Some time after I bought the Bronica, I had the chance to compare directly with a friend who had just bought an RB67 and my suspicions were proven correct. I figured that if Mamiya had dared make a 6×6 TLR that big and bulky, their take on a 6×7 SLR would be even heavier and bigger. While shopping around, I had the chance to handle a Mamiya C330, and while I loved the photos I saw from it online, the camera felt like a cinder block in my hands. The main reason why I didn’t go with these Mamiya RB67 / RZ67 systems was strictly to do with size. I wanted to be able to sync all the way up to 1/500, which I felt was always the strength of shooting medium format. The Pentax’s 1/30 max flash sync, was a deal breaker for me. I wasn’t a fan of it’s oversized 35mm SLR looks and ergonomics and I was heavily into shooting in the Strobist style using off-camera flash. While the Pentax 67 is prized for what is hands down one of the best medium format lenses for any system (the 105/2.4), the system as a whole didn’t speak to me. Let’s deal with my personal reasons one by one: Why not a Pentax 67? Why not the Mamiya RB/RZ 67 or the Pentax 67?
…or even thoughts from photographers who started their careers with Bronica equipment, just to “trade up” to a Mamiya or Hasselblad as soon as they were able to. Film-loving photographers, eager to take advantage of these bargains but confused by the various format options and cameras naturally took to photo internet forums as a place for them to ask questions.Įxperienced photographers always chime in, giving advice on cameras they’ve had personal experience with but one name is almost always left out of these conversations… Until that is, when one or two lone voices chirp up and in hushed words say “…Bronica”.įor some reason, these conversations then turn into complaints about accessories and availability of parts system reliability issues, or how some wedding pros may have trashed their cameras during the 80’s. Medium format film camera prices have dropped dramatically, and photographers have been able to buy gear at fractions of what it cost new.
#Bronica sq a 6x7 professional
Over the last 15 years or so, the professional market has moved to digital. “Going medium format, but I’m clueless, where do I start?”
“I want a medium format camera, but I don’t know which one, help!” Camera review: Zenza Bronica GS-1 - EMULSIVE Close Search for: