Bronica ETR1976

History

Zenza Bronica had been producing medium-format SLRs since the 1959 Bronica Z — a 6×6 focal-plane-shutter camera with interchangeable Nikkor lenses. By the mid-1970s, Hasselblad had established the premium standard for 6×6 leaf-shutter medium-format SLRs, but the market lacked an affordable 6×4.5 professional system. Bronica responded with the ETR, launching a new mount and a comprehensive system of Zenzanon-E lenses from 40mm to 500mm.

The ETR was succeeded by the ETR-S (1979), which added a multiple-exposure capability and a new AE metered finder (the AE-III) compatible with Zenzanon-PE lenses for aperture-priority shooting. The ETRSi (1989) completed the series with TTL OTF flash metering. All ETR, ETR-S, and ETRSi bodies share the same lens mount and are fully cross-compatible with the entire ETR lens and back system.

Why It Matters

The Bronica ETR created the affordable professional 645 category. Before it, photographers who wanted modular medium-format had to spend Hasselblad prices for a 6×6 body. The ETR offered most of the same capabilities — interchangeable lenses, backs, and finders; leaf-shutter flash sync at all speeds; robust mechanical construction — at roughly a third of the cost.

For contemporary film photographers, the ETR is the most affordable entry point into the ETR system. Its primary limitation relative to the ETR-S and ETRSi is the absence of multiple-exposure mode and TTL flash metering, but these are rarely critical features. The ETR-mounted Zenzanon-PE lenses (with PE AE-coupling) do not couple for AE on the original ETR body (which has no metered prism circuit of its own), but all lenses function in manual mode.

The 6×4.5 format works natively in a portrait-orientation 645 frame, which many photographers prefer over the square 6×6 for editorial and portrait applications.

Lenses & Accessories

Bronica ETR bayonet mount. Zenzanon-E (manual diaphragm) and Zenzanon-PE (AE-coupled) lenses all fit: 40/4 E (fisheye-ish), 50/2.8 E, 60/3.5 E, 75/2.8 PE (standard), 100/2.8 PE, 105/3.5 MC, 150/3.5 PE, 200/4.5 PE, 250/5.6, 500/8. Accessories: 120 and 220 film backs (E-series, interchangeable); waist-level finder; 45° prism; AE-III metered prism (with PE lenses); Motor Winder E (AA batteries); hand grip; extension tubes; bellows unit.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Bronica ETR-series cameras were widely adopted by portrait and wedding photographers in Japan and Europe through the 1980s and 1990s as affordable professional 645 systems.
• Editorial photographers valued the 15-frame-per-roll efficiency vs. 12 frames on 6×6 — meaningful when shooting fast-moving news or fashion assignments.
• Photography schools in Japan used Bronica ETR kits as teaching systems for their accessibility and comprehensive lens range.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Bronica ETR
• Wikipedia: Bronica ETR series