Bronica & Digital Backs???

<p>Is it possible to attach a digital back to any of the Bronica's, like the square Bronicas?</p>

<p>What happened that there appeared to be no marriage between Bronica and digital backs? All it would have taken is an adaptor, or a minor redesign to create a digital Bronica.</p>

<p>I've always like Bronica cameras, and I've been a bit dismayed that there wasn't more of a connection between this excellent camera and digital photography.</p>

<p>If you run a photo.net search on Bronica Digital Backs you'll find that there were ( maybe still are?) a couple of companies making adapters to facilitate digital backs. However those adapters cost as much as a Bronica body and at least some of them have died from lack of interest. </p>

<p>Plainly both Bronica/Tamron and the 3rd party market formed an opinion that it wouldn't be worthwhile to invest in developing an easy and affordable digital path for Bronica given the other options (dslr/Hasselblad/Mamiya ) available to Bronica users. Certainly it seems like a lot of Bronica users became fairly early adopters of other brands' digital systems. Frankly (and I say this as a ten year plus Bronica user) Bronica were never terribly big on development anyway, certainly after the Tamron takeover. Now, quite a few years after Bronica's discontinuation the incentive for anyone to invest in this avenue will be even lower than it was then. </p>

<p>Anyway, its pretty speculative to judge the then motives of a now non-existent business, but I'm sure that if it really were life or death then you could find a new or used adapter if you're prepared to pay for it and of course a digital back- which in itself may not give you as much flexibility on wide angles as you're used to. </p>

 

<p>Search Mamiya Digital Backs on the internet I am almost certain there is some type of unit available but they are very costly. I think the proper name is Mamiya Leaf.</p>

<p>Here's a link to check out, have your mortgage banker ready, lol. <a href="http://www.mamiyaleaf.com/products_aptus210r.asp">http://www.mamiyaleaf.com/products_aptus210r.asp</a></p>

<p>I believe you can find the adapters to convert a Hasselblad V mount digital back to the Bronica SQ, though I'm not sure if they are available new or if you'd have to hunt for one second hand. Some info here....</p>

<p>http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=50954.0</p>

<p>Honestly though, given the cost of the adapter and the back I wouldn't build a system around a Bronica platform. If you want to do medium format manual focus I'd try out the RZ67 with a Mamiya mount back and an adapter plate. The Mamiya mount backs seem to generally be cheaper. A Hasselblad V mount back seems to command a bit of a price premium, likely because the back can be used directly on a Hasselblad without an adapter. </p>

<p>http://www.silvestricamera.com ---> Adapters ---> Medium format</p>

<p> </p>

<p>as the post above pointed out, yes it is possible (I was just looking into this myself). However if the adapter and the digital back bought new -- quite expensive.<br>

You will need<br>

a) <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/849413-REG/Silvestri_7010_Hasselblad_V_Digital_Back.html">964$ adapter</a> (really just a metal plate) from bronica to hasselblad-v back<br>

b) any of the hasselblad-v combatible digital backs ($15,000+)<br>

c) most likely something to trigger trigger the lens shutter and the sensor at the same time<br>

(have not finished researching this part)</p>

<p>I am also looking into $85 <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fotodiox-Bronica-ETR-Lens-Nikon-Mount-adapter-Pro-/350245656426">this adapter</a> that adapts bronica lens to the digital FX cameras such as Nikon D800/E</p>

<p> </p>

http://kapturegroup.com/bronica/bronica.html has a cheaper adapter. So far as you stay away from phase one and Kodak

backs you won't need the one shot cable.

 

The prices for used backs are quite nice. I plan to get a leaf aptus 22 or up when the prices are nicer :)

<p>Bronicas were fairly well supported in the earlier days of digital backs, when it was more common for the digital back and its camera-specific mounting plate to be two separate entities that the purchaser could bolt together (whereas nowadays nearly all backs have non-removable camera attachments). </p>

<p>Leaf, for example, offered the ETRSi as one of its half dozen mounting plates for the Volare & Cantare backs, in the late 1990s.<br>

Sinar made modular Sinarbacks with a huge number of different camera adapters, including Bronicas (SQ-A and ETRSi).<br>

But although Imacon made Flexframe and iXpress backs with a similarly large number of supported camera adapters, Bronicas were not listed among them. </p>

<p>If you want (and can afford) something other than these older backs [many require tethering to a computer BTW], then a Kapture Group adapter is probably the best way to go.</p>

<p>Anybody know if there is any kind of digital back to fit a Bronica ETRS. I have looked everywhere for one , I was even going to try striping another camera down</p>