Which is best all purpose lens for Bronica ETRSi

Hi,

 

I've just taken the leap into medium format and have purchased a

Bronica ERTSi. It has the standard 75mm PE 2.8 Lens. From what I read

here this is rather a neither here nor there lens. Most of my work is

outdoor - landscapes and people. I want to buy one lens which will

cover most of my work (as I have a bad back and don't want to carry

too much around, plus they ain't cheap!). I want to retain maximum

sharpness therefore not too interested in zoom options.

 

My question is which should it be? - the 135mm PE, 150mm PE or 180mm

PE - the 150mm appeals because of the relativeley fast shutter speed

and weight compared with the others, the 180mm appeals because of the

close focusing distance, good for head shots, but may cause problems

when I am too close to subject, and the 135mm appeals again because

of the focusing distance, good for groups and full body shots, but

may cause problems when trying to do head shots!

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks

 

Reuben Siuda

West Yorkshire

UK

There is no lens that can do landscapes AND people like you describe. Landscapes tend to need a wide angle lens (like a 40mm). Head-shots need the longer lenses. Two VERY different things. One could say that the holy-grail of lens makers is a lens that can be tack sharp, go from 28mm to 200mm and be rated at 1.8!!!

 

Not gonna happen.

 

Just buy ised lenses. The MCs are very good. Sure, they aren't the PEs, but I don't see much of a difference. And the MCs are pretty cheap used.

In my view, thar ain't no sucha thang as a "All Purpose Lens,"but the 75 comes pretty close. It's SLIGHTLY wider than the usual 80 used on 6x6 format, and it's tack sharp. "People and landscapes" says little: portraits, full lengths, groups, sweeping vistas, what? What does "getting too close" with the 180 mean? I don't quite get your meanings.

If you only want one lens you should have saved money and weight by buying an RF or a TLR: SLRs are system cameras.

 

A medium telephoto that has a close focusing range like a macro 120 is most generally useful, but my 120 is a bit short for head portraits, so, if the 135 has a close focusing distance it would be a good choice, and it would compliment the 75.

Robert, you say:

 

"Landscapes tend to need a wide angle lens (like a 40mm)".

 

I have a 40mm (and a 110 degree lens for 612 or 69 with shift for architecture) but wide angle landscape landscapes tend to be so boring. Before I got the 60mm pola I took a landscape with the 40 (and the 93 pola), and, typically, it would have been a much more interesting picture with the 120 or 250.

 

Using a wide lens make molehills out of mountains, and vice-versa.

Reuben �

 

Which focal lengths do you need? Only you can answer that question.

 

The best advise I can give:

Determine which focal length(s) you used before getting the ETRSi. You will want to get the ETRSi equivalents of those lenses.

 

Assuming that you had a 35mm outfit before getting the ETRSi, and that you used a zoom lens and are not sure of what focal lengths you were using, take your 35mm outfit out and compose some typical pictures; but instead of taking the shot, note the focal lengths you were zoomed out to. Translate those focal lengths into the closest 645 equivalents, and that should tell you which lens or lenses you need to look at.

 

Another thing you could do is take your 35mm outfit out and before taking a picture zoom out to one of the the focal lengths you are planning to have. Then compose and take your picture *without* changing the focal length.

 

As for the 75mm being a so-so lens; I don't know about that. Typically the normal lens is the sharpest lens for a given camera... In any case, I found that my lenses are a lot better than my ability to compose, develop and print. Bottom line: I would not have concerns about the 75mm. Take it out and shoot with it � how does the lens work for *you*?

 

Here's my own experience:

Prior to getting my ETRSi, I owned a 35mm outfit that I used mostly with a 28-105 zoom and an 85mm prime lens. Like you, I was not aware of what focal lengths I normally used. When I bought my ETRSi, I sprung for a three-lens setup: 50mm/75mm/180mm, which is roughly equivalent to the range covered by my 35mm's 28-105 zoom. After owning the outfit for a couple of years, I have found � to my surprise � that the 75mm lens is by far my most used lens.

 

If I had to do it over, I think I would opt for the 150 over the 180. While I do like the close-focusing ability of the 180, that only comes in to play for some shots. The nearly 1-stop faster 150 lens would have a brighter image to focus with, something that would help with every shot. Also the 150 is somewhat lighter than the 180, something I learned to appreciate while 'humping' my ETRSi outfit over the Panorama trail at Yosemite National Park.

 

The difference in focal lengths between the 150 and the 180 is pretty minor, and has not proven to be much of a factor *for me*.

 

I would buy a close-up lens for the 150 for those close-in head shots. Nikon makes one in a 62mm mount that will fit the 150.

 

I understand that the 50/75/150 is a pretty standard lens combination for medium format cameras. An alternative one that I have heard about is based on the use of a 60mm instead of the 75mm. If you hunt around on the MFD you should be able to find out more about it. Again, only you can tell if that is the way you need to go.

 

Good luck with your ETRSi, it's a nice outfit capable of very nice results.

 

� Bill

Hey guys, I only asked for a bot of advice - I didn't expect to be flamed!

 

I prefer mid range lenses for landscapes - tend to find winde angles try to get too much into a picture and (imo) leaves a lack of focal point. As for whether I should have bought a different camera - I made the move up from 35mm because I've become disattisfied with the qualtiy offered after enlarging. For indoor work multimple lenses ain't an issue - I was merely trying to find if anyone had used a lens which they were happy with for both portraits and landscapes. Maybe I should have made myself clearer.

 

Thanks

 

Reuben

You were NOT flamed.

Tamron, who now owns Bronica makes 2 excellent zoom aspherical units for the ETRSI: 45-90 F4-5.6 PE & 100-220 F4.8 PE . They are about $1200 a piece at KEH, used.

Dick - Opps! I generalized! My bad!

The best all purpose lens is the one you have bought with the camera. If you want a lens for a specific purpose you need a specific lens, but if you want one lens for all --- use the 75 mm, you can't go wrong. [save yourself hundreds of pounds]

I use the Etrsi with standard 75, it is brilliant. If I have to have a long lens for portraits, I just use my 35 mm camera [contax G2 90mm]

 

steve seel

You may well find that the move to MF changes the way you photograph and how you choose and compose your subjects. Things that look over-complex through a small 35mm viewfinder can look much more organised through the bigger view of the world that MF permits. My own suggestion is to stick with the 75mm for the time being and see whether you still have the inclination to get in close for landscapes after a few weeks or months. Don't be in a rush to decide on this-you'll make a much better decision for yourself later on.

Thanks for all you help - I think I will stick with the 75mm for the time being and see where it takes me.

I recently parted (sadly due to weight) with my ETRsi, I had the later 62mm diameter MC 75mm lens, and the 150mc, I spent quite a while agonising over the 150 PE vs MC option, and after much reading, question asking etc found that there is very little difference between then two (if any at all) the 75mm PE is reputed to be better than the MC but this for some reason doesnt extend to the 150 version.

 

In the end I picked up a used 150MC f4.0 from www.progear.co.nz for £175 plus £15 p&p and was extremely happy with it, it remained the lesser used lens, but was great for portraits, and when wanting to compress landscape shots.

 

If you dont mind shopping internationally the cheapest I have found used bronica lenses is at http://www.progear.co.nz/ even with shipping figured in a good way to see if you like the focal length, and can easily sell it on and recoup your investment if not happy.

Save your back,pocket and eyesight.The 150pe is lighter,cheaper and faster than the others.How close up do you really have to get?To complete what I feel is a great setup,add a 50pe wide-angle when funds allow.

I totally agree with T. Armstrong on the comparison between PE and MC versions of the 150/3.5 lens. I had used a MC for 2 years and then traded "up" to a PE 6 months ago finding myself shooting an exact same lens in every aspect (except the 1/2-stop indent). Seriously I think the older MC lens delivered as much clarity and contrast as ANY MF lens out there with 150mm focal length. Its supreme performance really leaves nothing to be desired and cannot be improved much upon IMHO. Add to its greatness is the incredibly low price of the lens (I bought mine for USD$210 two years ago in Tokyo), which is always a happy combination!

The 75 is a nice all-arounder. Were you starting from scratch, with no lenses, the 60/2.8 and the 100 macro make a very versatile general purpose kit.