ordered a bronica kit

Hi!

 

I just ordered a bronica sq-ai,a back,a prism, a speedgrip and 50/3.5 +150/4 PS

lenses.

 

I intend to use this camera mostly for portraiture.

 

I used (and use) a TLR(minolta autocord) and used a mamiya 645j(but hated the

ergonomics).

 

what should I expect?

Expect something heavy, I seldom go out with my Bronica, and use it for portrait indoors, keep the Minolta for street shots.

Good you have the grip and the prism. It takes time to get used to the film insert. Expect nice photos, the Bronica lenses are really good.

Heavy? I guess that depends what you are use to. After humping around an RB-67 w/ prism most of my adult life, I think the Bronica, with a grip, handles like a big 35mm camera. I shoot outdoors all the time with it. You can expect stunning portraits and landscape images from your kit. The lenses are excellent! The PS 80mm is really superb. For handheld work I suggest 400 iso film. Also the 150mm lens is great but will only get you head and shoulders close. Consider a +1 close-up filter to move in tighter. I found this shot while out hiking and came upon and old abandoned railroad caboose. Good luck with your new kit, Michael.........Lou<div></div>

Nice shot Louis. (I take it that's not your Bronica repair outfit ... )

The Bronica isn't particularly heavy- certainly no more so that a top of range DSLR . As kit you are buying weighs just over 5lbs- so not too hard to carry IMO but heavy enough so that some peple will find it hard to hold steady. Works best on a tripod. The 50 won't be terribly useful for portraits.

 

The 150 lens focuses to about 5 feet and at that point has a field of view about 16" across. So good for head & shoulders portraits, but not so good for tight head shots. If you want to be closer, get the 110 Macro . Given your history I guess you'll understand the dof available from medium format cameras at fairly close range.

<I>Heavy? I guess that depends what you are use to. After humping around an RB-67 w/ prism most of my adult life, I think the Bronica, with a grip, handles like a big 35mm camera.</I><br><br>

Same here. My Bronica ETRS is my lightweight carry anywhere camera compared to my RB67.

I actually carried two bronica sq-a sets (one with 110mm, one with 150mm) for a test shot in a hike for one day plus a monopod -- Not that bad....

how much distortion does the 50 have?

Get an 80/2.8--great for portraits and general use, cheap used, too.

I find that the 65mm and 110 macro cover 99% of my needs. I do own the 50, 65, 80, 110 macro and 150mm SQA lenses.

 

I carry and shoot the SQA hand held all the time. I found the speed grip to be a bit clunky for me so don't use it. Many others like it. I also found the 45 degree prism to be ideal. Many prefer the 90 degree prism or WLF, just personal taste.

 

I see no distortion in the 50mm. It simply has the perspective of slight wide angle.

 

I'm sure you will enjoy the Bronica. It's a lot of camera for the price these days.

Sadly the 80mm lens for the SQA-i has the same field of view as the 150mm at minimum focus, so won't get you any tighter than the lens you'r buying. It is a good and useful lens though.

The 50 i have isn't the ps version and it's prone to flare more than any of my pentax 67 lenses. It is a sharp lens though with little to no distortion. That's the nice thing about mf lenses. Try to get an extension tube for the 150 because as others have said, you can't get too close.

David Henderson pointed out: "Sadly the 80mm lens for the SQA-i has the same field of view as the 150mm at minimum focus, so won't get you any tighter than the lens you'r buying."

 

Hence, my use of the 110 macro instead of the 80mm. Be aware, the 110 is very sharp. Possibly too much so for portraits of ladies.

 

The short, I think it's 16mm, extension tube is very useful also. It's available reasonably inexpensive if you watch EBay for a while.