Bronica S2A

<p>A friend of mine is trying to entice me into buying a Bronica S2A system from him - this would include the body, 120 and 220 backs, WLF, Prism finder, nikkor 75m f2.8, nikkor-h 50mm f3.5, nikkor-p 200mm f4 lenses. I'll be playing with the system over the next little while to decide if I really want to tread this path or not.<br>

One thing that has me confused is with the lenses - these all seem to mount into a another element that provides the focusing - that bit clearly says 75mm on it as if its matched to the 75mm lens. Should the other lenses have a similar element? I can mount the other lenses in this but it seems that the distance scale might not be right and nor would the DOF scale if its calibrated for the 75mm lens. Am I missing pieces or losing some level of functionality with the 50 and 200mm lenses?<br>

I know this is a pretty dated system so any observations you might have about my specific question or other issues that I should be aware of would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>It's not another glass element, but a simple helical focusing mount. There is a mount that has the DOF for all 4 of the above lenses, and another one which I have that has fewer lenses listed. All the info is there--you just have to get used to reading off the mount. There's no loss of functionality with 50/200 lenses. </p>

<p>Go to Flickriver.com and search Bronica S2 or S2a (select Interesting) and see what you think.<br>

<a href="http://www.flickriver.com/search/bronica+s2/interesting/">http://www.flickriver.com/search/bronica+s2/interesting/</a><br>

In the end, what matters most is that you feel comfortable with the system, as you will use it more often. Repairs can be an issue, so do a little research, but the glass is good to great, and the system is capable of great images. Plus the system is dirt cheap comparatively speaking.</p>

<p>I haven't used S2a ever but from what I heard from people who owned it you should definitely check the shutter speeds first, it can fail, especially if overused by time.<br>

also, I'd avoid 135mm lens if you plan to invest in system, I heard it's too soft even for a portrait lens.</p>

<p>doesn't mean I don't lust one with 75/2.8 Nikkor. :)</p>

<p>I used to shoot weddings with an S2a in the late 70s. Great camera, but the shutter is LOUD. Sounded like shooting a shotgun in a quiet church.</p>

<p>I have the Nikkor-Q 135/3.5 lens and no problems with sharpness. It's somewhat low contrast being the older non-multicoated type, but that is not necessarily bad either..</p>