BRONICA | Saturday, June 19, 2021

10:10 PM

#BRONICA: I suggested my old classmate @kitryallphotography looked at an #ETRSi to replace her beloved #Pentax645, which prompted me to dig mine out, which led to another repair. Really it was an adjustment, as mechanical cameras often require (and all #Leica rangefinders, which are hopeless), and the mechanics are designed with this in mind. @jonnyleephotography gave me this winder, and the long pin in view simply needs to be at the exact right spot to trigger the shutter. Simple tweaks but without the correct JIS screwdriver head, you’ll make a right mess getting in. The levers also seize up after several decades, so maintenance is required, but it does mean that these brilliant cameras are also cheap as chips. There’s an AEII finder for this going for £39 in the Uk right now. You could have a full set up with the grip for less than £400 if you hunted around, I reckon. A lot of advertising photographers used these back in the day, fantastic cameras and great lenses. #mediumformat #zenzabronica #filmphotography

50mm | Thursday, September 3, 2015

11:53 PM

It is UNBELIEVABLE how cheap these cameras are now. Crazy. They are superbly engineered, and packed with brilliant features. The lenses are excellent (as used to shoot hundreds of billboard adverts back in the 1980s) and the accessories are widely available. Featured: #50mm f2.8 (approx £99), #ETRSi body (approx £150) and AE II Finder (gives aperture priority and TTL-metering (approx £80). #Bronica #Zenza