nathan_kaemena Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 <p>Hi all,<br> I have a few questions on lenses for the Bronica. I recently bought an etr (my first medium format camera) off an auction site. It comes with the body (obviously), wlf, a film back (and I purchased a second one too) and a speed grip. No lenses though. Which doesn't bother me, as it means I will only end up with the exact lenses I want. By that I mean say a pe version over a mc version if that happens to be the better one of a particular focal length. <br> So my first question is... other than coatings is there any optical difference between a mc, eii and a pe lens? I want to get a 75mm and would like to which is the best version (flare control, contrast etc,etc).<br> I'm love to do portraits. So am looking for a decent portrait lens. I guess you'll need to know the type of portraits I do, so here's some examples:<br> <img src="/bboard/www.flickr.com/photos/nkaemena/14710614429/in/album-72157638220234315/" alt="" /><br> <img src="/bboard/www.flickr.com/photos/nkaemena/14973484828/in/album-72157638220234315/" alt="" /><br> <img src="/bboard/www.flickr.com/photos/nkaemena/14921538938/in/album-72157638220234315/" alt="" /><br> I'm not sure if they will appear, so just in case I'll link the photos from my flickr a/c<br> www.flickr.com/photos/nkaemena/14710614429/in/album-72157638220234315/<br> www.flickr.com/photos/nkaemena/14973484828/in/album-72157638220234315/<br> www.flickr.com/photos/nkaemena/14921538938/in/album-72157638220234315/</p> <p>Lastly, are there any other lenses worth keeping and eye out for. Like a particularly good wide. Are the pe zooms any good?</p> <p>Thank you in advance for any responses.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul ron Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 i generally go for the fastest lenses i can get regardless of series. so far ive been shooting an etrs for 30 years and havent had a dab lens yet. my favorite portrait lens is the 150mm f3.5 mc i hardly use my 75mm f2.8 Ell i enjoy the 40mm f4 PE and 50mm f2.8 PE lenses a fun lens ive been shooting with recently is the 35mm f3.5PS Here is a list of lenses for the etrs it seems this site won't format yhe list properly n looks like a mumble jumble here id the link to the list http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Bronica_lenses ETR 6x4.5 The original lenses are MC, EII are revised versions, and PE are the final version with 1/2 aperture stops. 30mm f3.5 PE fisheye 35mm f3.5 PS fisheye 40mm f4 MC 40mm f4 PE 50mm f2.8 MC 50mm f2.8 PE 55mm f4.5 PE Super Angulon Tilt shift 60mm f2.8 PE 75mm f2.8 MC 75mm f2.8 EII 75mm f2.8 EII (late) 75mm f2.8 PE 100mm f4 Macro PE 105mm f3.5 MC 105mm f4.5 Macro 135mm f4 PE 150mm f3.5 MC 150mm f4 MC 180mm f4.5 MC 180mm f4.5 PE 200mm f4.5 MC 200mm f4.5 PE 250mm f5.6 MC 250mm f5.6 PE 500mm f8 EII 500mm f8 PE 45-90mm f4.5-9.6 PE 100-220mm f4.8 PE The more you say, the less people listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_watson1 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 <p>Lenses aside, get a prism finder--metered or not--ASAP. You'll find the WLF a PITA.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 <p>At the outset I should say that my experience with Bronica was with the SQAi not the ETR/ETRS/ETRSi but there are strong parallels in the lens ranges so maybe I should comment</p> <ul> <li>the most obvious difference between the PE and its predecessors in that the PE has half stop detents and the older lenses full stops. However you can set the aperture between the stop marks by hand and they do stop down gradually, so this isn't a life or death issue. Less obvious is the fact of computer aided design on the PE lenses and supposedly better coatings. Having used most PS but one or two older S lenses for my cameras I couldn't see any difference in picture quality, though the factory trained Japanese technician at the UK distributor did tell me that the difference was more apparent with long lenses. The PE lenses date from 1992- others are older though you do have a body dating from 1976-78 so maybe you don't consider age important.</li> <li>Neither did I note any difference in image quality or colour across the lens range , with two exceptions below, and I often carried six lenses in my kit. So you can buy what focal lengths you need to suit your subjects rather than fret about which ones are better or worse.</li> <li>I had one lens that stood out for sharpness and it was a mid-range macro. It was better at all distances. Whether you need such extreme sharpness for portraits I don't know, I used it for landscapes in the main, but there is a direct equivalent in the PE lens range - the 100f4 Macro.</li> <li>I never had much luck with Bronica's teleconverters - either fitting and removing them or focussing accurately with one fitted. </li> </ul> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_502260 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 <p>Paul,<br> You list a PS lens. PS lenses are for the SQ series cameras, not the ETR series ones. You have to make pretty large prints to see the differences between the older and newer lenses. The 105/3.5 E and S lenses were left out when the PE and PS lenses were introduced. The 150/3.5 S was replaced by the slower 150/4 PS. I prefer the older faster lens. Some lenses were not made in the older style. I like my 135/4 PS for the SQ cameras because it has closer focusing than either of the 150 lenses for the SQ cameras. I have cameras and lenses in the ETR, SQ and GS-1 series. Some of the lenses I don't have but am still interested in are the 40, 60 and 135 PE lenses and the 110 PS and PG lenses. For now I have some fill-in lenses for Mamiya cameras to cover some of these focal lengths. I have a 35/3.5 for the M645 cameras, a 70/2.8 LS lens for the M645 cameras and some 127s for the RB67 cameras. If you are going to use an ETR series camera with a prism finder then by all means get the Speed Grip too. It makes holding the camera much more comfortable and doesn't cost very much. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wogears Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 <p>I find the 150 f3.5 to be a good general portrait lens on my ETRS. I have the older lens type, and it is plenty sharp and has nice blur. You appear to like some wide-angle effects on the shots you linked, so the 50mm f2.8 (which I also have) would be a good second choice.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryp Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 <p>The Bronica ETRS was my primary med format camera for a decade or more. Plenty of weddings, portraits, and other stuff. <br /> Two comments<br> -- while the waist-level finder is handy I found the non-meter prism in combination with the speed grip made the camera MUCH simpler and more comfortable to operate. I have a meter prism too but it's bigger and heavier and IMO not really useful, especially since I used an incident meter religiously.<br /> -- Regarding lenses -- my outfit consisted of the 50, 75 & 150 lenses. Never had any others and never really felt I needed any others. YMMV</p> <p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p> Henry Posner B&H Photo-Video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul ron Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 yes my 30mm fisheye is PE, not PS. and absolutely get the grip and a prism. this camera is a real lady. The more you say, the less people listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan_kaemena Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 <p>Thank you for all the replies. It's given me a good idea of the lenses I should get as well as some food for thought.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWScott Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 The only MC lens that disappointed me was the 40mm. I've recently replaced it with the 40mm PE, but haven't tested it yet. The 50 MC and 60 PE are both great. The 75 EII and 75 PE have my favorite rendering of any lens, regardless of format. And the 150/3.5 MC is my go-to portrait lens, simply perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan_kaemena Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 <p>It seems a lot of you are recommending the 150mm f/3.5 but I was wondering about the 135mm f/4. I know its a half stop (approx) slower, but its minimum focusing distance is .5 of metre closer. Which I think should enable tighter portraits? Anyone have any thoughts?.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul ron Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 mmmm i wonder if that difference is dof 3.5 vs 4.0? The more you say, the less people listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWScott Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 <p>I haven't tried the 135mm f/4, so I can't say anything about it.</p> <p>Loving the 150/3.5 for portraits, I have considered adding an extension tube to get tighter headshots.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allancobb Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 <blockquote> <p>The only MC lens that disappointed me was the 40mm.</p> </blockquote> <p>I have just the opposite experience with the 40mm MC, I find it hard to believe it can be improved upon that significantly, especially considering the 645 format. Here are a few examples:</p> <p><a href=" Glacier, Alaska on Ektar</a></p> <p><a href=" Falls, C&O Canal NP, Maryland on Kodak ProImage 100</a></p> <p><a href=" at Great Falls on Plus-X</a></p> <p>I also use the 75mm MC, I don't think you can go wrong with either one.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan_kaemena Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 <p>Once again, thank you to all of you.<br> I've now bought a 75mm pe and both a 150mm f/3.5 mc and 135mm pe. I thought at the price the two longer lenses were I could get both and try them and decide for myself and then sell the one I favour least. Once I've run film through the etr I'll come back with examples as it might help others in the future.<br> One last question... I'm not sure if the body comes with a battery. What batteries does the etr take? Any links would be most grateful.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allancobb Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 It uses the 6 volt 4LR44, the same battery as the P67. Here is a link to the manual: http://www.butkus.org/chinon/bronica/bronica_etr/bronica_etr.pdf Have fun, I really enjoy using the ETR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan_kaemena Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 <p>Finally tested my new etr with the 150mm.</p> <div></div> 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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