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A Little Bronica History
from Wikipedia
Bronica or Zenza Bronica was a Japanese brand
of professional medium format roll-film cameras, including
rangefinder and single-lens reflex models.
Bronica cameras first appeared in 1958, when the company's
founder, Zenzaburo Yoshino, introduced a camera of his own design,
the Bronica Z rollfilm camera, at the Philadelphia Camera Show. The
Bronica Z and successor Bronicas, utilizing large-coverage,
high-quality Nikkor lenses, became an instant success.
Bronica later introduced lenses of its own manufacture with its
later camera designs. Zenza Bronica Ltd. was eventually acquired by
the lens manufacturer Tamron. Zenzaburo Yoshino died in 1988.
Tamron discontinued the brand's single-lens reflex models (SQ,
ETR and GS) in October 2004, and Bronica's last model, the RF645
rangefinder camera, was discontinued in October 2005.
Bronicas were workhorse cameras for wedding and portrait
photographers for many years. Secondhand Bronica cameras are still
widely used by professional and serious amateur photographers, in no
small part due to superior image quality of 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x7cm
roll film over smaller film and digital sensor formats.
Bronica SLR cameras employed a modular design: the major
components of the camera—lens, body, film back and
viewfinder—were separate and interchangeable.
Bronica models
Classical Models
From its start, Bronica introduced a number of medium format SLRs
with Focal plane shutter, which used Nikkor lenses from Nikon, until
this line was discontinued with the introduction of the SQ. These
included: Model Z (1958), D (1961) S (1961), C (1964), C2 (1965), S2
(1965), S2a (1969), EC (1972), S2a Type 2 (1972), EC-TL (1975),
EC-TL Type 2 (1978), and EC-TL II (1980). Notably, the EC was the
first medium format SLR with an electronically controlled shutter,
while the EC-TL was the first medium format camera with automatic
exposure. The range of Nikkor lenses for these remarkable cameras
reached from 30 mm (Fisheye) to 1200 mm, and comprised about 30
different lenses. Lenses from Sankyo Kohki Komura, Zeiss Jena, and
Bronica itself were also available, as well as a wide range of
accessories, including different film magazines, bellows, and
viewfinders.
ETR series
- ETR - Introduced January 1976. Advanced, compact,
modular electronic 6x4.5cm SLR camera system with a vast array
of finders, backs, and other accessories. Seventeen different
lenses were made for the system from a fisheye, to four
different zooms, to a 500mm super telephoto, to a unique 55mm
tilt shift lens.
- ETR-C - Introduced October 1977. Identical to ETR
models except film magazine cannot be removed from film back.
- ETR-S - Introduced January 1979. Improved version of
ETR.
- ETR-S Modification - Introduced July 1982. Unnamed
change to original ETR-S model. This version is sometimes
referred to as the "plastic" body ETR-S and back, for
the change in the side panels of the body and backs to
polycarbonate. Lens release located on left side of body, backs
released using two independent tabs.
- ETR-Si - Introduced October 1989. Improved version of
ETR-S. Capable of through-the-lens off-the-filmplane (TTL-OTF)
flash exposure. Significantly improved back design (Ei) with
locking darkslide.
SQ series
- SQ - Introduced October 1980 as a replacement for the
increasingly bulky Nikkor-based cameras. Modular 6x6cm square
format SLR camera system with leaf shutter.
- SQ-A - Introduced January 1982. The SQ-A was a
refinement of the SQ. The contact pin array for the viewfinder
was increased from six to ten gold contacts, allowing for auto
metering capability with the AE finder S. Also, a mirror lock-up
lever was added. The backs were modified slightly, with the ISO
dial for the original backs having white and orange numerals,
and the new with silver. The darkslide was changed to the
locking style; to lock required both the new grey handle slide,
and the new silver numeral ISO dial back. All accessories for SQ
cameras fit the SQ-A, however the AE finder cannot physically
mount on the SQ; a safety defeat pin prevents attachment.
- SQ-Am - Introduced January 1983. "Motorized
only" version of SQ-A body. Uses 6 additional AA batteries.
- SQ-Ai - Introduced October 1990. Added he following
functionality to the SQ-A. Ability to add the motor drive SQ-i
and off the film (OTF) metering with select flash guns. These
changes required the addition of a circuit board which also
required the battery compartment to be "flattened".
The single 6v cell was replaced with four 1.5 volt 'button'
cells. A bulb 'B' setting was added to the shutter speed
selector.
- SQ-B - Introduced February 1996 the SQ-B was a low
cost, entry level camera that was based on the SQ-A with many of
the advanced features removed.
GS Series
- GS-1 - Introduced 1982. Lightweight,
electronically-controlled, modular SLR 6x7cm camera system, with
four interchangeable viewfinders, speed grip, and optional backs
for 35 mm, Polaroid, 6x4.5cm, 6x6cm, and 6x7cm roll film. 120
and 220 size film backs available in 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x7cm.
Dedicated Flash (G1). The GS-1 uses 'PG' -series lenses in a
variety of focal lengths: 50 mm, 65 mm, 100 mm, 110 mm macro,
200 mm, 250 mm, and 500 mm.
RF Series
- RF645 - Introduced 2000. Extremely light and compact
6x4.5cm coupled rangefinder camera system with three
interchangeable leaf shutter lenses: 45 mm, 65 mm, and 100mm.
Also dedicated flash (RF20) and special polarizer kit.
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