sunny 16 and set it to 1/125 at f16. That came out a little dark, so for the second shot, I let my phone's light meter app give me
some settings, and it suggested f4 at that shutter speed.
I must have figured it wrong for the first one, because the second shot looks much better, if just a tad bright. All in all, I'm pretty pleased, and feel far more comfortable using rollfilm in the future. Also, though I probably wouldn't have gone out and bought a Polaroid back, I've found that it's kinda fun!

Photo Engineer · Jan 19, 2014

I have taken some nice instant shots with my ETRSi. I have 2 bodies and a bit of extra equipment. Great cameras.

I am also interested in what looks like a lot of "G" gauge equipment hanging around in the background!

PE

John Earley · Jan 19, 2014

I really need to take the time to use my ETRSi more often. It's a great piece of equipment.

Colin DeWolfe · Jan 20, 2014

My polaroid back came with really expired film. Where did you get new stuff?

MattKrull · Jan 20, 2014

I love my ETR-Si. Such a wonderful "feel" to it.

With 35mm I'm often back focusing (apparently I suck as the simple concept of a split image - and unless every camera I have is mucked up, it isn't the gear to blame), yet with my Bronica, and it's much thinner DoF, I nail every focus. Poor light, dogs, whatever, it is just so darned easy to focus.

I don't have either the WLF or a polaroid back, but I've though of picking both up if I see either cheap. What size film does the polaroid back take (can I use Fuji FP-100, or do I need to buy Impossible Project film)?

spacer · Jan 20, 2014

I used Fuji fp100c and it's working great. I've been hearing that the stuff is superior to the original Polaroid film anyway.
I got two packs from Amazon.com for just under $9 each.

I've also read that you can wash the flat black coating off the "throwaway" layer with bleach, and therein lies a negative of the photo you took!

Photo Engineer · Jan 20, 2014

Fuji has better technology than Polaroid. Both its chemistry and coating are far superior and always has been.

PE

MattKrull · Jan 20, 2014

One thing I just though of, but never considered before... The Fuji film is roughly 8cm x 10cm... but the negative of a 645 is, well, much less than that. Do the polaroid backs have a lens in them, or are you getting an image the same size as your negative?

Edit: I'm guessing by the OP's picture, you just get a small image.

Photo Engineer · Jan 20, 2014

Matt, look at the pictures in the OP. You will see that the image is much smaller than the actual paper size.

PE

spacer · Jan 20, 2014

Yeah. That had me wondering whether I could hack the back for a bigger image, but then... why hack up my hardware? It's working just as it should. But... now I'm starting to cast my gaze on larger format cameras that'll fill that space up. I've seen some 4x5 view cameras at some very reasonable looking prices.

hsandler · Jan 20, 2014

I had a polaroid back for my ETRSi. They take Fuji FP100C or FP3000B peel-apart pack films, not the Impossible Project stuff which is integrated film only for the kind of Polaroid cameras which spit the print out with a motor. There are wash techniques you can find on youtube for recovering a colour neg from the FP100C film. I didn't try. I found the 3000B film very contrasty with very small latitude, but nice rich blacks. The paper negative can be dried and scanned reflectively and has much more shadow detail than the print, but is very grainy.

Photo Engineer · Jan 20, 2014

Grain and sharpness both vanish upon diffusion of the dyes and you will find this true with the Fuji product if there is a good way for comparison.

PE

mweintraub · Jan 21, 2014

The Fuji peel apart film has very narrow latitude, this and the whole stop limitations of the Bronica systems make shooting these films difficult.

andrew.roos · Feb 5, 2014

Mweintraub the PE series lens apertures are adjustable in half stops.

Andrew

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mweintraub · Feb 5, 2014

andrew.roos said:
Mweintraub the PE series lens apertures are adjustable in half stops.

Andrew

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This is true, but sometimes this isn't enough.

Tested my ETRS today

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