Quality/Price of Bronica RF645 Lenses

[richard jepsen]

I am a satisfied owner of a RF645 with 45/65/100 lenses. The camera

offers outstanding value. Tamron Service Center advises none of the

lenses have aspheric elements or low dispersion glass. Below is an

answer to one of my question:

 

The cost of the RF 45/65/100mm glass is significantly lower than the

ETRS PE equivalent focal lengths. Does the cost difference indicate a

quality difference?

 

 

Tamron's Answer -- Optically the RF lenses are equal to PE lenses in

quality and sharpness but are less expensive to manufacture because

they are in fact a smaller lens then the PE lenses. This is because

of the rangefinder mechanism which allows the lens to smaller as it

is located closer to the film plane then a PE SLR lenses and can be

made smaller. It also has an electronic shutter mechanism, which is

also smaller and simpler then the mechanical shutter in all PE lenses.

 

David Losee

[jeff_tokayer]

I just managed to assemble the same outfit, with the addition of an RF20 flash.

So far, after shooting 3 test rolls of film, the results are great.

In the next couple of weeks I'm planning on putting the outfit to work, shooting the fall colours in northern Ontario.

 

I don't expect the results to match my GSW690III, but I'm sure I won't be dissapointed.

 

Jeff.

[andreas_carl]

Yes, these lenses are superb! They are every bit as good as my much more expensive Hasselblad Carl/Zeiss lenses! The rangefinder design is a BIG advantage. That's also why the Hasselblad 38mm Biogon lens is so outstanding!

[gary_reese2]

I did my own lens testing of Bronica RF645 lenses vs. many PE lenses for the ETRSi. They outperform the PE lenses, esp. so for the 45mm RF to 40mm or 50mm PE matchup. The 45mm doesn't have to be a retrofocus design since it has no mirror between it and the film.

 

I'll agree with Mike Johnston's review: the RF645 is a real high performance, sleeper system. It has a great price/performance ratio.

[dr_smith1]

I've been using the system with only the normal lens. I've found it to be a real pleasure to work with - especially in black&white. I have a 16x20 photo taken on Neopan 400 with this camera that's really quite nice - even though it does show a small amount of grain.

 

I don't understand why everyone's so down on this system. Yes, the range of lenses is limited, but the results I'm getting make it worth every penny.