Bronica RF645 50th Anniversary2002

History

Zenza Bronica Industries was founded by Zenzaburo Yoshino and produced its first medium-format SLR, the Bronica, in 1958 - making 2002 approximately the 44th anniversary of the first camera and the 46th year of the company, depending on which date is treated as the founding. A "50th anniversary" in 2002 requires either an earlier founding date (around 1952) or a reference to another Zenzaburo Yoshino business or photographic enterprise.

The RF645 itself launched at a difficult moment for medium-format film. Digital capture was beginning to affect professional studio work, and the consumer medium-format market was contracting. Bronica's standard RF645 sold modestly; a limited anniversary edition in its second year of production would have been a small commemorative run aimed at brand enthusiasts and collectors rather than new buyers.

By 2004 Tamron announced the end of the Bronica brand, discontinuing all bodies and formally closing the Zenza Bronica product division. The 50th anniversary RF645 was among the final Bronica products ever produced.

Why It Matters

The RF645 50th Anniversary Edition sits at two interesting historical junctures simultaneously: it is one of the last Bronica cameras ever made, and it belongs to the RF645 line, which is itself the only interchangeable-lens medium-format rangefinder Bronica ever produced.

The standard RF645 has achieved a strong collector and user following despite its short production run, valued for its compact size relative to medium-format SLRs, leaf-shutter flash sync at all speeds, and a natively vertical viewfinder that appeals to portrait photographers. The 50th anniversary edition adds a collector premium on top of an already scarce base model.

For working photographers, the RF645 50th Anniversary functions identically to any other RF645: the same lens options, the same 16-frame 6x4.5 negative, the same rangefinder system. The premium is purely cosmetic and historical.

Lenses & Accessories

The RF645 50th Anniversary accepts the same three Bronica RF645 lenses as the standard body:

• Zenzanon-RF 45mm f/4 - wide angle; requires separate accessory finder mounted in hot shoe
• Zenzanon-RF 65mm f/4 - normal focal length, kit lens; frame lines in body viewfinder
• Zenzanon-RF 100mm f/4.5 - short telephoto; frame lines in body viewfinder

Each lens contains its own Seiko leaf shutter. The lens system is closed - only these three focal lengths were ever produced for the RF645 mount. No additional lenses were announced or developed before the brand closed.

Accessories:

• External 45mm accessory finder - mounts in hot shoe for 45mm framing
• Standard flashes via hot shoe (leaf shutter enables full sync at all speeds)

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• The RF645 (all variants) attracted portrait and street photographers seeking a lighter medium-format alternative to the Mamiya RB67 or Hasselblad 500C/M.
• The vertical native orientation of the finder and frame made the RF645 a natural choice for portrait-oriented shooting without rotating the camera body.
• No named photographers are specifically documented as using the 50th anniversary edition; the standard RF645 has been discussed in 35mmc and Casual Photophile reviews but rarely with photographer attribution.

References

• No verified primary sources for the 50th anniversary edition specifically. For the standard RF645 see:
  • Camera-Wiki: Bronica RF645
  • Wikipedia: Bronica RF645