[tuco]

I dunno...looks pro to me.

The obvious clues are that it appears to be unfriendly to anyone not capable of making a living with the camera. It also looks like it might take a blow with less damage than the person holding it. I can imagine that if I were holding one, I might look pro too.

Steve

Mine has some plastic and rubberized coating. Compared to my Mamiya 7II, it has a really rugged feel. In fact I just posted about why I opted to sell my M7II and get something more rugged for my use. If they made this camera with more metal, I think it would weight too much.

[wkraus]

I had a Bronica S2 for a few years, not long after their introduction. In addition to the 75mm f2.8 I had a Nikon 250mm f4 preset short-mount designed for their rangefinder cameras with a reflex housing attached. A caveat on the Bronica: the mirror mechanism is very complex, and mine started malfunctioning after only two years of very modest usage. The mirror would stick halfway back up into position. I had to turn the camera upside down and shake it, or close the hood and strike it with my palm while the camera was upside down to get the mirror back into focusing position.

Thanks for the advice! I’m aware there’s a lot that can go wrong with these old Bronicas but I hope for the best. At least the finder screen is in the correct position.

[DonThomaso]

My set of 15 S-M-C TAKUMAR lenses - a great series to both collect and use! Top three of my most used of the lenses seen in this shot at this point is 20/4.5, 35/3.5, and 85/1.8.







Shots taken with Pentax K-3 II and Auto-Takumar 85/1.8.

[Arjay Bee]

My set of 15 S-M-C TAKUMAR lenses - a great series to both collect and use! Top three of my most used of the lenses seen in this shot at this point is 20/4.5, 35/3.5, and 85/1.8.

And not a spot of dust evident - beautiful collection...

[steamloco76]

Fisheye Takumar 17/4

[Swift1]

I read in camerapidia or some place this stripped down camera's market was for a tour group industry photographer. They wanted to make a reliable camera with a 10K shutter exposure life. The wider 65mm was for capturing a group of people with some scenery included.

My first GSW690III was a bargain condition purchase at a good price. It had a lot of exposures on its shot counter. And after a couple of years of use the shutter broke. I missed it so much I had to replace it. This time I paid much more then the going price before. I like the simplicity too and having a fixed lens has taught me a lot. I'm surpised.

That makes sense about the tour group industry.
Yes, having a fixed lens is not as limiting as it might seem. I learned that with a Rolleiflex.
Right now, if I had to choose only one camera and lens to use, I would pick my M2 and a 35mm lens, so the GW690 is perfect for my needs. It's basically a medium format version of my M2 kit

---------- Post added 02-04-20 at 12:16 PM ----------

Thanks for the advice! I’m aware there’s a lot that can go wrong with these old Bronicas but I hope for the best. At least the finder screen is in the correct position.

I've had a Bronica S2 for almost 10 years. It's a great camera!
Zenza Bronica S2 and Nikkor-P 75/2.8 | Colton Allen | Film Shooters Collective

[K-Three]

15 S-M-C TAKUMAR lenses

Geez, that stuff NSFW, (Not Safe For Wallet)
Beautiful!

[ismaelg]

My set of 15 S-M-C TAKUMAR lenses - a great series to both collect and use!

Drooling here! What a beautiful collection!

[DonThomaso]

Geez, that stuff NSFW, (Not Safe For Wallet)
Beautiful!

Drooling here! What a beautiful collection!

Happy that you like it

[steamloco76]

The original Asahi Pentax (AP) with the last new, all mechanical 35mm SLR introduced by Pentax, The MX
Vivitar 28/2.0 Close Focusing @ f/11 on my K-r

[ismaelg]

The original Asahi Pentax (AP) with the last new, all mechanical 35mm SLR introduced by Pentax, The MX
Vivitar 28/2.0 Close Focusing @ f/11 on my K-r

Beautiful pair!

[K-Three]

Pentax, The MX

Looks just like mine, M 50 ƒ/1.7, wear marks look familiar, and you've lost the cap on the x-sync socket, but still have the half plugged into the FP socket.
Got mine new in 1978.
Some good memories with that gear

[wkraus]

I've had a Bronica S2 for almost 10 years. It's a great camera!
Zenza Bronica S2 and Nikkor-P 75/2.8 | Colton Allen | Film Shooters Collective

Thanks for the link, Colton! Great write-up with superb photos!

[steamloco76]

Looks just like mine, M 50 ƒ/1.7, wear marks look familiar, and you've lost the cap on the x-sync socket, but still have the half plugged into the FP socket.
Got mine new in 1978.
Some good memories with that gear

I won this MX in an eBay auction. It was dirty and had a sticky shutter. A thorough cleaning and application of RemOil Spray dripped onto various bearings and allowed to penetrate for days has it working and sounding just fine. I had to replace the seals and mirror foam too. The camera replaces two MX’s I owned until the early 2000’s. I’d used both extensively with a 5 FPS motor shooting local sports in all kinds of weather. I had both rebuilt by Pentax once and both needed it again when retired. The 5 FPS motor was really hard on the mechanics of these little jewels, but they were great, tiny, truly professional cameras.

[WPRESTO]

Thanks for the link, Colton! Great write-up with superb photos!

Another point about the Bronica S2 that I had for a few years not long after the camera was introduced. The website about the S2 says it has an internal "helicoid" focus mechanism. I don't think so. I think it has rack-&-pinion, working on normal and WA lenses which do not have any focusing mount, with telephotos fitting into the big outside bayonet mount and utilizing the lens' helicoid. I found that watching the camera and normal lens from the side then cranking the focus knob fore-aft, I could see a slight tilt up/down of the 75mm lens, which suggested the rack-&-pinion mechanism was not as tight as it should have been and allowed a little wobble that might have impacted top to bottom of frame focus under some critical conditions (flat object photographed at a short distance with the lens wide open). I doubt there would be any visible effect at normal focusing distances and typical apertures, but the fact that I could see the shift bothered me.