The Bronica Medium Format Camera

 Bronica ETRS

Jim Kennett was selling his Bronica ETRS and I bought it. Wait , what, why didn't you buy like somekind of new digital camera, well (giggling) I really just prefer the film. My all time camera when growing up was and still is the  Mamiya C220orC330  Twin Reflex, none the less a move from 35mmm to a Medium Format is comparable in today's market. I can get a great camera like this Bronica that is not going to kill my wallet, plus pushing those skills that get lost using digital come right back into play.  Alright, enough babbling.

Let's chat about this Bronica, first it's Medium Format, the 120mm film loads from the back and the weight is manageable. You can either use the view finder or just look from the top to see what your shooting.  The variety of lenses is like any other camera, short, long prime but the basic is the 75mm 2.8/f.  The orientation of the mechanics is a bit awkward at times, you search around feeling for buttons, but that goes away quick after you realize it's not the digital camera you normally throw around. 

You hold it up to your right eye, left hand under it, right hand to maneuver the focus ring, advancing the film and trying to maintain level shooting. This  Bronica has DOF that is very exacting and the you need the patients of a monk to find that sweet spot. If I am shooting some landscape, no problem but when shooting portraits is where you really need a lot practice.  See the example above looks quite nice but the photo below shows that I leaned forward by about an inch. I had her in focus and believe she was in that sweet spot but for some odd reason I did just lean forward just a little.

 

I was focused on her right side of her face but as you can see her far left side is in focus. The only lighting going is a couple modeling lights and a quick test shot with a digital told me I had just enough light. The focus has very thin line as you can follow it all the way down the photo. I am going to figure this out and most likely will be packing the Bronica just about every where I go, it'll be worth it. Thanks Holly for being such a great sport. 

Ok, back from rambling.  The audio the film cameras make are so unique. My Mamiya MSX 500 has a great sound, the Nikon FG20 has great sound and so does this Bronica. The clack of the mirror, the button being be pushed, the hand cranking sound of advancing film, the moving parts all slapping around when you hit that button to take a photo, it's a sound that I just like to hear. It's one of those noises in life you don't mind hearing. 

Film, ran a roll Foma BW, Portra and working on a roll Kodak BW at the moment, when the roll is ready, grab up the chemicals and get all mad scientist in developing this roll.  I will link back the Portra shots later on.

Well Bronica is no longer made so getting accessories at time maybe challenge so, if you got one hold it to it some like me may need some thing.

Contrast my a**, try harder. Pssttt..try the side note today.

Contrast filters:
 I dwell into the basement, stumbling down the steps, grumbling as I go along. The thoughts running through my head on how to get what I want. I mixed my chemicals as usual, set-up the enlarger as normal and begin.
   Crap-o on the prints and then I final dial it in. What I wanted was hard blacks and whites, like back in the old magazines of some kind of perfume model out on the street sidewalk. I was always kinda of drawn to that look and have been trying to get to that stage in printing. Now a lot of people don't like that look and I really don't care but it's what I want in photo, a black and white photo.

Ilford contrast filters.

       So, the enlarger is set at 2 stops up fully being closed down. The timer is set at just about nine half second's. The number 4+ contrast plate was put in place and then I waited.  While shaking the pan and may I say I shake a good pan, the photo begins to appear. Hot chocolate I did, man there it was hard blacks and whites. Nope this has to be a fluke, did again and again, pretty happy the results.  You can check Ilford's contrast page at this link: Ilford contrast filters. Any way this was all done on 5x7 sheets, so some 8x10's are in the future.

Side Note:
First listen to the NPR radio show about the presidents photographers. Here is the link:NPR radio presidents photographers. The most annoying part is how Robert McNeely revels about film and then just goes into this horrid crash of What are you talking about syndrome. Clearly he has the only and last darkroom on the earth and all of the others have perished during the great digital camera evolution. See, the bad thing is that the film industry is still growing and is still recognized as the standard for film/photo.  Even as I type, there is a massive debate on 35mm being and remains the champ to the finest digital camera out there. So, dear Mr. McNeely come out of the basement and join the rest of us, I believe you may hold a great knowledge of something in film and it would be a bitch for you squander it away in a basement. ( I drop the mic hard to ground and exit left of stage, lights drop low, crowd goes silent)

Darkroom Chemical mixing for part ratio

Darkroom Mixing

 Darkroom chemical mixing to some can be  a bummer. Look if your new or wanting to start a darkroom one of the hardest things to find out is what/how to mix the chemicals. I never said I was a genius at mixing and it can be  a daunting task to a lot of mathematical challenged people.

    If you read the flyer on the chemical bottle or go to the dev chart and start reading and get confused don't stop there. It's actually not to hard to figure out. You need to know several things first, what is the size of the bottle your pouring mix into. I make small batches, I use the 354ml brown bottles. Next is the ratio for Developer, Stop, Fixer, I know these are stated on the flyer of the bottles. Developer from Ilford is 1 to 9 and we are only going to  use this example but the principal remains the same  for the rest. So, 1 to 9 parts.....crap head hurts...but mush through this you can do it.

     Take out your smart phone and click the calculator and take 354 and divide it by 9, that will get you 39.3 and I round up to 40. Now pour 40ml of developer into your measuring cup.Then  pour that into your brown bottle. Now add 354 ml of water to your 40ml that you just poured. Now your first chemical is mixed and repeat process for stop,fixer,photo flo and what ever else.

    This is also for processing your film and also for processing/prints in your darkroom. I highly recommend you follow the Dev chart if processing film and follow the bottles directions if making prints.

    I made a horrible video for you to watch.

   So, here it is again. 354÷9=40............40 added to 354= mixed.

Bonus:  

 Please remember that you are mixing parts and you will need to adjust. Depends on age chemicals, paper, film etc...this is not an exact technique and you can cause errors. Always rely on safety as well, you are mixing things. Mark your bottles well and trays as well. I always make a little extra developer  to add as I print to help keep up spent developer.  Now that's whole another blog in it's self.Developer....pffttt
Some links :Analog film group
Devchart

Walter's post Craigslist: Darkroom forsale

    I will make this short as possible. I already have an enlarger the Lentar69 and really wasn't in the market for a different. My thought was research what I need for a darkroom, you know the "stuff". I looked through a ton of material and everyone had the grandiose set-ups, all pro and crap. I stopped looking for a while then one day on Craigslist I glimpsed at a post "Darkroom for sale" scimmed thru but wallet was thin that week. So, I will check back later, you know CL has a 45 day posting ,right? So, a couple of weeks later I answered the CLpost and it was still for sale, yes(fistpump).
        I get the cash, call the guy up, hey be there in 20mins, ok, ok, boom I am there in the garage with the "stuff". I meet Walter. I am thinking well it's time to work the magic, how much do I get him lower the price. I started my speel but suddenly stopped,
       Walter tells me his story. He purchased everything new, his inspiration came from his father, a veteran war photographer ,dad loved his Rollie. Anyway Walter did BW darkroom printing and encouraged the children to get into photography. The kids used the darkroom as well for years and then they packed it all away. It lay in a basement for years and now Walter and wife are moving and stuff needs to be sold off.
            That's when I met Walter and so glad I did. I did a quick print wrote some stats on it, drop it off and went about my way.
   Now I got an entire darkroom, Thanks to Walter. Check it out in the photo's.

Darkroom Beseler 67C

You're such a pro....photographer.

  You're such a pro photographer , most likely  you thought that about some person in some kind of setting, right.  With that thought you also most likely went ,hey how, why, what and when did my photos not look as good as other photographers, what ever that person is doing I must do. I need to be a professional photographer and I must do what others do and that makes me a pro  photographer. I think of a pro photographer is one that sells and has to put everything down as income to some IRS paper. That's what a pro is today but maybe you can change  that and make it more about something else.

  When someone sees a great photo and they want to try and emulate it, naturally the photo they are trying to reproduce can't be done  by the average non pro photographer. People don't understand that what they see is staged and processed  in great detail. One great photo is most likely thirty and one, plus thousands of dollars in gear and a staff of ten, then back to a computer where the real photo of today's media is actually produced. Wow, wait it's not just about the camera any more now it's some software program as well. I have seen horrible photos turned into great photos by a software program and vice versa.
  You don't need to be a pro photographer, all you need to be is a person that doesn't have any limitations in photography. One of the things I find is you just need to stop being envious of others, lose the ego that others have and if the enjoyment is gone, packed it away and come back to it another day.  You maybe more of a pro than you really know it. Make it more about something else.

Canvas print from the Imperial'ist Model 666

Canvas print 8x10 from the canvaspeople.com

     I was wondering on  how  to get my hands into printing by the way of film but the Canvaspeople.com came through on a deal that could not be passed. Ok, I was going to go and buy a bunch of material, like chemicals, paper, build a dark room and anything else to do a print by hand, that's still in the future though.
      I was on  a search for all of the darkroom material when I found an online company called Canvaspeople.com, the offer was a free  8x10 canvas print,   pfffft   right. Well crap this has to be one of those cheesy ass marketing deals, right. It was not , actually the only thing I paid was the $15.00 for shipping and was more than gladly to pay that. Most of these company's want you to buy one get one free plus shipping on both and use this code, blah blah and it winds costing you a freaking arm and leg in the end.
      I would recommend them for a print or two, I was truly suprised at a real wooden frame and a nicely pulled tight canvas with a darn tooting good looking print quality as well.  I guess my next stop is to get the canvas print framed, hmmm sound like I am off to Micheal's maybe. Here is the link to them,   canvaspeople

Imperial"ist gets printed and mounted to wall!

St.Louis Arch and Old Court House

Yes, I nail his ass to the wall when I get it ,hahahaha. I did a few shot a while back with the Imperial Reflex and had negs done to digital. Today I ordered a canvas print and will be excited to get it soon. I went to the Canvaspeople.com and ordered the 8x10 of the shot sen below. I will get a darkroom together soon and still print but for the fastest way to see a print from a camera made in the 50's and in the USA is doing this canvas print.  Here is a link to canvas people site: http://www.canvaspeople.com/