Bronica Zenzanon MC 150mm

The Bronica Zenzanon MC 150mm f/3.5 is a medium-format telephoto prime made for Bronica's ETR 6×4.5 camera system.

On 645 format, 150mm gives a short-to-medium telephoto perspective that's particularly well suited to portraits, studio work and tighter compositions. It gives you more working distance than a standard lens while keeping the distinctly medium-format look that makes the Bronica ETR system such a good portrait setup.

Like other lenses in the ETR system, the 150mm incorporates a leaf shutter inside the lens rather than relying on a focal-plane shutter in the camera body. This allows flash synchronisation across the available shutter-speed range when used with the appropriate Bronica body and flash setup.

The MC designation refers to Bronica's multi-coating, while focusing and aperture selection are fully manual.

Best for

• Medium-format portraits
• Studio photography
• Fashion
• Head-and-shoulders portraits
• 6×4.5 film photography
• Bronica ETR system users
• Flash photography
• Controlled portrait work
• Collectors building a Bronica system

What to expect

The 150mm focal length on 6×4.5 medium format gives you a classic telephoto perspective that's especially useful for portraits. It provides more subject distance and tighter framing than the standard lenses normally used with the ETR system.

Its f/3.5 maximum aperture also gives you useful control over depth of field, particularly at portrait distances.

This isn't an autofocus lens. Focusing, aperture selection and the rest of the shooting process are manual, making it very much part of the traditional medium-format experience.

Because the shutter is built into the lens, its operation is also important to the overall condition of the lens, not just the optics and focusing mechanism.

Developing

This lens is designed for the Bronica ETR 6×4.5 film system, so developing depends on the film loaded into the camera.

With colour negative film, this will commonly mean C-41 processing. Black and white and slide films require their respective processes.

The lens can also be adapted for some digital setups, in which case no film developing is required.