Ray S

What Bill said. Opens fine when I do this on mine...

Hi again all. I've been shooting with my S2 for a few months now and absolutely love it. I recently found a Nikkor 50mm f/3.5 lens for just $60 but alas it was sans hood. I thought I found a hood for it for just $30 shipped but it was only ~82mm wide where it goes over the lens which if you've measured you know the lens is much bigger than that... so I'm still on the hunt for that rare hood you mentioned Ben. Are there's any identifying markings on your hood Ben? Also, any idea which lens this hood would be for? TIA!

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! You've been a great help with this and I have some solid ideas on how to progress. So I've been thinking this through and a bigger problem has arisen... I think I'm going to need a meter that can meter the scene with the flash. My current analog meter does not allow me to do that so I'd need a newer digital one that does. Any suggestions on an inexpensive option for that?

Thanks for everyone's input! I really do appreciate it and am definitely learning as I go here. First and foremost, I wanted to see how my macro shots would look using a flash and if it might brighten the image w/out using a higher ISO film (I want to use either Velvia, Ektar or Provia film at the lowest available ISO) so that I could use a smaller aperture to get better depth of field. I was thinking what might work is a TTL hotshoe to PC Sync adapter, PC Sync Cable, & like the Pixel TF-322 I found on Amazon along with a PC sync cable to my S2. One thing that I realize I'd need is a light meter that can read the exposure with a flash which I don't have and I know those are not inexpensive. Since I rarely use a light meter with my normal photography, I may just forgo trying to do this for now. Instead I'll use constant lighting or reflectors to try to accomplish the same thing. Thanks for everyone's input though. Ray

I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to flashes since I prefer to use natural light if possible. That said, will a Nikon SB600/700 flash work with a Bronica S2 if I just use a sync cable? I'm not familiar with the setup of a cabled flash (if required, I usually use the built in wireless feature on my Nikons) system especially with a Bronica S2. TIA! Ray

Well glad to hear I'm not the only who's getting that Andy! BTW, based on the way the Shutter Speed Selector Dial is designed does anyone know what else connects to it? Again, TIA!

I know what you mean with regards to the winding Ben. I find it winds easily until the last part then the action is 'brutal' on mine and this looks to be a 'minty' camera with little or no sign of wear.

Thanks all! Ben, yes, I see how that works with the Kodak film. I'll still carry rubber bands just in case. As for the spools, I haven't tried any Fuji MF films yet but I'll keep your comments in mind for when I eventually do. Andy so far, I've found the Bronica film back pretty straight forward to set up. I like the way the camera is set up. Externally I t is a copy of the Hasselblad, however, my understanding is, the internals are much improved and the available Nikkor lenses are pretty sharp. Wil, to be frank, I had to do a bit of post processing to get them to look like this, but that may be because I need new chemistry. I've developed more than a dozen rolls of 35mm film with this batch which is when you should be considering replacing the chemistry, then I developed several rolls of 120 MF film. Because of this the images appear overexposed before being processed.

LOL... I just learned that it's a lick and stick end on Sunday. I was carrying rubber bands with me before I learned that. Here's a pic from Sunday. (Using Kodak Ektar 100 @ 1/500 sec & f8, developed @ home, scanned then post processed in PS).

Hi Andy, Yes it arrived yesterday! This camera came in truly mint condition!! There are no scratches or signs of wear/tear! It is literally in "like new" condition. I already ran a roll through it and tried to develop it but discovered you have to be careful when you open it and use tape to secure the film so it doesn't unwind on you! So that roll was nice and white LOL!

Makes perfect sense Ben. Yes, I saw they have both a Nikkor & Zenzanon option but didn't know those details on the Zenzanon version. Do you have any insight on which version has better optics? Perhaps the Zenzanon based on cost/supply? And this brings up another question... are the SQ, S2, & S2A lenses interchangeable on the other 6x6 Bronicas? Thanks again everyone!

I have a 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor P lens coming with a Bronica S2 I purchased recently. Hopefully it doesn't flare too much. :) But I was curious about the H & O lenses because I wanted a wide angle lens for the S2 for landscapes. Any preferences for that kind of shooting? Would the O being a later model be better? TIA! Ray

Ahhh... Thanks for that. Come to think of it I had read about that before during my initial research but it simply didn't stick.

Thanks again everyone for their help answering all of my questions. Rather than buy something too expensive, I figured it would be better to buy inexpensive to get my feet wet then if I elect to really move forward full tilt, I can buy something better. With that said, I went with a Bronica S2 with an included Nikkor 75mm f/2.8 lens (not the S2A with the newer & stronger winder mechanism). Now the long wait for my camera to arrive as it's shipping from Japan.

Can anyone shed some light on the main differences between the Nikkor-H & Nikkor-O lenses? Just curious since they are both available in 50mm (Nikkor-H @ f/3.5 & Nikkor-O @ f/2.8) for the Bronica S2 and I'm wondering if there are other differences I should be aware of other than the obvious apertures. Also what do the H/O letters actually denote? TIA! Ray

What's a rotary finder? I was thinking of just using a waist level finder myself...

So after using distilled water to mix the solution I no longer get the strange water spots but I am still getting annoying tiny, tiny white specks. I'm thinking it's undissolved developer particles that are sticking to the emulsion, not allowing it to develop in that sport causing the emulsion to stay behind resulting in white spots. So perhaps pre-mixed liquid developer is the answer? Can I buy liquid c-41 developer kits instead of powder ones that I have to dissolve in water? (Note: I'm located in California so our rigorous environmental laws do affect what can be sold here.) TIA, Ray

Good point. Chrome v 56.0.2924.87

$300 for all of that?!? That's a deal of a lifetime!! As for the availability of options for the GS1, I'm thinking of just needing the body, a wide lens and a possibly a macro lens but I'm only looking at that just to see what it would be like, and not somethign i'd used seriously. For serious macro, I'll stick to my Nikon D500 and either my Sigma 150 macro or my Nikkor 70-180 macro with my macro flashes and possibly a flash rail if I'm doing any focus stacking. Otherwise I want to keep my landscape use for the GS1 very simple... camera body, lens, meter, & film/film backs... oh, and a tripod.

Hi all, Did a very cursory search for Android in the subjects of the first page of threads and didn't see anything on this... anyhow, I tried loading the forums on an Android phone and unfortunately it just keeps on trying to reload the page. Any insights on how to best access the forums via an android phone? FWIW, I'm currently running Marshmallow (v6.0.1) on a Motorola Droid Turbo. TIA! Ray

Again, thanks so much for everyone's insights. Currently I'm looking at... Hasselbald V-System w/ a 50mm wide angle lens and possibly a longer lens w/ extension tubes to focus more closely for any macro subjects. Bronica GS-1 w/ a 50mm wide angle lens and a 110mm macro. Alternatively I'm also considering... Pentax 67 w/ a 40mm wide angle lens & a 135mm macro although this camera is both large & heavy Mamiya RB67/RZ67 w/ a 45mm or 50mm wide angle & a 140mm macro although like the Pentax 67 these two are also large and heavy. For developing MF film, I'll continue to use the Paterson tank system I already have as I'm quite happy with the results I've been getting so far. So, that said, I'll mull this over a bit more over the next couple of weeks before I fully decide. Thanks again for everyone's insights.

Thanks Ross. I'd probably have them professionally scanned if I ever went to large format but it's good to know they can at least be developed in-home. Thanks Alan! I read about the RB/RZ-67's size and weight with lens & film back. In fact the Bronica GS-1 I'm considering is touted as being both smaller and lighter but from what I can see only marginally so. So all of that said, I've decided that carrying a tripod (and a good one at that) will become mandatory which is no problem as I already have several Manfrotto tripods all in good condition which I've purchased & userd over the years. The Hasselblad V-System (500, 503c/m, etc.) is the other camera I'm seriously considering. It's 6x6 which is fine but it's also lighter and of course has a future option for a digital back should I have a few thousand burning a hole in my pocket! ;) It's what i was originally leaning to early on before I went gung-ho with my research into every major size, brand, & lens available for each. As for price, Hasselblads I'm looking at are only marginally more expensive unless I go with their 30mm or 40mm lenses which are $2-3k each. Thanks for the additional Insights Ben. The speed at which you've acquired your kit is impressive. As for the weight issues you mentioned, they are something I'm keenly aware of as I may want to bring it on a long-ish hike. While it won't necessarily be strapped around my neck while hiking, it may likely be in a backpack so the weight is still a very real factor as is the size of either the RB67 or RZ67 as I understand they're both pretty large and hefty. It's another reason (albeit, not that much so) that I'm also considering a Hasselblad V-System. Thanks William. I gotcha on that. I have been as I noted a bit earlier. Hi Ben, That's pretty interesting. I wonder if it may also be 3d printable as there are quite a few online 3d printer houses that can print in metal. Just not sure how well it would hold up to being used for this application. May be worth exploring? Thanks Richard. I'm definitely considering all options. I may eventually have multiple systems as you suggests although my next camera may be a 6x12 or wider if I can find one that's "affordable." as that format sounds very intriguing.

Hope you can get it in time Ben.

Please excuse my ignorance but are these not readily available or easily made?

Ah, I see. I wasn’t sure how they designated which mount a lens is for. So I'm still not clear how I can id a Nikkor lens that will fit the Bronica or other body mount? Interesting to know should I end up buying an S2a. :)