Bronica RF645???

[stradibarrius]

I have read some good reviews about the Bronica RF645. What are your experiences and opinions of the camera?

[Tom Kershaw]

The lens are excellent and the camera body is a solid object. However I'd recommend getting one that has either been recently serviced or budget for servicing as the rangefinder alignment and shutter / film winding mechanism can be subject to malfunction.

Tom

[perkeleellinen]

I have one, I've been using it for a few months now. It feels really solid in the hand and is well balanced with a nice grip. All the controls are well thought out and it's a joy to use. It feels just like a slightly bigger 35mm rangefinder. It's a really nice camera with a great viewfinder. Some issues with it are that no lens opens more than f4 and that close focusing goes no nearer than one meter. If you can live with that, the camera is great. The film wind feels delicate, but mine has had no issues, although I do wind on gently.

[ooze]

The optics are stunning, amongst the very best IMO. The body feels very solid and the ergonomics are excellent. Adjusting to the vertical orientation was no issue for me.

I think it's the perfect travel camera and I've travelled a lot with it. However, the body has started to malfunction after several years of use. Sometimes the winding mechanism locks up after exposing the first frame. And now the light shield curtain gets stuck when changing lenses.

[Jeff Kubach]

From what my friends tell me this is a excellent camera.

Jeff

[kraker]

I've got one (I actually bought it after seeing Tom with his RF645), it's my favourite MF camera. Very intuitive to use, the bobs and bits are all in the right place. The slight disadvantage of the slower (f/4) lenses were mentioned already. Once you're used to that, I don't see that as a problem. A great camera.

If you're considering this camera and one, two or even three lenses, don't overlook the little flash. I'm usually not a big fan of using flash, but the RF20 is the perfect companion for the RF645.

In short: recommended!

[segedi]

I bought one a few months back and couldn't be happier. I took two cameras with me to Europe an R4A with Summarit 35mm and the Bronica RF645. I used the Bronica 80% of the time paired with the 65mm lens. I used the 45mm lens just once, but it is a nice wide performer. I'll have to scan in the slides that came back soon - stunning!

There's only one drawback, and why I got such a bargain price on my set... Bronica is no longer supporting service on these. I'm knew that when I bought it and am still happy with the purchase.

[Oren Grad]

In the US, Tamron is committed to providing service for seven years after the official discontinuation. This runs to October, 2012. I recently wrote to ask them about it, and they were unwilling to commit to anything beyond that.

[brian steinberger]

I've been using the RF645 for about 4 years now and love it. I believe it's the best camera ergonomically speaking, everything is in the right place and it just feels good in your hands. I like that the shutter speeds work in half stops in aperture priority mode and the meter is very accurate. The vertical orientation fits me just fine, but I could see how others would take some getting used to. I primarily use it as my hiking and traveling camera. The winder is sensitive, that's my only gripe. Sometimes I wind once after a shot, sometimes it wants me to wind twice, weird, but the frames still come out spaced correctly. I'm thinking of looking for another body, one newer. The one I have now is a very low serial number. After all that said, I still use my pair of Mamiya 6's for most of my work. I like the square better, and the Mamiya lenses are sharper than the Bronicas. But either way I highly recommend this camera!

[craigclu]

Love mine... It is easily my most-used system and I have some decent alternatives. I was surprised at the comment above regarding the optics. I find mine easily the equal to my Mamiya 7 optics and seem to give better b&w renditions, too. The vertical format is especially nice for people shots/candids. Very solid feeling tool. The little flash is a great fill-flash unit and has me trusting it for that duty. It's too small for using as a primary flash, IMO but can cover in a pinch. The Mamiya alternative would have the advantage of longer support being likely? I only grab the Mamiya stuff when I know I'll be doing horizontal work or needing to make more extreme enlargements. That is primarily format related and not optics....