A UK user of the SQ-Ai emailed me about a problem with a film back he had purchased second-hand. I had little inkling of the cause of the problem until I looked at my own film back more closely to see if I could understand a little more about its operation.

That email inspired the creation of this page of tips and tricks for the Bronica SQ-Ai, which could also be of use to users of the ETRSi and GS-1 kits, given their very close operational similarities.

If any other users has more to offer, by all means, send them my way for posting on this page.

Film backs for the Bronica cameras seem to be derided for being the weak spot of the kit. Generous use of plastics (not my favorite material, as regular readers will know) provide for a lighter weight but then the backs themselves feel "lightweight" in quality too thanks to its use.

Users who experience a camera being able to release the shutter even when the dark slide is in place need to look closely at the section of the back circled in red.

There is a black plastic cylinder that protrudes out from the back and interfaces with the camera.

Inside the cylinder, when the dark slide is in place (red arrow), a metal rod comes out but stays within the black plastic cylinder.

This metal rod locks the shutter on the camera when the dark slide is properly in place and prevents wastage of film via accidental shutter release.

When the dark slide is pulled out, the metal rod retracts inside the film back and allows the shutter to be released.

Incidentally, the dark slide can be pulled out from the back even when the back has been disengaged from the camera.

A small release, seen in the blue circle at left, can be pushed in to allow the dark slide to be removed.

Bronica's Zenzanon lenses are electronically controlled thanks to battery power. Although this precludes any manual operation, such as offered by Hasselblad, the shutter speeds are very accurate. Actually, there is one manual speed of 1/500 available should battery power go down.

Despite the highly accurate timing of the shutter, the shutter's blades are still controlled by springs and when the shutter is open, the springs are tensed.

The shutter needs to be open for mounting and dismounting of lenses, but when lenses are not being used for long periods of time, releasing the springs and hence the shutter, will help to prolong the life of the springs.

To release the shutter, locate the small lever on the side of the lens mount, as shown at left.

This is a two-handed operation but quite easy to do.

The thumb, beside the "Japan" print, is pushing in the lever on the side of the lens mount. The index finger of the same hand is positioned to release one of the two shutter release levers.

The thumb or index finger of the left hand, at bottom, releases the other shutter release lever.

As shown in the image at left, the shutter can now be manually closed.

Push the two shutter release levers all the way to the end of the small arc outlined in red on the lens mount.

When the lens is needed again, simply push the two release levers fully to the other side as marked by the green dots on the lens mount. The lens is ready for mounting on the camera or lens accessory, such as extension tubes of teleconvertors. No need to push the side lever, as required for releasing the shutter.

The Bronica Lockup

Hasselblad cameras have a notorious lockup reputation amongst their users. If a lens or lens accessory mounting is not mounted in the proper order, a lockup occurs that can only be unlocked by a service tech or by those who own a special tool to unlock the shutter.

Less well known is the Bronica lockup that can also occur if a lens or usually, a lens accessory such as an extension tube or teleconvertor is not mounted correctly.

The example shot below shows an 80mm lens mounted to a 36mm extension tube, which in turn is mounted onto the camera.

Take the lens and tube off of the camera as one unit and then try to release the lens from the tube. Chances are you won't be able to release them via the release knob of the tube as shown below right.

Why is this the case, that the lens and tube cannot be released after dismounting from the camera. The key is the shutter release levers introduced to you earlier on this page.

When you dismount an extension tube or a teleconvertor, what happens is that the release levers have actually been disengaged and a quick glance at them will seem normal enough. But, look a little closer.

The image below left shows the shutter release levers slightly disengaged, right after dismounting from the camera. When the release levers are properly engaged, the levers are directly below the green dot on the lens mount. You need to ensure the levers are fully engaged, otherwise the lens will not be released from the extension tube or teleconvertor.

I do not know why this disengagement occurs with extension tubes and teleconvertors, as it does not happen with lenses by themselves. Also, when mounting the tube or teleconvertor back onto the camera for further use, ensure that the levers are engaged before doing so.

Note that these tips and images are for SQ bodies and accessories. There are slight differences for the other series of tubes, such as those for the ETR bodies. The release catch is on the inside of the tube instead of the outside as seen in the image top right. Thanks to Bud Smithers for pointing this out.

On a related note, the shutter must be open on the lens before you can dismount from the camera. Otherwise, the lens is locked until you crank the film winder again.

Users of motor drives need not worry about this as the motor winds the film forward while cocking the shutter again.

Some users have commented on hearing something rattle inside their lenses when they shake the lens. As far as I have been able to determine, this is just the sound of the springs inside the lens and is of no concern whatsoever for the operational utility of the lens and of the whole system together. All four of my lenses have this rattle and none have ever failed on me, including two that are nearing their first decade anniversary (bought used from a friend).

Timed Release

The current series of Zenzanon lenses for Bronica have a manual Time release feature that allows for very long timed exposures without using battery power. The time release switch is located below the lens when it is mounted on a camera, as seen below left.

To utilize the feature, pull the silver locking tab from the lens so that it protrudes out. Slide the lever by the "A" so that it covers up the letter and reveals a red "T", as shown below. The camera is now ready for long time exposurs without using battery power.

The camera does not need to be set to any special shutter speed such as Bulb, as the Timed switch overrides the shutter speed set on the camera.

Once you release the shutter, the shutter stays open for as long as you have the Timed lever on. To close the shutter, slide the tab to cover up the red T and reveal the A once more. Camera operation will be back to normal again.

One note, if using the Time release feature, the use of black cardboard or lens cap is advisable to act as a secondary "shutter" to cover up the lens before moving the tab below the camera. By capping the lens first to close off the exposure, any jiggling you cause on the camera itself by closing the off the tab, will not reveal themselves on the film as motion shake or ghosting of the subject.

Dry Firing the Camera
Test firing the camera without film loaded is done a certain way. Use the Multiple Exposure control on the side of the camera shown below. Flip it down so that the red dot is shown, this tells you that multiple exposure is engaged and the film will not be advanced until released.

This now allows you to fire the shutter and test the opertion of the camera for shutter speed accuracy or flash sync. Of course, the dark slide should be removed from the filmback, as per the first tip at the top of the page.