bruce_wilbur2

The F5 should be fine for black and white. If you use film and would a like stout autofocus camera then you're not likely to be disappointed with an F5. I haven't noticed any metering problems with Tri-X. If you don't like the matrix metering or have manual focus lenses then you can use center-weighted or spot metering. It's hard to comment on how good a deal you'd be getting. For a clean, well working camera the price sounds fair. Some factors to consider are: Does the camera need professional cleaning and adjusting? Can you inspect it before buying it? Is there a return policy if you don't find it satisfactory? Some other things to think about are costs related to Nikon batteries and chargers versus the AA battery tray. The MN-30 batteries can be quite hard to find and the AA tray apparently works better with lithium or alkaline batteries due to the lower voltage on rechargeable AA batteries. Good luck with your decision.

Congratulations on your EC-TL purchase. You might want to check out this website for tons of information "http://medfmt.8k.com/bronec.html"

The polaroid backs can be hard to find but are out there. Lenses for the Bronica S2, S2A, and EC fit the EC-TL. I use and like the Nikkor and Zenzanon lenses. Frank Marshman at Camera Wiz in Virginia does Bronica maintenance and repair. I've read that Koh's camera also does repair work and their website lists some used Bronica gear as well. Pliobond is what I've heard of for leatherette repair. Enjoy your Bronica!

Retail sites worth checking include Koh's, Ken-Mar, and Brooklyn Camera exchange. I

don't have purchase experience with these stores but check them occasionally. I have 1 or

2 spare S2 backs I'd consider selling. Feel free to contact me if interested. I haven't used

them since I had them serviced over a year ago as I'm not using my S2 very frequently

since I bought an EC-TL. The S2a polaroid backs pop up occasionally at the retail sites or

via online auction. Good luck and enjoy your Bronica.

Welcome to medium format! I don't know much about the EC but have an EC-TL that

seems to do OK with batteries. If you have a manual check and see if you can set it a

shutterspeed like B that might not drain the batteries. Also check out this old thread on

photo.net in case it's helpful http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?

msg_id=004rrg If all else fails you could weigh returning the camera versus the cost of a

repair by an experienced technicain such as Frank Marshman at Camera Wiz. Best of luck.

The EV range that I could find was listed as +4 to +19 so I don't think the ECTL meter

could

handle the exposure at 100 ISO that you listed. I use an old Luna Pro SBC meter for this

type of situation. My ECTL reads out only to 4 seconds. I don't know much about the

ECTL2. You might want to check the Medium Format Cameras library page. Hope this

helps.

Try nikonlinks.com. If you go to their site you can find various links for many models

including one for basic dating by serial number for the F3. Perhaps someone else will

have an idea about how to approximate the date for a FM2n. Have fun!

I've enjoyed using the 45/2.8 AI-P lens over the last year. I find the images it gives have a

look that I find appealing. I've not had any flare using it. I like that it is light. However, as

I'm sure you've read by now, many opinions are expressed about this lens versus a 50mm

lens. Some people really favor the lens, others see it as trendy with no advatage over a

faster 50mm lens. In the end, you probably won't know until you try one under different

conditions. For me, I've gotten used to it's smaller size and really enjoy it. It is an optic I

especially value for what it does. Good luck with your decision.

I've had a hard time finding a decent cap too. The one I bought

from KEH (ex cond) was so worn it wouldn't stay on the camera.

I sent it back. I bought a generic TLR cap made in India that fit

well but the plastic started falling apart after about 3 months of

light use. It would be great if anyone else can come up with a

source.