I had an ETRS for years and shot with it professionally (no, not weddings). I can confirm that Broncos like this one are a delight to use. I'm currently lugging a Mamiya RB67 but I'm going to trade it on a Bronica SQ. I just miss the way they work and I would have it over a Hasselblad any day. I have never seen the point. I know everyone loves them and they've become an investment but ultimately, this is about taking photos. This is probably the best long term review I've seen on the Bronica SQ-A.
The SQ-A was my 2nd medium format camera. I started with the ETR. The SQ-A is fabulous and the 80mm is a beast! Also, it’s totally usable with the Prism if you don’t have the grip.
Years ago a very well respected technical writer/photographer, Ctein, ran comparison tests between the PS lenses and their Hasse Zeiss counterparts. The PS lenses were sharper shooting wide open than the Zeiss lenses were. For wedding photographers and other photographers shooting in difficult lighting conditions the Bronica SQ, GS and Etrs cameras with the improved optics is a strong contender. Also, if you own Nikon SLR/DSLRs with mechanical controls/focus the Bronica controls turn in the same direction!
A very nice review. I have a GS-1, the 6x7 Bronica, and most of what you said goes for that camera as well. You didn't mention whether the SQ-A can do multiple exposures; on the GS-1 there is a little switch which allows you to recock the shutter to reshoot without advancing the film. Also, I learned the hard way that when you use the mirror lockup with the metered viewfinder, you need to lock the exposure with the AElock switch before flipping the mirror up, otherwise the meter changes to whatever light is hitting the sensor with the mirror up so light coming through the eyepiece! Or set the shutter speed manually. Another idiosyncrasy is that the metered viewfinder allows some in-between shutter speeds that you can't get with the shutter speed dial itself. I shot a roll on a borrowed Hasselblad 500CM for comparison, and honestly the head shots were not really any sharper than I get with the Bronica. I was outside with no tripod though. But it's really hard to see trading up 3-5 times the price for everything for slightly better glass, not when these mirrorless digital cameras can just nail focus on the eyes for portrait work. Stopped down for landscapes, I doubt there is much difference in the glass, plus I prefer the 6x7 format for landscape. Cheers from Montreal!
What a fantastic and under-rated system, and an insightful review. Just one question - where's the 50-100mm PS zoom? :) It's weird - my 45-90mm PE actually outperforms the 40 & 50mm PE at infinity and nearly matches them at closer distances. I know this because I use them on FF digital and 35mm with a shift adapter. I recall Steve O'Nions mentioned the 40&50 PS lenses being a week point as well, so perhaps the SQ and ETR lenses share those formulas? I have 4x5 kit but I stick to a 6x12 horseman, as roll film is just so much easier to deal with. Cheers!
What is your experience with the 135 N film holder? Do you use it often? Is it worth it? I suppose you can only use it with the 80mm lens or shorter lenses….
I'm using this SQ camera from about 3/4 rolls. Sincerely I don't understand the lenses. Some image is good and sharp, other are soft and not good. Honestly images are much better from my Olympus OM2 35mm.
Great review! I love Bronica and this system in particular! Sad to see you want to leave :( I say that but I recently splurged on a Hassy 500cm so I have no right to judge. Granted I'm a hoarder so I'll probably keep both at least for now... I do want to say that the Bronica system provides some very good advantages: - That 135 pano back is the most obvious one. Yeah it's very rare and expensive but acquiring an equivalent on the Blad will likely be even harder and pricier. There are cheap 3d printed alternatives but obviously they are way less convenient and reliable. So do keep that in mind before selling it you probably won't get those Panos anywhere near as easily on the Hassy. I'd almost suggest selling everything except whatever you want to use with that back lol - Speaking of cost, the body's are one thing but the Hassy lenses and accessories really punch the wallet. Sure Bronica accessories are uncommon but usually they aren't so heavy in cost from what I can see. - A big unspoken advantage imo of Bronica lenses is that they take regular threaded filters and hoods... Hassy has a bayonet so you either need cheap adapters (cumbersome) or pricey rare filters. - I tried a shootout between my PS 80 and Plannar 80. I dungoofed and fogged the film so will need to repeat that but at least at a glance the Zenzanon is just as good if not even slightly sharper? I doubt most Hassy lenses are much better than Bronicas but the normal kit lens on both are really good - I have ordered the 50mm for my Hassy but while I'm sure it's an amazing lens I'm not getting the Biogon 40 because the Zenzanon ps 40 is imo an outstanding lens and I love using it so much. I haven't tried the ps 150 but the ps 135 and ps 180 are so good for portraits especially with that 1m minimum focus distance. -Speaking of mfd, I think a really nice thing about the Sq system is that you can focus close without too much trouble. Extenders should work in general from what I hear while I hear the Hassy extenders are famous death traps capable of bricking your lens if you are not careful. I also don't know if Hassy has a 1:1 macro while Bronica has the outstanding 110 f/4.5 - The electronic leaf shutter is supposedly more accurate than a mechanical one. Ofc the mechanical can be serviced more easily so there are tradeoffs there. - The cheapest Hassy lenses are the oldest C and CT* lenses which might require servicing given their age. At least you can service them however. The old lenses also use the ev system, so a bit slower to adjust shutter speed and aperture independently, which some like but some don't. - For slightly longer exposures you have to remember to hold the shutter button on the Hassy for the full length of the exposure or the barn doors might close too soon (eg on 1 sec have to hold it or use cable release for the whole second) - it's nice that the Bronica cable release is on the side Stray tip: For anyone with a Bronica consider getting a Rick Oleson focus screen rickoleson-brightscreen.com/ Anyway I totally get the desire to look into Blads... Heck I got one got one due to an expensive momentary lapse in judgement. Either way hope you enjoy whatever you shoot, great stuff. Medium format film is so fun!
@@SprocketHoles The reason I haven't looked at a blad' is the minimum focusing distance. With the ETR, including TCs, I've got 40mm through 200mm with ~.5m. I constantly smack into the 1m MFD on my other cameras. MFD may be non-issue for you, it just depends on what you are shooting. For me,. every time I pick up either of my two range finders with one meter MFD it reinforces that I should stick with the Bronica.
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I had an ETRS for years and shot with it professionally (no, not weddings). I can confirm that Broncos like this one are a delight to use. I'm currently lugging a Mamiya RB67 but I'm going to trade it on a Bronica SQ. I just miss the way they work and I would have it over a Hasselblad any day. I have never seen the point. I know everyone loves them and they've become an investment but ultimately, this is about taking photos.
This is probably the best long term review I've seen on the Bronica SQ-A.
The SQ-A was my 2nd medium format camera. I started with the ETR. The SQ-A is fabulous and the 80mm is a beast! Also, it’s totally usable with the Prism if you don’t have the grip.
Actually you can buy a 220 film back and 35mm to 220 film adapter for much cheaper and it will do the same thing as a 135 back.
Years ago a very well respected technical writer/photographer, Ctein, ran comparison tests between the PS lenses and their Hasse Zeiss counterparts. The PS lenses were sharper shooting wide open than the Zeiss lenses were. For wedding photographers and other photographers shooting in difficult lighting conditions the Bronica SQ, GS and Etrs cameras with the improved optics is a strong contender.
Also, if you own Nikon SLR/DSLRs with mechanical controls/focus the Bronica controls turn in the same direction!
A very nice review. I have a GS-1, the 6x7 Bronica, and most of what you said goes for that camera as well. You didn't mention whether the SQ-A can do multiple exposures; on the GS-1 there is a little switch which allows you to recock the shutter to reshoot without advancing the film. Also, I learned the hard way that when you use the mirror lockup with the metered viewfinder, you need to lock the exposure with the AElock switch before flipping the mirror up, otherwise the meter changes to whatever light is hitting the sensor with the mirror up so light coming through the eyepiece! Or set the shutter speed manually. Another idiosyncrasy is that the metered viewfinder allows some in-between shutter speeds that you can't get with the shutter speed dial itself. I shot a roll on a borrowed Hasselblad 500CM for comparison, and honestly the head shots were not really any sharper than I get with the Bronica. I was outside with no tripod though. But it's really hard to see trading up 3-5 times the price for everything for slightly better glass, not when these mirrorless digital cameras can just nail focus on the eyes for portrait work. Stopped down for landscapes, I doubt there is much difference in the glass, plus I prefer the 6x7 format for landscape. Cheers from Montreal!
What a fantastic and under-rated system, and an insightful review.
Just one question - where's the 50-100mm PS zoom? :)
It's weird - my 45-90mm PE actually outperforms the 40 & 50mm PE at infinity and nearly matches them at closer distances. I know this because I use them on FF digital and 35mm with a shift adapter. I recall Steve O'Nions mentioned the 40&50 PS lenses being a week point as well, so perhaps the SQ and ETR lenses share those formulas?
I have 4x5 kit but I stick to a 6x12 horseman, as roll film is just so much easier to deal with.
Cheers!
You can shot 35mm panoramic on 220 back with 35mm adaptors. Much cheaper back!
Can you rewind the film in the back? Or does it need to be done in a dark bag?
What is your experience with the 135 N film holder? Do you use it often? Is it worth it? I suppose you can only use it with the 80mm lens or shorter lenses….
When will you sell it please
Great video reviewing the system long term! If you happen to be selling the 135W back alone, i would be interested!
I'm using this SQ camera from about 3/4 rolls. Sincerely I don't understand the lenses. Some image is good and sharp, other are soft and not good. Honestly images are much better from my Olympus OM2 35mm.
The Bronica is no slouch! The Hasselblad is no slouch either. I enjoy both!
Great review! If you do ever end up selling it in Ireland I'd be very interested 😁
Great review! I love Bronica and this system in particular!
Sad to see you want to leave :( I say that but I recently splurged on a Hassy 500cm so I have no right to judge. Granted I'm a hoarder so I'll probably keep both at least for now...
I do want to say that the Bronica system provides some very good advantages:
- That 135 pano back is the most obvious one. Yeah it's very rare and expensive but acquiring an equivalent on the Blad will likely be even harder and pricier. There are cheap 3d printed alternatives but obviously they are way less convenient and reliable. So do keep that in mind before selling it you probably won't get those Panos anywhere near as easily on the Hassy. I'd almost suggest selling everything except whatever you want to use with that back lol
- Speaking of cost, the body's are one thing but the Hassy lenses and accessories really punch the wallet. Sure Bronica accessories are uncommon but usually they aren't so heavy in cost from what I can see.
- A big unspoken advantage imo of Bronica lenses is that they take regular threaded filters and hoods... Hassy has a bayonet so you either need cheap adapters (cumbersome) or pricey rare filters.
- I tried a shootout between my PS 80 and Plannar 80. I dungoofed and fogged the film so will need to repeat that but at least at a glance the Zenzanon is just as good if not even slightly sharper? I doubt most Hassy lenses are much better than Bronicas but the normal kit lens on both are really good
- I have ordered the 50mm for my Hassy but while I'm sure it's an amazing lens I'm not getting the Biogon 40 because the Zenzanon ps 40 is imo an outstanding lens and I love using it so much. I haven't tried the ps 150 but the ps 135 and ps 180 are so good for portraits especially with that 1m minimum focus distance.
-Speaking of mfd, I think a really nice thing about the Sq system is that you can focus close without too much trouble. Extenders should work in general from what I hear while I hear the Hassy extenders are famous death traps capable of bricking your lens if you are not careful. I also don't know if Hassy has a 1:1 macro while Bronica has the outstanding 110 f/4.5
- The electronic leaf shutter is supposedly more accurate than a mechanical one. Ofc the mechanical can be serviced more easily so there are tradeoffs there.
- The cheapest Hassy lenses are the oldest C and CT* lenses which might require servicing given their age. At least you can service them however. The old lenses also use the ev system, so a bit slower to adjust shutter speed and aperture independently, which some like but some don't.
- For slightly longer exposures you have to remember to hold the shutter button on the Hassy for the full length of the exposure or the barn doors might close too soon (eg on 1 sec have to hold it or use cable release for the whole second)
- it's nice that the Bronica cable release is on the side
Stray tip: For anyone with a Bronica consider getting a Rick Oleson focus screen rickoleson-brightscreen.com/
Anyway I totally get the desire to look into Blads... Heck I got one got one due to an expensive momentary lapse in judgement. Either way hope you enjoy whatever you shoot, great stuff. Medium format film is so fun!
Well done.
Thank you for this.
I've got the 50mm PS, and it's great.
Can you rotate backs on this lens?
its a 6x6 camera so no point
Sell it after you get the 'blad. That way you can do a head to head video.
That might already be on the list of videos to do...
@@SprocketHoles The reason I haven't looked at a blad' is the minimum focusing distance. With the ETR, including TCs, I've got 40mm through 200mm with ~.5m. I constantly smack into the 1m MFD on my other cameras. MFD may be non-issue for you, it just depends on what you are shooting. For me,. every time I pick up either of my two range finders with one meter MFD it reinforces that I should stick with the Bronica.
2:44 POV me when i buy my first 6x6 from japan and had to pay £93 on import fees we love brexit
Half life forever