Bronica 645 RF shoot & review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2024
- We review the unusual (and rather rare)Bronica 645 RF rangefinder camera. We discuss the design and layout and also that it shoots in portrait mode when held normally. The video includes a photo walk with the camera through East Vancouver on a lovely sunny day and several examples from the camera. It is an excellent piece of equipment with very good lenses. Too bad it arrived on the camera scene just too late into the digital age for it to be a contender. #bronica #rf645 #bronicamediumformat #mediumformat #camerareview
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The film runs horizontally. The shutter is always cocked and makes very little sound when released. What you are hearing is the motor that re-cocks the shutter.
That makes a lot of sense - thanks for that explanation. Still, it's not a reassuring sound. Of course, one does get used to it, and it is a great camera.
Thanks for making this Alastair. We're about to head off for a week and am choosing a film camera to take, having not shot film for some time. It will be a toss up between my RF645, a Leica iiif or my Rolleiflex 3.5f. There are others to choose from but your vid may just sway me towards the Bronica. Sunny location though so could be a challenge... Cheers and thanks again from Sydney - Dave
Thanks for your comments, Dave - my vacation started today and I went with the Rollieflex 3.5f. Enjoy your week away.
The automatic dark slide when changing lenses is a very neat feature, compared to the Mamiya 6/7 system. Having to use an external detachable finder for composing with the wide lens is a pain, but the Mamiya 7 has the same issue. I enjoy shooting the RF645 and have made some good images with it, but for me the Mamiya 6 wins out for ease of use and larger neg.
Very nice. One question. I have not been able to get a definitive answer as to the use of range finders with nearsightedness and astigmatism. When focusing does the camera try to compensate for the lack of distance focusing and thus make the focus on the film off when using without eyeglasses or do the images line up when properly focused even if your eyes can not focus? Didn't express that very well but I hope you got my meaning.
I have a terrible time with my SLR.
Good question. I'm not an expert, but as far as I understand when the images are lined up in a rangefinder, the photo is in focus. The rangefinder and the film plane are set to work together no matter what. That said, being able to actually SEE that they are in focus is another matter, entirely. I do know that high-eye point viewfinders (more modern ones) can be used with glasses as well (careful not to scratch them if there isn't a rubber cup) This is slightly different than with an SLR where it's open to debate where, exactly the image is in focus. Certainly adjusting the diopter to match your eyes can help with focus on an SLR but it can be a real process if you wear glasses with a substantial prescription.
When this camera first came on the market, I read an early review, more of a "user experience" than a technical review. Although that camera was newly provided by Bronica for the review, the guy had enough issues in using it such that I decided to sit back and see how things developed, given its nosebleed pricing. In the end, the only perfect thing about the package was the excellent lenses. The camera has the famous (and inexcusable) focus errors from its poorly designed rangefinder mechanism. The film advance breakage showed up. In the end, I just backed off and never purchased. 18 years later, I found myself buying a Fuji GA645Zi, which manages to package more automation and about 80% of the lens range into a fixed variable focal length lens. (The Fuji carries its own baggage in the form of a poorly designed electric ribbon cable between body and back, which can fail, but that's nothing compared to the shortcomings of the RF645) What a great camera the RF645 could have been if it hadn't been designed by committee during the company sale from Bronica to Tamron, and if given a proper test period before kicking it out the door.to victimize buyers.
"the shutter sounds"....just record it!
Nice!
Would it be worth getting one compared to the more available Fuji 120/220 compact cameras?
I think if you have a line on a good Fuji camera I would go for that instead. The Bronicas are great, but they are relatively rare and the concerns about the film advance issues (and repairs being non-existent) keep me from recommending the Bronica over the Fuji. Of course, the Fuji cameras are all fixed-lens (or a zoom) so that factors in as well. The other issue with Fuji cameras is that some of them had bellows with the lens, which needs to be in excellent shape if you buy one of those. Hard to go wrong, either way with both lines of cameras, though.
@@UnderexposedwithAlastairBird Good to know, thanks!
I did get a proper 1.5kg travel tripod after christmas so now my rolleicord III will be more fun use when it to dark to shoot hand held.
Also i like the all manual 1950s trl rules that forces me to really slow down, find a subject, measure light and then focus so that my 120 rolls is shot with 12 quality frames that i would considers keepers!
@@SinaFarhat The Rolleicord is such a lovely camera! Just ask Vivian Maier!
My local used camera store just got one in. $2400. Crazy it came out so recently at the tail end of the film era.
$2400? Are you in the USA? I'm in Canada and $2400 feels expensive here, let alone if it were $2400US. Amazing.
@@UnderexposedwithAlastairBird I'm a skip and a jump away in Victoria BC.
@@RedStarRogue Ah, yes. I see it now on Camera Traders. Nice!
Debating on this or Fujifilm GA645. Will probably go with the Fuji- but this camera is a beautiful! It’s a shame they aren’t serviced anymore :(
michaelomo Fuji has set lenses, fyi
Remind of a GA645Zi with a removable lens
Very true. That's a camera that I have never used. Would love to try it out, though.
I read somewhere that using a different brand take up spool ( Kodak ) with a Fuji spool caused problems...
Sorry - missed this comment. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. How incredibly annoying, though. I put all kinds of different rolls of film in my cameras.
The shutter sounds like a moan..I have had 2 of these and they both suffered from a circuiyboard failure resulting in battery drain. The batteries were dead in one day. Repairing was inposdible due unavailability of parts. It's a shame because it takes beautiful pictures.
2024, anyone fixing these?
Not as far as I know, unfortunately. Spare parts are unavailable so there isn't much that can be done, except for a CLA. Anything more than that and you're out of luck unless you have a donor body.
I kick myself for selling mine.
I'm not sure it's going to age very well. They did have some inherent issues, and of course they are now not fixable. It is a great camera, though.