Thoughs on a Bronica ETRS

paul ron · Sep 22, 2009

Someting I found very useful on my ETRS n see very often on Hassy n several other cameras, a focusing lever. The Hassy lever, Koni Omega fits my lenses perfectly with very minor adjustment.

This will allow you to hold the speed grip n focus using just a left hand finger. The camera feels better balanced that way.

jime11 · Sep 22, 2009

If you get the motor drive - get the later version. I had the earlier (clunky) brick shaped one. It was a pain to mount & time correctly.

JohnRichard · Sep 22, 2009

So, for those of you that own said items. Would it bet better to find a speed grip (manual wind) or a motor? I don't think I want autofocus, but I do want a basic meter. A real meter is great, but sometimes I get excited and end up burning through a roll. In bright sun, overcast, and well lit interiors, I can do ok without a meter. I have several 35mm and TLR's that don't have meters, so I have lots of practice 'guessing' exposure.

Just thinking out loud. I will have to look into the focusing lever. That sounds like a good idea.

Sirius Glass · Sep 23, 2009

I do not have a Bronica, but I found that having the light meter in the prism is very convenient and useful in my MF camera. I would not be without it. If I need a spot meter, I just use my Nikon F100.

Steve

Nick Zentena · Sep 23, 2009

The meter and winder add a fair bit of weight. They have advantages but you can live without.

I like the meter when combined with the TTL flash. But you need the ETRSI for that.

awldune · Sep 23, 2009

The grip makes it much easier to shoot in portrait orientation, although it does add some bulk and makes the camera an awkward shape/size for fitting into bags. Ultimately I feel it's worth it. You should be able to find one for less than $40 if you are patient.

I have the AE II prism, which is reasonably nice. The metering is not very smart though, and can be fooled easily. I have to meter and then recompose sometimes. You should be able to get one for $80-90. The AE III prism is fancier-looking and has a spot meter mode. It is much more expensive, however.

If you have any interest in shooting 220 film, you can pick up a 220 back for pretty cheap, or a 220 insert for your back for even cheaper.

For some reason' the waist level finder is very expensive on the used market. It doesn't seem as solidly built as the SQ version, and doesn't lend itself to shooting portrait mode. I don't really recommend it.

Nick Zentena · Sep 23, 2009

Personally I prefer the WLF. You can usually get one with any body for just the cost of the body.

ThomasHayward · Sep 23, 2009

Hello, new user here. I only recently got into medium format photography. I bought a ETRS about 6 months ago. I have subsequently also bought an ETRSI.

I use the 40mm 75mm and 150mm lenses. I wouldnt bother with a motorwind unless its massively important to you how quickly you can wind on the film. I find that the speedgrip is plenty sufficient for this.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as i enjoy mine.

Barry06GT · Nov 23, 2009

JohnRichard said:
I will most likely loose the darkslide.

Without the dark slide, how do you remove the back to change the film?

The 120 back on my ETRS cannot be removed without the dark slide.

Mike1234 · Nov 23, 2009

As long as we're getting away from the ETRS (a great camera) what about a RB67 Pro-S or RZ67? The rotating back makes rotating the whole camera unnecessary/irrelevant and the larger neg is nice to have.

Shaggysk8 · Nov 23, 2009

You can remove the back but not with the film loaded.

ciocc · Nov 23, 2009

Congratulations on your purchase. I LOVE my Bronica ETRSi. I think you should get the Speed Grip and a metered prism. The Speed Grip makes the camera a pleasure to use handheld, especially vertical compostions. The prism makes verticals practical and sometimes it's nice to use the metered prism instead of a separate meter. I switch between my AEIII prism and the waist-level finder, depending on the situation. I lose things easily, but I have yet to lose a darkslide. The AEIII prism meters quite accurately for me. That camera is bullet-proof. Enjoy!

Mike1234 · Nov 23, 2009

To answer your question about a portrait lens for the ETRS... a 150mm will be about right for loose H/S, IMO. For waist-up maybe the 105 and for very tight H/S maybe the 200mm. There are also the 125-250mm zooms but I never got into zooms for MF.

MORE: Found this link with ETRS system info... http://www.tamron.com/assets/pdfs/ETRS.pdf

Sirius Glass · Nov 23, 2009

Congratulations!

Enjoy!

Buy spare darkslides!

Steve

Mike1234 · Nov 23, 2009

Folks, from what I understand, he hasn't yet bought it.

paul ron · Nov 23, 2009

To get the back off without the dark slide in you have to push a pin in the small slot under where the dark slide goes in. There is a small pin that the bottom of the dark slide hits that tells the camera its in. Once you push that pin in, press the button and off it goes.

lxdude · Nov 23, 2009

Barry06GT said:
Without the dark slide, how do you remove the back to change the film?

The 120 back on my ETRS cannot be removed without the dark slide.

Remove the insert only, by releasing the latch or latches on the top of the back.
If you only have one back there's no reason to remove the back. If you have more than one back and lose a darkslide you can still switch backs, just not midroll on a back without one.

Rob Archer · Nov 24, 2009

I've got an ETRSi and it really is a superb camera. I've recently bought a 60mm lens and I can honestly say it's the best I've ever owned. I quite often go out with just the 60 and the 150 (although I also own a 40 and a 75). I've also got a 1.4X converter, which is excellent. I can't see any fall-off in sharpness with it even with 20x16 enlargement (although you do lose stop of exposure).

Rob

lxdude · Nov 24, 2009

lxdude said:
Remove the insert only, by releasing the latch or latches on the top of the back.
If you only have one back there's no reason to remove the back. If you have more than one back and lose a darkslide you can still switch backs, just not midroll on a back without one.

To clarify: if you have more than one back and lose a darkslide, you can use another darkslide when you switch backs; just not in midroll.

lxdude · Dec 1, 2009

jime11 said:
If you get the motor drive - get the later version. I had the earlier (clunky) brick shaped one. It was a pain to mount & time correctly.

I believe there are three versions. The first is the Motor Drive E, which takes 8 AA cells. Second is the Ei, which takes 6 AA cells. Third is the Ei II, which takes 2CR5 batteries and has a base like the speed grip (nothing in the base).

wiltw · Dec 1, 2009

lxdude said:
I believe there are three versions. The first is the Motor Drive E, which takes 8 AA cells. Second is the Ei, which takes 6 AA cells. Third is the Ei II, which takes 2CR5 batteries and has a base like the speed grip (nothing in the base).

There is one E series 'Motor Drive E' and two versions of 'motor winder' (Ei and Ei II). The Motor Drive can be triggered electrically with a radio remote, neither motor winder can be remotely triggered electrically

lxdude · Dec 1, 2009

wiltw said:
There is one E series 'Motor Drive E' and two versions of 'motor winder' (Ei and Ei II). The Motor Drive can be triggered electrically with a radio remote, neither motor winder can be remotely triggered electrically

Thanks for the clarification. I have the Ei. The Tamron web site's Bronica section only shows the Ei II, so I suppose the E was succeeded by the Ei, then the Ei II?

wiltw · Dec 1, 2009

lxdude said:
Thanks for the clarification. I have the Ei. The Tamron web site's Bronica section only shows the Ei II, so I suppose the E was succeeded by the Ei, then the Ei II?

Right. The motor drive came out during the ETR/ETRS days (not sure exactly when). The Ei motor winder was timed the same as the ETRSi. Not sure when the Ei II came out, but it might be about the time after Tamron purchased Bronica.

John R. · Dec 2, 2009

I borrowed a couple ETRSi 's with metered prism finders to shoot the Chicago bears once as I wanted the 645 format and didn't have a back in that format for my Blad. They worked great, never missed a beat, were nice and sharp, good contrast negs, the cameras were easy to handle and work with. I would easily say they are a good buy based on my experience. Keep in mind I only used them on one job. Time and the dependability factor is the true indicator of a good system. If the gear checks out okay and it's affordable for you and meets your needs, I say give it a try.

David Callard · Dec 15, 2009

Yes the digital option is soooo expensive. Kapture Group want $895 for a Hassy adapter plate (which is apparently the one we need) before we even get to the back! Still, I love the ETRS system. I have 1ea. ETRS and ETRSi bodies with practically every lens they made, incl. the 45-90mm and I would never part with any of them! I can't quite understand why the Mamiya 645 endured while the Bronica perished, given that the latter comes with leaf shutters. But, I guess the lack of Auto Focus killed it. How spoiled we are.

Thoughs on a Bronica ETRS

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