Small and fresh choice: the low-key and connotation of Bronica camera

Kate from National Geographic magazine.

Author: Miao Gaoshan

Photography: Academy

ZenzaBronica is a well-known Japanese medium format camera company. It has produced many low-cost and high-quality cameras with distinctive features. Bronica, translated by Hong Kong and Taiwan as "Blue House", has the mysterious flavor of some imported brands, while the latter can better reflect the brand's people-friendly route, so individuals prefer the name of Blue House.

Top left: Brownie card S2, top right: Brownie card EC-TL, bottom picture: Brownie card D.

Up to now, few people know the brand Blue House, but for the older generation of photographers who started with film photography, it carries many memories. At that time, European medium format cameras were considered as luxury goods, such as Hasselblad 500 series and Luffy. The price of a set is not acceptable to ordinary people, so many people look to Japanese products with the same excellent quality.

Nikon's lens for Bronica has a large focal length span, which can meet almost all shooting needs.

Among the few Japanese 120 camera brands, Bronica is self-contained. At first, it was called Bronica Z, a 6X 6 modular medium format SLR camera introduced by 1958. At that time, Japanese camera manufacturers generally avoided direct conflict with Hasselblad, the emperor of 6X 6 SLR at that time, such as Pentax67/645, some larger or smaller films. As the first Japanese SLR to imitate Hasselblad, Bronica Z is quite symbolic. Adhering to the concept of 6X 6 format and modular design, Bronica is also known as "Hasselblad of Japan", from which we can see the persistence and ambition of the founder Yoshino Saburo at that time.

The photos taken by Bronica in fujifilm are fresh and natural.

Early Bronica cameras used a focal plane shutter made by Nikon and a high-quality Nikkor lens. The earliest models were Bronica Z( 1958) and Bronica D( 196 1). Although similar to Hasselblad, there are essential differences in core technology. For example, the general SLR uses a flip-up mirror, while Bronica uses a complicated submersible mirror to make the lens flange distance shorter. The output of these two models is not large, the collection value is high, and the price is even higher than that of Hasselblad in the second-hand market.

Bronica's unique mirror design allows the camera to use a 40 mm wide-angle lens.

Later Bronica S series still continued the previous mechanical shutter design, but it was smaller, more portable and more durable. Bronica C series is a simplified version of S series. The back of the machine can't be changed, and other performances are similar. Bronica S2A is the last mechanical shutter camera produced, and all models since EC series are electronic shutters.

1972, Bronica launched EC camera, which marked the all-round development of the brand. The lens system is extended from 30mm fisheye to1200mm focal length. In addition to Nikon, there are many lens suppliers such as Takamura and Zeiss. Later, Bronica began to design and produce lenses. The improved EC-TL of EC is the world's first automatic exposure medium format camera, which was really impressive at that time. In addition, there are various accessories, such as metering top, different membrane back, close-up leather cavity and so on.

Bronica SQ with a square border is very suitable for taking sketches.

In the mid-1970s, Bronica cameras began to change from focal plane shutter to mirror shutter, and the lenses used gradually turned to their own brands. On the one hand, this change is to reduce the vibration of the machine, on the other hand, it also makes the shutter more reliable and durable. However, there are also disadvantages. The maximum shutter speed of mirror shutter can not be made very high, and the cost is slightly increased. These models include ETR series, SQ series and GS series, which correspond to 6X 4.5, 6X 6 and 6X 7 frames respectively.

Comparison of Hasselblad, Bronica and Mamiya cameras

Among them, Bronica ETR and Bronica GS compete directly with Mamiya 645 and Mamiya 67, so they are often compared with each other. These two brands of cameras are very similar in appearance and module structure, and also have great overlap in focal length. Personally, Mamiya camera has a clear functional goal when it is designed. The 645 camera is portable and easy to operate, and the 67 series belongs to the landline, pursuing stability and imaging quality. But Bronica seems to want to fix everything. In the end, it is fully functional but complicated to operate, which implicitly increases the possibility of failure and has a slightly rough appearance. There is no doubt that Bronica ETR and GS are good machines, but in that era of pragmatism, this low-key brand is inevitably not as popular as Mamiya.

Bronica SQ and Hasselblad 500 series are very similar in function and appearance.

Bronica SQ is named after the "square". Except for some smaller brands, it is unique in the Japanese 6X 6 SLR. Its frame, volume and shape are similar to Hasselblad's, but it is lighter, can be exposed automatically, and its price is very low, which makes it very competitive. Even in the digital age, it is still a sharp weapon for photographers. The SQ-Ai model launched by Bronica at 1990 is a master model. Seven kinds of negatives can even be shot with 135 width and Polaroid paper. TTL flash system makes recording and photography more convenient, and PS series lenses matched with the fuselage are not inferior to European manufacturers.

It is also useful to take portrait photos with Bronica.

The "blue house" has not been spared in the digital wave. After being acquired by Tamron, Bronica launched its last product, RF 645, in 2000. The author thinks that the starting point of this machine is good, and hopes that it is possible to take a niche high-end route like Mamiya 7, thus transforming into a digital media format.

RF645 became the swan song of Blue Ocean House.

However, the problem is that the rapid digital wave has greatly reduced the living space of film cameras, leaving Bronica with no breathing space at all, which is an inevitable result for camera manufacturers with a single business scope. In the end, this paraxial camera, which had high hopes, stopped production because of the viewfinder calibration problem and ended in a slightly ironic way, reflecting the helplessness of the whole industry. Some big brands collapsed overnight, and some carried a new wave at full speed after the reform. Bronica belongs to the third category, slowly prospering and dying out.

Photographer Gaku Original captures the warmth of life with Bronica.

Now look back at the blue ocean lens. If you are a cinematographer, you will find a new treasure. If you are a digital controller, Blue Ocean House will also change your understanding of film photography. If you are an equipment party, you will be fascinated by Brownika's maverick. Bronica is a sentimental camera. It is not as convenient as a digital camera at work, nor is it sought after by collectors like Hasselblad, but you will be happy to use it when you go out for a trip or get together with friends, take pictures of people around you and record every bit of the day. It will become a part of your life.