Bronica ETR

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A Bronica ETR-S.

The Bronica ETR is a series of 4.5×6 SLRs made by Bronica.

ETR series special editions

• 20th Anniversary ETR-S (probably 1978 or 9): Matching body, 120 back, and AE-II finder in black painted metal with brown leather. See this page of Koh's Camera website.
• Safari ETR-S (sometime between 1982 and 1988): Matching 75mm lens, body, 120 back, and waist-level finder (possibly also matching prism finder, speed grip, professional lens hood, and case) in green polycarbonate with tan leather and accents.
• “300,000 ETR Series Cameras Sold” ETR-Si (Chrome Limited Edition, 1996): Matching body and 120 back in silver metal chrome with fine-grained black leather. See this page and this page in Raymond Bradlau's pbase Camera gallery.
• 40th Anniversary ETR-Si (probably 1998): Matching body, 120 back, AE-III Finder, and Speed Grip in silver-colored polycarbonate (plastic) with grey leatherette.

Chrome bodies and accessories

Throughout the life of the ETR line Bronica kept producing chrome bodies and backs, starting with the line's introduction in 1976. They made chrome ETR and ETR-S bodies and chrome 120, 220, and 70mm backs probably until 1981. Then in 1996 they produced the Limited Edition chrome ETR-Si body and matching chrome Ei 120 back. The chrome ETR and ETR-S bodies came with chrome winding cranks, while the 1996 Limited ETR-Si came with a standard black crank. Also the ETR and ETR-S backs had chrome shells/frames and chrome inserts, while the 1996 chrome 120 backs had a standard black painted shell with a chrome insert.

You can view an ETR manual that shows the original chrome components of the system in this page at butkus.org.

There were never any chrome metal finders.

To confuse buyers greatly however there was a later, silver colored polycarbonate (plastic) special edition (40th Anniversary) that did have it's own matching AE-III Finder and Speed Grip. This set uses grey instead of black leatherette. It is very pretty (and Bronica finally got rid of the typographic mishmash of the ETR-Si line and used their great original type and logo from the 60s)-- but no part of it is metal chrome.

Original ETR and ETR-S chrome bodies, backs, and cranks all look good and work well together with the other standard black components and the 1996 chrome Special Edition.

Finally one can replace the black plastic ME and MLU levers and the whole winder cover of the 1996 edition with metal chrome versions scavenged from any black metal paint ETR or earlly ETR-S parts bodies. Makes the thoroughly modern ETRSi body hark back to the looks of an S2, and more importantly gives you a very rugged, compact, modern medium format body.

Links

General links

• Bronica Learning Center: ETR guide at the Tamron official website
• Bronica ETR-S/Si at medfmt

User manuals

• Bronica manuals at the Tamron official website, including the ETR-S and ETR-Si
• Bronica ETR manual and Bronica ETR-S / ETR-C manual at butkus.org