Life in Squares – The Bronica S2A
This is the fifth post in the series. The idea behind “Life in Squares” is to give people interested in Medium Format Photography, especially in the classic 6x6 format, some info regarding some of the popular, and maybe not-so-popular, options out there. All of the cameras that I plan on featuring are personally owned and shot by me – my hope is that I can give some added perspective over and above the standard “gear reviews”. I’ll be honest about the good, and the bad………………and maybe along the way add some insights in regards to shooting in the beloved 6x6 square format.
The Bronica S2A
OK, now we are starting to venture into new square territory here – the ability to switch out film backs. This makes the Bronica S2A different than any of the other square format cameras that I’ve reviewed so far, and, also can make it a more desirable option.
Before I get into the review, I want to say that its been awhile since I’ve shot with my S2A – probably at least a year, maybe more. When going back through my old images and researching which ones to include in this review, I was surprised at just how much I shot with it – A LOT. I must have really liked this camera.
Do I still? Keep reading through to the end to find out.
First a little history. The Bronica S2A, SLR released by Bronica in 1969, is the successor of the Bronica S2. It is a focal-plane shutter camera – meaning that the shutter is in the camera body – not a leaf shutter in the lens as found on the Kowa Six.
The S2A uses a unique removable helical focusing mount. This mount could focus lenses with focal lengths from 40mm to 200mm; longer lenses have their own helicoids. The film back has the capability to accept 220 roll film, the choice of 120 or 220 is made with a flip of a switch on the film back.
Shutter speeds range from 1 to 1/1000s and B. The shutter must be cocked before each shot by cranking the film winding lever. It takes typically 3 to 4 complete rotations until it feels like it stops then rotate a little more until you hear the shutter cock. The sound is odd and often makes you feel like you may have broken the camera – don’t worry, that’s just the way it works.
The standard lens for the S2A is a 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor P. The regular version of the camera uses chrome on the body, with black leatherette. There are also some out there with dark grey leatherette – in my opinion the grey looks so classy.
Cincinnati Morning pano - 8 images shot on the S2A then placed on top of each other in Photoshop with some of the film borders erased. The 75mm lens is tack sharp, and when combined with a good low-grain film like Kodak Ektar, can produce great detail.
Why purchase an S2A over its predecessor S2? The main difference is an improved film advance gear mechanism one the S2A that’s less prone to breaking compared to that on the S2. The gear design was changed and beefed up to stop it from stripping and breaking.
So what is it like to use?
First thing to note is that it is a gorgeous camera – that often gets confused with being a Hasselblad 500 series. It’s stumpier and fatter than a 500 series, but the design, format, and chrome bits are really close to the look of a Hasselblad 500c/cm.
The next thing to note is that the viewfinder is fairly dim. Dimmer than I would like – not nearly as bright as the Kowa Six or the Yashicamat that I’ve already reviewed. And also dimmer than my Hasselblad 500c. Is it really bad? In bright to medium light you won’t notice it – but in darker situations like blue hour or night, composing and focusing can be a bit of a challenge. And speaking of viewfinders – S2’s and S2A’s can often suffer from deteriorated spacing foam underneath the finder glass that causes the glass to sit in the incorrect plane and affect sharpness of the final image. This is a fairly easy fix if you get one – do a quick search on YouTube for several tutorials on this.
The 75mm lens is super sharp – when you nail focus the image holds up against more expensive glass like the Zeiss lenses of its day. No complaints there.
The film backs are great – the ability to switch between 120 and 220 without needing a whole other back is nice. I still occasionally will shoot a roll of 220 that I keep in the freezer and this helps keep down the amount of gear one needs to carry. Another nice touch on the back is the built-in film card holder – no forgetting what you have loaded in there!
So, speaking of backs, this is the only thing that has ever let me down on this camera. On a trip long ago to Columbus I noticed that the back was acting strange, sometimes not moving the counter along to the next shot as it should. After shooting several rolls there and also back home in Dayton, and then developing them – I realized that the back was overlapping frames, sometimes 2, 3, or even 4 times. That was the only back I had at the time so I ended up just buying a NOS replacement one on eBay. The new back has grey leatherette while my camera has black – makes me wish the whole camera was grey – maybe someday!
The elephant in the room, when discussing the S2A, is the sound the shutter makes. It is LOUD. I mean louder than my RB67 and 500c PUT TOGETHER loud. There is no trying to be stealthy or silent with this camera. However, it is a very satisfying sound – it sometimes makes one feel like you just hammered a great image out of granite with sledgehammers and chisels.
Cole was always very patient with me - often he was the unwilling subject of the last shot on a roll. In this instance he wasn’t prepared for the noise of the S2A shutter. 1/125th of a second wasn’t fast enough to freeze his startled look when it fired.
All-in-all I have been very happy with my S2A. But I mentioned before that I rarely shoot with it any more. Why is that? Looking back on this I think my shooting on the S2A began to drop off after I started shooting more with my RB67 gear. And by then I had also purchased a Hasselblad 500c, so that when I wanted to shoot 6x6 with an interchangeable back system I would grab the Hasselblad. It also helps the Hasselblad’s case that I have several lenses and backs for that system while only the 75mm lens and one back for the Bronica. So there’s nothing really WRONG with the S2A, it just doesn’t seem to get picked to come out to play as much as it used to. I really need to shoot with it some more.
A few more shots I’ve taken over the years with my S2A:
OK, so the question at hand is – would I recommend an S2A to someone looking to get into the 6x6 Medium Format game?
I’d say “yes” with a caveat – only if you need the interchangeable backs and the functionality of a system that has different lenses, viewfinders, etc.
Even then - if you are really wanting a Hasselblad, and feel like you would want to use this system then eventually “trade up” – you might be better off buying the Hasselblad to begin with. S2A’s are going up in price but so are the 500c/cm series. I think the S2A will plateau while the 500c/cm bodies will continue to go up – meaning if you decide to sell the S2A to get the Hasselblad you will effectively “lose” money on the deal in the future versus just buying the Hasselblad at the start. Please note that I’m not saying the Hasselblad is “better”. But I know many people dream of owning one.
If you don’t need interchangeable backs – but want the ability to use different lenses – take a look at the Mamiya C220/C330 series that Doug reviewed on here previously. They have great glass, nice form factor, and are fairly bulletproof.
OK, thanks for reading! If you have any questions about the S2A or just want to chat, please feel free to send me an email or comment below!
Jeremy
Some more info:
Dayton Blue Hour pano - 6 images shot on the S2A then placed on top of each other in Photoshop with some of the film borders erased.
