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The camera is a little on the heavy side, but compared to others in this format, it's actually one of the lighter ones available. Really need to have a speed grip fitted for comfortable hand held shooting, a little awkward to hold without it. The Bronica is a well thought out camera, interchangeable film backs with a variety of other formats, a dark slide so backs can be changed on the fly. All the controls are in easy reach and fall under the fingertips like the mirror lockup and focus ring. A great way to get high resolution film images. I have two Bronicas now, also the smaller ETRS.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I would have to say that the real reason I purchased this camera, is because I have always wanted one, ever since it was introduced, but could not justify investing in another camera system. With todays market for used Bronica cameras, just about anyone can afford to purchase these cameras on the used market. I have used KEH camera for much of my purchases, they are honest, reliable and price the equipment at a fair price. Their ratings are dead on. I have purchased what they call Excellent condtion equipment and it arrives looking brand new. Enough about the purchase. I have owned two Pentax systems for many years and when Bronica stopped production of their camera line, prices really started to drop on the used market. It is a shame that Tamron did such a bad job of marketing these cameras, most people don't even know what a Bronica is. I love the way this camera feels in your hands. You have to purchase the speed grip or you will want to throw this lead weight in the trash. I personally don't know how anyone could get much use from this camera without it. Some people complain that it is awkward to shoot verticals with this camera. It isn't any different than shooting with a 35mm camera in the vertical position, it is just a little heavier. The mirror up lever is a little awkward, but very easy to use, at least it is for me. The 6x7 format is known as the ideal format as is the 645 format. Both can be enlarged with very little cropping. There is a big difference from 645 to 6x7 image quality. Once you shoot 6x7 it is hard to go back, but the 645 has it's uses also. I have made 30x40 prints from the 6x7 format and it looks so beautiful once printed. Both of my GS-1's are equiped with the Auto Exposure Pentaprisms. This is the only way to go, although it is just a easy to use a hand held meter and use the standard prism. For my use, I will stick with the AE prism. I don't care for the waist level finder, since the image is reversed, it drives my crazy. I am using the 120 6x7 backs since 220 film is just about exstinct. I do have one 220 6x7 back for use with Fuji Velvia 50 & 100, which both are still available in 220. I believe that the portrait films from Kokak still are available in 220. These backs will give you 10 exposures for 120 and 20 for 220. I have no use for the 645 or 6x6 backs that are available, since I own both Bronica and Pentax 645's. I can't see carrying the extra weight when you don't have to. Since I purchased my camera's on ebay, each one came with a lens. I now have just about all the lenses that were made for this camera. One that I will probably never obtain is the 500mm lens. This lens is of very little use in this format for my purposes. Personnally I think that the rotable AE finder could be very useful when doing verticals and when shooting from a tripod. I do not own one presently, but might consider it if the need arises. All in all,this is a great, well thought out camera. The modular build makes it useful in just about any situation. One thing to keep in mind is that most of these lenses are rather slow, abount f/4 and 5.6 and they don't focus real close. Just obtain the 18 or the 36mm extension tubes and this changes the close focusing ability, you will lose more light in the process. Hope this helps someone with the decision for a purchase or just general knoldege of this cameera. Film will probably always trump digital.Read full review
I bought 2 GS-1 cameras to shoot a catalog for a client used to 4x5. 6x7 format showed no grain even at full page reproduction 300 DPI, and the Bronica lenses were sharper than the view camera lenses. The perspective correction I depended on with the view camera was easy to do in Photoshop once the negatives were scanned. I got 2 GS-1s for the price of one Hasselblad. Never regretted it. You need a spare body with any make. In spite of the camera's size and weight It's very hand-holdable. With the speed grip and the eye-level finder, it shoots just as fast as 35mm (non-motorized), though you do have to reload every 20 exposures instead of every 36. Backs change faster than 35mm reloads, so that compensates a bit if you have to shoot fast. Get some 120 format magazines as well as 220; there are only a few 220 format films left on the market, but they're all pretty great. Speed is not the most important factor here; image quality is the name of the game in medium format. 6x7 cm blows up to 8x10 with minimal cropping. I made a print 48" wide that was stunning. And that's the real reason to shoot medium format film in the digital age: unbeatable, staggering image quality. The negative area of 6x7 cm is almost exactly 4 times the area of 35mm film. In the movie business we think of full frame (8-perf) film as requiring 9600 pixels on the long dimension to capture full resolution. That's the equivalent of 19200 pixels on the 6x7 cm frame. There's no digital camera in the world that approaches that quality, even at $30,000 plus and tethered to a computer. And the output is FILM, which we know will last for 100 years if stored correctly. Digital storage media have uncertain longevity at best, though the Delkin and Kodak Gold DVDs look promising. But how long will the drives be around? (Google "The Digital Dilemma".) I second the advice elsewhere to buy equipment in good cosmetic condition; some indication anyway that the camera has not had too hard a life.Read full review
I bought this 6x7 medium format camera second hand few weeks ago and I like it. I was surprised about its size and weight when I first saw it as I only shoot digital and not even tried 35mm film camera. Thank God I bought a speed grip by which I was able to hand held the camera. But it's still on heavy side. With 50mm wide angle lens, AE prism finder and standard 120 film back, it weighs about 5 lbs. I tried to attach a NPC Polaroid back with Polaroid 690 instant print film and it produces amazing photos. Even my wife, a Sony point-and-shoot camera shooter, really liked it. I don't know how to say, however, using this camera gives something that digital cameras can't do. It is a bit hard to find all the accessaries but it's not impossible because there is Ebay and people who moved on to digital are dumping this decent camera at reasonable price. I used KEH.com too to buy some accessaries. My recommendation is to buy AE prism finder, 50mm, 100mm(or 110mm macro), 200mm lenses and Polaroid back(it's fun to use). I'm using standard 6x7 120 film backs and trying to buy 6x6 backs too because that's what Hasselblads and Bronica SQ-Ai medium format cameras use and I sometimes think it's a good format too because you don't need to turn the camera for vertical composition. For landscape shots and even for portraits you may want to add a decent tripod and head in your shopping list if you don't own one yet. It's not easy to buy 120/220 format films these days. I went to Wolf camera and they didn't carry them. I ordered them from Adorama.com. I'm going to develop Black and white films myself and will use processing lab in nearby city for color(E-6) films.Read full review
I shoot regularly with a Pentax 645N and have been very happy with the results, but I've always coveted something with a larger negative size. Having toyed with the idea of Mamiya RB or RZ 67 outfits, I was put off by the high prices. Bronica's GS-1 is much better value for money, though you need to invest in the prism to make portrait format shots easier. If you can find a good one, it's a great camera, but watch out for the heavily used examples, as repairs can prove expensive. Having previously owned a Bronica ETRS kit, I can vouch for that. If you buy supplementary lenses, make sure the shutter works properly, as they can develop intermittent faults. Having said all that, the images you can produce make it well worth the effort to seek out a decent example.