medium format film back prices, w t f

AshleyC

AshleyC

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Ok i just started looking at putting together a Bronica setup which i had years ago but got rid of. An SQ-B with lenses and some backs, Just checking ebay for prices on bits and the backs are going for £100+ what the hell! I remember buying them for a tenner each. Is there anywhere you can source "cheap" backs?
 
AshleyC said:
Ok i just started looking at putting together a Bronica setup which i had years ago but got rid of. An SQ-B with lenses and some backs, Just checking ebay for prices on bits and the backs are going for £100+ what the hell! I remember buying them for a tenner each. Is there anywhere you can source "cheap" backs?
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In my experience, when I was looking for a second back for my ETRSi, I would have been lucky to find one for less than £50, which seemed to be the lower end of the price-range. The only backs that are lower cost are the 220 and Polaroid variants, both of which have little use nowadays as you can't easily find film for them.
 
Film camera prices seem to have shot up since lockdown, presumably as people had time on their hands and decided to give film photography a try, although prices were definitely creeping up before that. Now you'll struggle to find many bargains for anything 'desirable'. For instance, there have been at least two Yashica 635s sell for over £250 on eBay lately, whereas 5 or so years ago the going rate for a fully working 'mint-ish' one was around the £80 mark. I'm glad I stocked up on some nice cameras when I did.
 
FishyFish said:
In my experience, when I was looking for a second back for my ETRSi, I would have been lucky to find one for less than £50, which seemed to be the lower end of the price-range. The only backs that are lower cost are the 220 and Polaroid variants, both of which have little use nowadays as you can't easily find film for them.
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Well this surprise interest in using film is it just Europe and the US or worldwide? Anyway tried to find the number of Etrs cameras and accessories made but :( but when you think if only say 2,000 people out of 8 billion in the world were suddenly interested in the etrs, where is the supply...Ebay or camera shops etc esp ones that are left working properly........................ :(
 
I'm finding the same issue. I purchased a Bronica ETRSi during lockdown, and while I did get the camera, lenses and other accessories at what I think was a good price, the cost of additional backs seems crazy at the moment. I'm trying to find a 135w back at the moment. And any that come up in the UK are silly prices.
 
Asha said:
What decade was that ?
The cheapest I ever found in working condition was over £40 !





Hmmm I wouldn't risk shortening the lifespan of my camera tbh
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This would of been about 8 or 9 years ago when I was living in Chelmsford and buying them from Camera World
 
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AshleyC said:
This would of been about 5 or 6 years ago when I was living in Chelmsford and buying them from Camera World
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Blimey I wish I’d known as I was paying a small fortune in comparison at around the same period..... maybe even nearer to 8 years ago tbh.

As it is I no longer possess the etrs.

As for 135 backs mentioned above, they , I believe have always been expensive and quite difficult to source. Personally I wouldn’t be interested using a tiny format in a MF camera but each to there own.
 
Asha said:
Blimey I wish I’d known as I was paying a small fortune in comparison at around the same period..... maybe even nearer to 8 years ago tbh.

As it is I no longer possess the etrs.

As for 135 backs mentioned above, they , I believe have always been expensive and quite difficult to source. Personally I wouldn’t be interested using a tiny format in a MF camera but each to there own.
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Ordinarily I wouldn't usually be too interested. However the appeal of the W version is the wide/panarama 24x54mm negatives it produces. Just not sure I can justify the cost of the backs though.
 
Iphotouk said:
Ordinarily I wouldn't usually be too interested. However the appeal of the W version is the wide/panarama 24x54mm negatives it produces. Just not sure I can justify the cost of the backs though.
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Maybe this would work in a 120/220 film back


analoguewonderland.co.uk

Analogue Wonderland 35 to 120 Adapter

These handy little plastic adapters will allow you to use any 35mm film in your 120 (medium format) camera! This gives you greater creative choice as there are many more emulsions available in 35mm size, and it also allows you to shoot over the sprocket holes of the film for a special final...
analoguewonderland.co.uk analoguewonderland.co.uk
 
Quendil said:
Maybe this would work in a 120/220 film back


analoguewonderland.co.uk

Analogue Wonderland 35 to 120 Adapter

These handy little plastic adapters will allow you to use any 35mm film in your 120 (medium format) camera! This gives you greater creative choice as there are many more emulsions available in 35mm size, and it also allows you to shoot over the sprocket holes of the film for a special final...
analoguewonderland.co.uk analoguewonderland.co.uk
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They would work fine, but if used with a 645 camera like the ETRS they would produce vertical 45mm tall negatives (although you could shoot the camera rotated 90 degrees to get horizontal images.. The dedicated 135 back for the ETRS allows the film to be advanced horizontally, so you would get 60mm wide landscape panoramas.

Tose adapters would be easier to use in something like a Pentax 67 or a Mamiya RB/RZ 67 if you want landscape images.
 
FishyFish said:
They would work fine, but if used with a 645 camera like the ETRS they would produce vertical 45mm tall negatives (although you could shoot the camera rotated 90 degrees to get horizontal images.. The dedicated 135 back for the ETRS allows the film to be advanced horizontally, so you would get 60mm wide landscape panoramas.

Tose adapters would be easier to use in something like a Pentax 67 or a Mamiya RB/RZ 67 if you want landscape images.
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Thanks for the input. I thought this would be the case and why I have avoided the adapters until now. Although I have a prism finder on it so shooting vertical isnt too much of an issue. I'll keep looking for a bargain 135w back I think or maybe look at one from Japan as there seems to be more of them there.
 
Iphotouk said:
I'm finding the same issue. I purchased a Bronica ETRSi during lockdown, and while I did get the camera, lenses and other accessories at what I think was a good price, the cost of additional backs seems crazy at the moment. I'm trying to find a 135w back at the moment. And any that come up in the UK are silly prices.
Click to expand...
The 35mm backs for the ETRS have always commanded a premium, even when you could pick up a complete camera for not much more than £100 you would have pay that for just a 35mm back.
 
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