Bronica SQ - is my 150 lens bad? what to do about it?

[ruvy]

Few month ago I have bought a 150 lens. Found out it has a very short

DOF and will rarely produce a sharp horizon regardles if when the f

stop includes infinity in the range or even when set the lens is

focused dead on infinity. A camera store have checked and found it has

a problem but couldn't tell me what it is. Calling to two labs one

told me that the lens can be adjusted but will cost $80 to do so and

the other told me there is no fixing to it. Questions are:

1. are the 150PS known as sharp and contrasy lenses or wil I be better

of with a 200S

2. have anyone experienced simmilar problem and found a solution?

 

Thanks

 

Ruvy

[ken_heflinger]

Rvuy,

 

Perhaps what you are experiencing is not a bad lens, but just the shock that a 150mm f/4 lens has a rather short depth of field. It should have about 1/4th of a foot each way when the lens is focused to 10 feet. This is normal, and every lens that is 150mm f/4 wide open on a 6x6 body will have the same depth of field.

 

I am not sure what the camera store saw as the trouble with the lens, but the best way to check it out is to put the camera on a tripod and take some pictures and change the f/stop to observe the change in the depth of field.

 

I use a 200S lens and with a close up diapter of 0.25 on it I sometimes hafe to ask myself, which eye do I want to be in focus this time. The depth of field is pretty short when you get closer to the subject.

 

Cheers

Ken

[andre_noble4]

Sounds like something is wrong with the lens.

[huib_smeets]

Ruvy,

 

when the lens is focused at infinity it should produce a sharp horizon regardless of the f-stop. Set your camera on a tripod, focus at infinity, set correct exposure, release the mirror and trip the shutter. After film development you should have a sharp horizon (inspect with loupe, print or scan the negative). If not, there is a problem with the lens. Should the same problem also occur with a different lens, let's say the 80mm, then there is something wrong with the body/filmback.

[ruvy]

Ken, Thank you much. You are right in tems of the shocking discovery of how short is the DOF but I agree with Andre and Huib that this is not the issue here. I am curious about your 200 and will send you an e0mail. If your e-mail is notavailable here would you please mail me your address to ruvy@012.net.il. Thanks

 

Andre and Huib, Thank you too. Apparently this is the case. Set on trypod with mirror locked it doesn't produce a sharp image. Do you have any idea what can be done about it?

[andre_noble4]

First, be sure to isolate it to lens. Ie, be sure it is not a problem with a protruding screw in the film back preventing it from being flush with the camera body (happened to me once). This effect would not be as apparent with an 80mm lens.

 

Once you decide it is the lens, you should send it to an authorized Bronica service center for a repair quote. Should be cheaper than buying another one off Ebay

[ruvy]

Thank you Andre. I have compared other lenses and it is difinately this lens. I will check with a Bronica authorized repair service. Question is if you know that they can perform such an adjustment? I recieved yes and no answers from different labs here.

[david_henderson]

Just a couple of points. Has the lens been like this since you got

it and if so, why didn't you return it then? I mean if you have other

lenses which verify that the camera's working properly and this

one won't give a sharp image of distant objects when focussed

on infinity when using tripod and mirror lock up you don't have to

be terribly suspicious to work out that the lens might be

performing less than perfectly.

 

I have the 150 PS and it is very sharp. Its depth of field is the

same as any other 150mm lens of any format and indeed the

lens barrel markings on Bronicas are more real-world than most

other MF lenses. You would not be better off with a 200S, not

least because the depth of field would be more difficult.

 

I would be very surprised if your lens cannot be repaired. I would

also be very surprised if it wasn't a high cost repair I'm afraid.

Once you start paying people to disassemble lenses, it gets

expensive fast.

[ruvy]

Thank you David for the tip re. the 200 and the costy repair. Your initial coment why did't I return it when arrived is a good one too and a bit of story - too long for this forum but at its base it was a matter of not trusting myself and trying to achieve the promisseed results over and over again icluding e-mail exchanges with the seller. but at this point this issue is not too relevant.

 

thanks again

 

Ruvy

[andre_noble4]

Ruvy, just happened to come from a place called Simon's camera in Hollywood, California. Saw a few brand new old-stock Bronica 150 PS, 200 PS and 180 PS lenses just sitting on his shelves. Tons of used Nikon F's in the display. Further up the street, outside, almost every tourist (90%) had digital (not film) cameras taking pictures of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

 

Do you get the picture?

 

Keep your current 150 lens for spare parts. Save up for a brand new 150 that someone will soon let go on Ebay for $325US. They are sharp as hell, and have excellent bokeh and color contrast.

 

It's a buyer's market. Don't make the mistake of buying used bronica again when new is available at same price with patience.

 

Keep an eye on the Adorama website under their "closeout" section. They'll be unloading ALL of their Bronica stuff their over the next 12 months while they can still get something for it, I predict. Currently they are selling a brand new 1.4 PS Teleconverter for something like $299, for example.

 

Good luck.

[ruvy]

Thanks Andre. I used to live not too far rom that place. I think I will take your advice and wait.