Issue with my Bronica ETR

Hi all hoping someone might be able to help me troubleshoot an issue I am having with a Bronica etr.

 

basically I have a Bronica setup consisting of an ETR body, a 120 back and the prism finder and a 150mm lens. I have a new battery in the camera and that seems great whilst doing the battery check. I also see the metering in the viewfinder of the ae prism. Issue I’m having is the film is coming out completely blank. Tried two different rolls, one color and one b and w. Both blank. The film isn’t jet black it’s completely pale after processing. I checked the back and made sure I’m doing the film correctly, I followed YouTube videos and all seems correct. I line up the arrow close the back and advace the film. It’s operating as it should. The dark slide is removed. Everything clicks when it should and seems as though everything is operating correctly. I’m taking accurate light meter readings and adjusting the settings accordingly. ISO is correct etc etc. the film is blank. Any ideas what I might be doing wrong or what might be causing this? Any help so appreciated.

I'd suggest you get a copy of the owner's manual free here: https://www.butkus.org/chinon/bronica/bronica_etr/bronica_etr.pdf. It is a common courtesy to send him $3 or so for his work in making these manuals available online. Read it carefully. It sounds like you may be improperly loading the film, or your shutter isn't working.

Check that the little spring loaded chrome pin underneath the prism finder is not ceased up with gunk. The pin is at the left front corner when viewing from the back of the body. That pin operates a switch and it tells the camera whether there is a WLF finder or AE finder on the top.

 

Why are you using a handheld meter when you have a meter in the prism finder ?

I'd suggest you get a copy of the owner's manual free here: https://www.butkus.org/chinon/bronica/bronica_etr/bronica_etr.pdf. It is a common courtesy to send him $3 or so for his work in making these manuals available online. Read it carefully. It sounds like you may be improperly loading the film, or your shutter isn't working.

Wonderful I shall do this. Thank you!

Check that the little spring loaded chrome pin underneath the prism finder is not ceased up with gunk. The pin is at the left front corner when viewing from the back of the body. That pin operates a switch and it tells the camera whether there is a WLF finder or AE finder on the top.

 

Why are you using a handheld meter when you have a meter in the prism finder ?

Hi there. Oh I just did it to rule out the finder had an issue. It didn’t and I doubted it highly but want to try everything I can to fix this. I’m going to take a look at this pin when I get home and see if that’s the issue.

Wonderful I shall do this. Thank you!

If there's a fault with the lens or an electrical failure somewhere, the shutter (which is in the lens) defaults to 1/500 sec, which could lead to severe under exposure. To check this, set the speed to one second and look into the lens as you operate it. You should see the shutter close after a second and hear a faint click.

Ok there’s something wrong with the camera for sure. It’s hard to describe so I made this video so you can see. Seems the shutter has an issue? I change to different shutter speeds and it’s the same. It also seems to stay open (check when I put the dark slide in and out). Anybody able to help me work out if there’s anything I can do or what’s going on/wrong. It seems such a shame to toss such a beautiful thing but repairs seem more than buying one again. Any help much appreciated.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oygBrZcELKI

Hi all

 

Ok well it seems its an issue withe the lens most likely. Its very hard to turn any of the settings. I took it into a great camera shop, one of the original old proper style ones in a small town in MA where they were kind enough to have a quick look. If anyone is selling a cheap bronica lens for the ETR system do let me know.

 

Thanks everyone.