From what I’ve read the Bronica ETRS I get the impression that it is considered the “lesser wanted camera” of the Bronica family. I really don’t know why. At time of writing in 2018, a ready-to-go setup can be had for less than £200, probably nearer the £150 mark if you shop around. That’s cheap for entry into the quality end of the medium format market – sorry Holga/Diana users…they don’t count…today at least…!

Fully loaded, this camera is a monster compared to the rest of the cameras in my regular rotation. My full setup weighs 1.9kgs – body, winder, AE-II prism finder and a 50mm lens. Without the lens, it comes in at slightly under 1.5kg. That’s quite a lot I think for a camera setup. For comparison, a Hasselblad 500CM, without a lens weighs 601 grams according to Ken Rockwell.

The ETRS was introduced by Zenza Bronica in early 1979 I believe as the replacement to the ETR. It as standard takes 120 roll film and creates a 6×4.5cm image, allowing you to get 15 shots per roll. That’s landscape format, not portrait.

The Bronica ETRS is essentially the same as the earlier ETR but Bronica added electrical contacts to the viewfinder to use the AE-II and AE-III metered finders, and they also added a two-position shutter release lock.

I’ve never personally used an ETR model, so I cannot vouch for any other differences that there may be. There were supposedly two versions of ETRS released during its time, the early version is of metal construction and the later is known as the “plastic” version. I’ve never used the later version, I assume its new nickname comes from its build.

According to Camerapedia you can tell the difference by the location of the lens release – the later version locates the release on the left-hand side of the camera. Mine is on the front, so I’m assuming mine is an early version. It’s certainly heavy enough that I’m pretty sure it’s all metal…!

The shutter is an electronically controlled Seiko leaf shutter in the lens, with a choice of 8, 4, 2 and 1 seconds, and 1/2, 1/4, 1/8th, 1/15th, 1/30th, 1/60th, 1/125th, 1/250th and 1/500th of a second. If the little 6-volt battery inside (A PX28A, or 4LR44) goes dead, it will also mechanically shoot at a standard 1/500th.

You’ve also got a ‘bulb mode’ (ish) by using the A/T lever on the lens (T for Timed, A is for Auto I assume) and a standard cable release socket for your long exposures. There’s also flash sync but I don’t use it and have no idea how it works so sorry, you’ll have to head elsewhere if you want to know more about that. I’m sure Mike Butkus has a manual if you need one.

Modular medium format

The ETRS is of a ‘modular’ setup, which if you’ve never used one basically means that just about every component can be removed and swapped out if you wanted to. For example –

Mine came with the AE-II metered prism finder but there are at least four other types available (five in total), an unmetered prism finder, a regular waist lever finder and an “Action Finder” finder and a “rotary finder”. This last one gives you a top-down view into the camera when it’s held normally AND allows you to rotate the eyepiece when the camera is on a tripod. Why? Because it makes it easier when the camera is rotated 90° left or right to take portrait orientation photographs. Here’s a photo from KEH:

As standard, the camera comes with a hand crank on the right-hand side of the body for advancing the film. Mine has the manual speed grip which replaces the crank but you can also (if you can find one) get a motor winder as well. These speed grips change the feel and aesthetic of the camera to be more like a giant SLR camera, and for me at least when making that transition to medium format it made it much easier.

You really can treat the camera in the same way you would use your traditional SLR. The handle allows you to hold it in the same way, and the thumb use film advance will be familiar to any SLR owners as well. This advance also resets the mirror.

Film backs

…and the film backs..! Oh what a joy it is to use a camera that has interchangeable film backs.

Again, if you’ve never experienced this let me tell you about it. So as the camera is modular, one of the parts that comes off is the entire box that holds the film. This ‘film back’ as they are known simply clips onto the camera, but between the back and the camera body is what is called a dark slide.

This dark slide, when clipped into its little guides allows you to remove the film back and swap it for another at any point through the roll. Yeah, that’s cool. I have two 120 film backs for my ETRS, one generally has colour negative film in, the other has black and white.

Handy, eh…?

Each film back has its type clearly marked on the sides, Bronica was smart enough to give you that little bit of help, and the 120 backs at least have that handy little clip to tuck in part of your film box so you can keep track of the film stock inside. Very handy if you’ve got a few film backs that are all the same format but all have different films in.

Oh, and the backs from the old ETR are interchangeable with the backs for the ETRS. At least the ones I’ve had experience with have been… But 120 format film isn’t where it stops. If you can find them – and eBay to be fair does seem to have a supply of most – you can also equip yourself with film backs that accept 220 roll film, 35mm film and Polaroid pack film. Hell, I’ve never seen one, but apparently, they made a back that takes 70mm film, giving you a whopping 90 shots before you need to swap it out!

The Bronica ETRS in use

So how does it feel to shoot…? Well, how do you imagine? It’s a freakin’ tank, and that’s a great thing for me to be totally honest.

Looking at its construction, feeling its weight, I’d frankly be disappointed if it handled any other way. You attach the lens with a satisfying click as the release switch engages. The mount is smooth, you can feel that it’s been machined to fit. The film advance is smooth and easy to move. You can physically feel the roll of film being pulled through the mechanism inside the back.

Every removable part when connected feels solid and secure. It’s silky smooth to use, yet solid and robust – I’m pretty sure if I dropped this camera the floor would come off worse.

You can handhold it, of course you can. As I mentioned earlier the grip makes it feel like a giant SLR, but I generally feel more comfortable using this on a tripod. Oh, and yes, it has a standard 1/4 inch tripod socket. It even has strap lugs for diehard handheld shooters.

The strap’s rather wussy though, it’s pretty thin, so I tend not to use it.

Sample images from the Bronica ETRS

So now I realise that I haven’t given any examples of photographs I’ve made with the ETRS. I wasn’t going to if I’m perfectly honest, as this review was intended to be more about the use of the camera, and I have found that results (like many cameras) vary greatly dependant on what glass you have attached to the front and what film you have out the back.

But…I’ve changed my mind on that so below are a few examples across a variety of film stocks. They are all shot with the 50mm f/2.8 lens.

Oh and just one more thing about the weight before I sign off, stripped back to just the body, unusable without the film back, lens and crank, it weighs a shade over 0.5kg. That’s only 100g more than an Olympus Trip 35.

Thanks for reading!

~ Neil Piper

Zenza Bronica ETRS technical specifications

ManufacturerZenza Bronica
(Tokyo, Japan)
Camera nameBronica ETRS
Manufacture dates1978-88
Camera typeSingle Lens Reflex
Film format(s)6×4.5 – 120 or 220 rollfilm. 15/30 exposures respectively with a 42.5×55.1mm negative size (1:1.29 aspect ratio).

35mm film, 70mm film and Polaroid film backs available
ViewfinderInterchangeable viewfinder system with 5 (five) options: Waist-Level, AE II prism (auto exposure), rotary viewfinder, prism finder and sports finder.

95% coverage with the standard 45° split-image rangefinder spot and microprism collar. Four optional screens as follows:

1) Matte center spot with full-area fresnel lens
2) Full-area matte plus vertical and horizontal grid
3) Microprism spot plus full-area fresnel
4) 45° split-image rangefinder plus full-area fresnel
ShutterSeiko #0 electronically controlled leaf shutter (in-lens)
8s – 1/500s
Fixed at 1/500s w/o battery
Multiple exposure switch
LensesRanging from 30mm fisheye to 500mm. Full list (MC and ECII are updated versions, PE designations are for “final” lenses, which provided ½ aperture stops):

30mm f/3.5 PE fisheye
35mm f/3.5 PS fisheye
40mm f/4 MC
40mm f/4 PE
50mm f/2.8 MC
50mm f/2.8 PE
55mm f/4.5 PE Super Angulon Tilt shift
60mm f/2.8 PE
75mm f/2.8 MC
75mm f/2.8 EII
75mm f/2.8 EII (late)
75mm f/2.8 PE
100mm f/4 Macro PE
105mm f/3.5 MC
105mm f/4.5 Macro
135mm f4 PE
150mm f/3.5 MC
150mm f/4 MC
180mm f/4.5 MC
180mm f/4.5 PE
200mm f/4.5 MC
200mm f/4.5 PE
250mm f/5.6 MC
250mm f/5.6 PE
500mm f/8 EII
500mm /f8 PE
45-90mm f/4.5-9.6 PE
100-220mm f/4.8 PE
Accessories5x finders: Waist-Level, AE II prism (auto exposure), rotary viewfinder, prism finder (must be ordered at time of purchase)
MeteringOnly with AE II finder
FlashX-Sync PC connection up to 1/500 sec
Power1x6v 4SR44 / 4LR44
Battery check button
Weight493g (body only)
1346g (with waist-level finder and 75mm kit lens)
Dimensions (appx)110x106x157mm (WxHxD) with kit lens and waist-level finder

Zenza Bronica ETRS frequently asked questions

What is the Bronica ETRS?

The Bronica ETRS is a medium format SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera released by Zenza Bronica in October 1978. It was the company’s third 6×4.5 format camera and replaced the ETRC. The main improvement over the previous model was the introduction of a new interchangeable viewfinder system, updated Auto Exposure (AE) system and redesigned shutter button lock.

When was the Bronica ETRS released?

The Bronica ETRS was released in October 1978 and was the third of six 6×4.5 medium format film SLRs made by the company. The complete timeline of this series is as follows:

Bronica ETR released March 1976
Bronica ETRC released November 1977
Bronica ETRS released October 1978
Bronica ETR-C released October 1978
Bronica ETRS (second revision) released ~May 1984
Bronica ETRSi released in December 1988

What is Zenza Bronica?

Zenza Bronica (ゼンザブロニカ – Zenza buronika), also known simply as “Bronica” was a Japanese company founded by Zenzaburō Yoshino.

What is a 6×4.5 format lens equivalent to on 35mm film?

At approximately 56×41.5mm in size, 6×4.5 medium format negatives have a surface area ~2.6 times that of full-frame 35mm film. This translates to a 0.62x crop factor which loosely translated means that the “standard” lens for the format (75mm) will give you the same field of view as a 45mm lens on full-frame 35mm film. Here are some other focal length equivalents rounded to the nearest whole number:

A 6×4.5 format 30mm lens = an 18mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 40mm lens = a 28mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 50mm lens = a 31mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 75mm lens = a 46mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 100mm lens = a 62mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 135mm lens = a 84mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 150mm lens = a 93mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 180mm lens = a 112mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 200mm lens = a 124mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 250mm lens = a 155mm lens on full-frame 35mm film
A 6×4.5 format 600mm lens = a 375mm lens on full-frame 35mm film

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11 responses to “Camera review: the Zenza Bronica ETRS – Workhorse, or Hippopotamus…?”

  1. Shubroto Bhattacharjee Avatar
    Shubroto Bhattacharjee

    Could it be because the original lenses for Bronicas were Nikkors, and Nikon lenses twist anticlockwise to lock?

  2. Hi there Neil, I have considered dipping my toe into medium formatship for several months and your thoughtful article persuaded me to take the plunge! I have just taken delivery of the Zenza Bronica ETRSI with the crank, manual speed grip and 75mm f2.8 Ell lens. It has a waist level finder and I shall purchase the prism finder when something suitable comes along. The rainy season has started already and with the hours of daylight reducing dramatically, I may will initiate my introduction to this format with something black and white.
    Best wishes, Peter.

  3. @neil_piper Woot for the Bronica!

  4. @neil_piper I very nearly bought some iteration of an ETRS years ago, but ultimately chose my Bronica… https://t.co/75fLVojmem

  5. That’s for real camera users, Nikon.

  6. As an old guy that shot primarily film for my entire career, I have to say that I knew a lot of wedding guys that used this camera, but our local pro shop always had a ton of these on their repair desk waiting to go out for repair. Always a very problematic camera, altho I always thought with the backs and all, it was better than the Mamiya until they came out with the interchangeable back model. I guess most of the problems were with the electronic components of the camera that would not “read” correctly (i.e. the backs wouldn’t send info to the bodies, ditto with the body and the lenses.The lens quality was a mixed bag, some good one, some “meh”. I think a lot of Bronica fans will admit that the later series lenses for the SQ, after Tamron bought them, were the premium lenses of the Bronica line…

    Since I was an ad guy, I always used Hasselblad (but mostly shot sheet film anyway for product), but I did know a bunch of guys that swore by the old Bronica stuff with the focal plane shutter and Nikon lenses. Buyer beware….

  7. @neil_piper @neil_piper_

  8. @neil_piper On Twitter…there’s a further underscore after my name just to be a pain in the arse mate!!!

  9. The ERTS is a decent camera, at least on a par with 645 offerings from Mamiya and Pentax. My only dislikes about later Bronicas is that they are all electronic shutter and that they have kind of a plasticky feel to them. Having said that, they are well designed and have good optical quality. I think you can pick one now for a song. Happy shooting!

  10. There is to me at least one very annoying feature in general use. The lens mount rotates the wrong way when attaching/detaching lenses (compared with Canon EF, Minolta MD and Kiev/Contax). I’ve several times come close to having a lens fall off because of that.

 

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