Bronica RF645 review by Mike Johnston

[squareframe]

> And I still don't buy Daniel Taylor's speculation.

> I really think that Mamiya got the basic rangefinder baselength wrong

 

I suspect Bronica's view of the world is much more broad and considerably deeper than mine or Mani's. we can speculate all we want, but we don't have to show a profit.

[tim_klein1]

Mani - Yes, many 35mm shooters do search out faster lenses. Most 35mm cameras focus through the lens though and a user can see whether he is in focus or not through direct observation. Rangefinders are a different beast; since focus can't be directly observed, a little extra depth of field helps guarantee sharp images. In my experience, the inherent mechanical backlash caused by simply reversing the direction you're turning the focus ring is enough to soften an image. If you're viewing focus directly, you can compensate.

 

This through the lens focusing is another major advantage of wider apertures for 35mm users. The brighter image is easier to focus sharply. This has no bearing when using a rangfinder.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there's NO reason for faster lenses in MF. I'm saying there's no real reason for it on THESE cameras (RF645 & Mamiya 7). f4 or f4.5 is plenty fast for THESE cameras and their intended customer base.

 

Maybe it's not Mamiya or Bronica we should be annoyed with. Maybe we should contact Nikon or Canon; after all, they've got some fast lenses, no focus problems, etc.. Maybe we should let them know that we consider THEIR systems woefully inadequate due to the puny image size. Let's put some heat on them to make us a 6x7 F5! <chuckle>

[msitaraman]

Tim,�@Daniel, very good points you have there.

[alan_krantz]

I have heard two common reasons for the restriction of f4 lenses. I think they have both been stated here but I might as well as repeat them. First, the shutter (I think seiko makes it) has difficulty maintaining 1/500 if the aperture is larger. I believe the bronica has a faster shutter speed of 1/750 but only when the lens is stopped down, the konica has a limit of 1/250 (not sure if this is a related issue). The Leica doesn't have a leaf shutter.

 

The other issue I would think is weight/size. Not only would the lens be larger but the camera would have to support the bigger lens. I don't think focus accuracy is the primary issue (leica/bessa are good counter examples).

 

The new T3 has a rather strange shutter. I think it is double bladed so it closes from both directions at the same time.

[Robin Smith]

Alan

 

"I have heard two common reasons for the restriction of f4 lenses. I think they have both been stated here but I might

as well as repeat them. First, the shutter (I think seiko makes it) has difficulty maintaining 1/500 if the aperture is

larger. I believe the bronica has a faster shutter speed of 1/750 but only when the lens is stopped down, the konica

has a limit of 1/250 (not sure if this is a related issue). The Leica doesn't have a leaf shutter."

 

I don't think this is it at all - the 80mm Planar f2.8 has no problem at 1/500. It is not a huge lens. Then there are the PQS lenses for the Rollei 6000s that go up to 1/1000. I suspect they are simply following the lead of the Mamiya 7 - "this is a successful camera and the lens is f4 ... so let us follow their example AND this way the lens is cheaper to manufacture" Of course I have no way of knowing. I just think it is a pity. No doubt the market will decide.

[richard jepsen]

I bought a RF645 w 65mm lens a week ago. I wanted a light weight quick shooting platform. Here are my impressions after exposing 2 rolls of Portra 160 NC.

The RF645 has a quality feel of metal, however, a Rollei TLR weights less and the Mamiya 7II is about 100g heavier for a larger format. In fact, a Mamiya 3 lens outfit does not weight significantly more than the equivalent RF645 outfit. The 7II does cost much more. Bronica missed an opportunity to be the medium format Leica by not manufacturing a butter smooth film advance or lens barrow rotation. The electronic recocking leaf shutter is quiet. The viewfinder is bright with a backlit data display. Eyeglass users can see the display and view outside the frameline by moving their eye. Too bad the camera lacks an adjustable diopter vs the available eyepiece slip on diopters. The RF645 has the vague block shape of a Minolta X-700 without pentaprism or rewind crank. The design is simple and classic as is the camera operation. The vertical strap option allows a more secure way to carry the camera vs the too shallow camera grip.

I was stunned the Zenzanon 65mm lens produced virtually the same corner to corner sharpness at f/4 vs f/8 on 5x7 color print film inspected with a 4x lupe. I salute Bronica for providing photographers a nicely crafted, interesting camera platform.