HC-NIKKOR 75mm/2.8 vs. PC-NIKKOR 75/2.8 for Bronica S/S2/EC

<p>While going through manuals of the various Bronica S2/EC/EC-TL models I discovered there has been a HC-NIKKOR 75mm/2.8 lens. I was unable to find anything else about it; I have a PC-NIKKOR 75/2.8, what would be the practical difference of these lenses? I realize the H in HC stands for 6 elements, so maybe it's planar-style lens instead of the 5-element design of the PC-NIKKOR. But is it in some way better then? Any other differences, like filter thread size etc.?</p>

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<p>I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. The Nikkor 75P©/2.8 was a superb lens. I have the older P version that worked wonderfully. It's the reason I'll get my recently-jammed S body fixed. There really wasn't a dud in the old Bronica/Nikkor line-up.</p>

<p>I used the Zenzanon 80 2.4 a lot, lovely lens, quite fast. As Gary says, they were all fine lenses!</p>

<p>Yes I own the P.C. version and it's the primary reason I use Bronica S2A at all, it's that good. I'm just curious on a historical perspective :) It seems to me the H.C. version was a very late one, a sort of De Luxe version, that didn't sell in any large quantities hence the only Google hits are on japanese web pages.. I've certainly never seen one for sale anywhere.</p>

<p>(And just maybe I was hoping it would be more flare-resistant than the P.C. one which is pretty bad when shooting strongly back-lit subjects.)</p>

 

<p>Hi. I own the HC version, and it is a fantastic lens. I also own the P and PC versions of the 75mm Nikkor and use my old Bronicas a lot, so I will my offer opinions on their performance. First, I would agree that they are all very fine lenses. I personally find the HC lens is sharper in the corners at wide apertures than the P or PC versions and also seems to render images with a more vivid, 3-dimensional look. In Japan, the HC version is known as the "Deluxe" version and is said to be of the same design and made with the same glass as the 80mm Nikkor for the Plaubel Makina 67.</p>

<p>Thank you for that! Do you have any idea for how much those lenses sell for, if they do at all?</p>

<p>Do you have an opinion on the anti-flare capabilities of both the H.C. and P.C. versions?<br>

The thing I love about the P.C. Nikkor is that it's so sharp at full aperture. But I've become afraid of shooting people against strong backlight with it :)</p>

 

<p>Hi Toni - I guess I don't shoot into the light very often, as I've not had a flare problem with any of my Nikkor 75mm lenses (I did get some unwanted flare in a shot with my 40mm Nikkor DC recently, but the sun was in the photo, so it was a very flare-prone situation). The front element of the HC lens is a lot larger than the P or PC version, and is not so deeply recessed, so this might actually make it more prone to flare? (I'm just guessing here - I have no technical knowledge of optics.) I really don't remember when I got my 75mm HC or how much I paid - sorry. I did see one in Yahoo Japan's auctions a few months ago and, as I recall, it sold for about 35000 yen (about $350 US dollars). I'm sure you could buy one cheaper in the US, as the older Bronicas don't seem to be very popular here and the prices are low compared to Japan (especially for the rarer items, which are quite expensive in Japan). The low prices of Bronica gear in the US got me hooked and I've accumulated a LOT of it over the past several years. MF rangefinders are my first love, but for some reason I really enjoy using the old Bronicas - maybe it's the thrill of hearing that loud mirror/shutter "thwack!"</p>

<p>Hi and thanks for the info, photo.net is great in that it seems here you can find someone who knows or has some obscure piece of equipment, if that someone even exists :)</p>

<p>Here's a typical example of the kind of flare I experience, I've begun wondering if it's caused by some kind of light leak in the body instead? I also gets lots of pictures with absolutely no flaring, just beautiful sharpness and smooth out of focus details and that keeps me using the system:</p>

<p><img src="http://www.tuug.fi/~toni/roinia-ihmemiehelle/.smallerpics/laittoa.jpg" alt="" width="602" height="600" /></p>

<p>In what's starting to become a tradition, I will answer myself. My camera certainly is leaking some light through the viewfinder. I tested this in a dark livingroom by removing the back, then opened the shutter and shined a flashlight through the viewfinder. With the mirror up, the light is coming through the left and right sides of the topside of the camera. I don't know if that's what it causing the effect illustrated in my previous post though, but it's certainly something to look out for. Short term solution: Cover the viewfinder before shooting, long term: get the light seals fixed.</p>

 

<p>Hi Toni - Sounds like you know what the problem is, which is half the battle. I would recommend sending the camera to Jimmy Koh at Koh's Camera on Long Island in New York. He recently reseated the focusing screen on my S2A (to fix a problem with the focusing accuracy), and did a nice, clean job, as usual. Good luck!<br>

PS - I totally agree with you about the smooth out-of-focus areas - I love using the Bronica Nikkor lenses at or near max. aperture.</p>

<p>And now 2 years later, when my usage of the system has become very infrequent, I have finally found myself the Nikkor-H.C 75/2.8 and Zenzanon 80/2.4 lenses and for outrageously low prices. The Nikkor was mislabeled on eBay (I recognized it from the pictures) and the Zenzanon was seriously under-priced on a certain used camera dealer (just to give some perspective, a hazed and scratched one sold for 5 times as much on eBay on the same week..)</p>

<p>Anyway I have been taking some pictures with the lenses and found them to be every bit as good as said here or even better. The Nikkor is smooth and 3-dimensional (like the 80/2.8 Biometar for P6, but sharper), and the Zenzanon when shot fully open in dim conditions on Delta 3200@3200 film, exhibits good contrast and beautiful smooth background blur.</p>

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