Getting back to film...

Colbo said:
Sadly not, says im not authorised :(
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give it a while, keep trying - I can't remember how often the forum software upgrades permissions (some upgrades are set to be hourly, others are run overnight...)
 
Well Col it looks like you are steering towards the ETRSi...you'll have plenty of guys here that would agree with you inc me,,,here is the size compared to an Olympus Om10 and Canon T90 35mm camera:-

Full spec for ETRsi i.e. prism and speed grip


For comparison a RB67 without prism:-
 
Yeah get a meter, the flashmates are good but probably overkill unless you need flash functionality.
 
...or use your digi camera for exposures plus also handy for backup....there is a thread about a moble phome (or whatever) for exposures which is is good enough for colour neg film in most situations.
Aslo check with us for what lenses to get esp 150mm as there is old and latest versions and some are slightly inferior to others..but whether you can see the difference is debatable.
 
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Colbo said:
Oooh i can see the classified ad. Camera looks nice if a little dusty.
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/bronica-etrsi-75mm-pe.613602/#post-7247561

Do you think its risky buying from the guy selling on here compared to buying from someone with good seller rating on ebay?

One other question, is it worth buying a light meter?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331778350694?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Thanks again for any input, its really appreciated!!!
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You can check the seller's feedback, it's underneath his avatar on the left of the post. I'd generally be happy to trade here rather than fleabay, but you've got no cast iron guarantees as a buyer, unlike the bay. There is a disputed trades section but you don't often see stuff on there, which suggests that most trades go well. Prices usually reflect the lack of fleabay/paypay commission, roughly speaking (ie more attractive to you). You will see most people asking for BT (Bank Transfer), which means the buyer pays the whole amount, then the seller posts it off. Sometimes you can negotiate to use paypall, but often the price has to increase a bit to cover the seller's fees.

I bought a Sekonic L208 light meter, which I think is probably enough for most MF use. I got it on a half price weekend deal from Calumet, but I see they are £89 new. The one you linked to looks reasonable at that price, but will probably go up.

I thought there was a Leica meter in the trades section...

Good luck.
 
excalibur2 said:
...or use your digi camera for exposures plus also handy for backup....there is a thread about a moble phome (or whatever) for exposures which is is good enough for colour neg film in most situations.
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@Colbo I found using my small digital camera for exposure readings was possible but a total PITA. If you have an iPhone the light meter apps are pretty good, but for Android the phones differ so much that you may not get good results. I bought an Android smart phone partly so I could use it as a meter, and none of the apps work with it!
 
@ChrisR i have an iphone, is there a particular app you would suggest?
Many thanks Chris.
 
I don't have an iPhone, but there are a few threads around, try this one for instance (I haven't checked to see if it does say app specific things).
 
OK before i put an offer in on the Bronica, one more question if i may...

Development - wheres the best place to buy developer solutions for developing negs myself?
Also, best places to send film for development and maybe scanning? I have a scanner but might not be good enough. Of course id prefer prints but happy to have contact sheets for the meantime until i can scan/develop and print myself.

Thanks everyone again for all your advice.
 
Colbo said:
OK before i put an offer in on the Bronica, one more question if i may...

Development - wheres the best place to buy developer solutions for developing negs myself?
Also, best places to send film for development and maybe scanning? I have a scanner but might not be good enough. Of course id prefer prints but happy to have contact sheets for the meantime until i can scan/develop and print myself.

Thanks everyone again for all your advice.
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Silverprint for developing chemicals
Peak Imaging for developing and scanning
 
Colbo said:
OK before i put an offer in on the Bronica, one more question if i may...

Development - wheres the best place to buy developer solutions for developing negs myself?
Also, best places to send film for development and maybe scanning? I have a scanner but might not be good enough. Of course id prefer prints but happy to have contact sheets for the meantime until i can scan/develop and print myself.

Thanks everyone again for all your advice.
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I use Ag-photographic for both.
 
First Call photographic are pretty good for supplies as are MacoDirect in Germany though both have pretty heavy postage costs that'll not be a problem when you're buying dev and fix.
 
Colbo said:
Oooh i can see the classified ad. Camera looks nice if a little dusty.
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/bronica-etrsi-75mm-pe.613602/#post-7247561

Do you think its risky buying from the guy selling on here compared to buying from someone with good seller rating on ebay?

One other question, is it worth buying a light meter?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331778350694?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Thanks again for any input, its really appreciated!!!
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If you're planning to use a prism and a grip, then the Bronica ETR series is very good. If you want to easily use a waist level finder, however, which offers much greater magnification (about 3x vs .8x), makes the camera much lighter, and much easier to use without a speed grip, then the 6x6cm Bronica SQ series is a better bet for not much more money. The SQ series also offers a 6x4.5 back, if you need it, and similar accessories as the ETR series (e.g., prisms, speed grip, etc.), although these accessories are not interchangeable between the two systems, unfortunately.

Image quality is basically the same for all of the Bronica models, so just pick up the one that best suits your needs.
 
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There's also a Leica light meter in the classifieds, don't know anything about it, though!
 
ChrisR said:
There's also a Leica light meter in the classifieds, don't know anything about it, though!
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This is designed to go on the shoe of a rangefinder Leica camera so it's not really suitable for the Bronica!
 
Just looking at tripods for the Bronica, i know the mount is the same but dont want to get a rubbish tripod for a heavy camera. Any suggestions?
Been looking at these but no idea of whats good or not? Don't want to spend a huge amount just buy something that will do the job. Prolly need a carry bag too or a strap when lugging around.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191802719698?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182023028063?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Thanks again!
 
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I always recommend the Calumet 7300 it's decently priced and has coped quite happily with the RB for years now. Mine is pretty well abused but still fine.
 
Just to make you aware that the Bronica you are thinking of buying is a starter kit and is good for landscapes only and not portraits because of the 6x4.5 format holding the WLF sideways is difficult to say the least. To successfully take good portraits with this camera you need a prism (best to get a metered one) and ideally a speed grip. Also as it stands you will have no light meter on the camera without the metered prism!
Just though I would point this out before you start spending money on tripods and bags:)
 
Many thanks, yes the camera im looking at is 6x6 SQ-B so should do both nicely!
 
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If this helps here are a few pictures I've taken on the Bronica ETRSi system using a speed grip and metered prism and 75mm, 50mm & 40mm lenses! it should give you an idea of the 6x4.5 format! The top two pictures are full frame and the others have been cropped a bit at the sides.

Aerial View 2a.jpg Juggler.jpg Virgin.jpg Outward 1.jpg Whitby 1.jpg
 
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Nice shots!. Ive got two lined up depending on price and condition, the ETRSi and SQ-B. Id prefer the SQ-B so taking picutures square i could crop however if need be but might be able to get a tripod too for my money if go the ETRSi route. :)
 
Colbo said:
Nice shots!. Ive got two lined up depending on price and condition, the ETRSi and SQ-B. Id prefer the SQ-B so taking picutures square i could crop however if need be but might be able to get a tripod too for my money if go the ETRSi route. :)
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...but if you are going to crop square (6X6) it's similar to 6X4.5 ETRSi
 
Yeah, to be honest depends on the shot doesnt it. Id like to think that every shot will be perfect and work as a square but I'm not that good :) ha ha ha
 
Colbo said:
Nice shots!. Ive got two lined up depending on price and condition, the ETRSi and SQ-B. Id prefer the SQ-B so taking picutures square i could crop however if need be but might be able to get a tripod too for my money if go the ETRSi route. :)
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The 6x6 system is set up for WLF use if that's what you are after, because you don't need to turn the camera on its side. Although the ETRSi system gives you 3 extra shots per roll and handles more like a large 35mm camera with the prism and speed grip. Whatever you decide don't try to save money on the camera for the sake of a tripod and bag they come up for sale all the time in the classifieds at reasonable prices.
 
Good advice. I love the SQ-B ive got my eye on, would fit my purposes perfectly, portraits and long walks in the countryside. When i was at university i loved taking the medium format cameras for long walks and loved using the wlf. Ill keep my eye on the classifieds, i think you can post requests too am i right?
 
Colbo said:
Good advice. I love the SQ-B ive got my eye on, would fit my purposes perfectly, portraits and long walks in the countryside. When i was at university i loved taking the medium format cameras for long walks and loved using the wlf. Ill keep my eye on the classifieds, i think you can post requests too am i right?
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Yes that's right!
The main thing is to take your time and get the right camera for you!
 
Another thing to consider using the sq format is printing in the darkroom AFAIK you can't buy sq printing paper so you'll have to crop to suit say 10X8 OR waste paper....this was one of the reason I gave up sq format cameras was when I started colour printing and paper wassn't cheap. The 6X7 and 6X4.5 are not perfect but much less cropping or waste in comparison.
 
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OK the camera i had my eye on seems to have dust in the lenses. Now most of the other cameras ive looked at didnt even mention this so i guess the guy selling is honest and knowledgeable or all the others were spotlessly clean. (not likely)

What do you make of this? Im sure most cameras this age have dust but is this scale too much?

In regards to the lenses, there is some dust within the lenses but this is as expected for a camera system this old. There is more dust in the 50mm lens which I have noticed more as I shon a bright light through the lens and I have taken a picture of this for you, also on my Flickr account. I will also put this on the main listing as it is clearer than my original photo without the light. Of particular interest is a speck of dust on the rear element which is noticeable when you shine a bright light through it but I haven't noticed this is any photos (probably because it's on the rear element and is rendered out of focus).

Any help on this as always greatly received.


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Well it depends what you paid for it..as if it was me and I got it cheap wouldn't worry about the amount of dust spots that I can see in your posted shots...also a few dust spots won't effect the results you would get from this lens. Generally the important part of the lens is the back where the light concentates to produce an image and on the net a guy had smashed the front lens and still got a picture.
 
To be fair, shine a torch through most old lenses and you'd be horrified at the the amount of dust. How much of it that actually has an impact is likely to be debatable.
 
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