Bronica Rangefinder RF645 manual

1 RF645 Thank you f or your purchase of the Br onica RF645 medium format rangefinder camera. Incorporating the best of Br onica's k now-how and t echnological exper tise, the Bronica RF645 achieves a new dimension in compactness as the world's first medium f ormat 6 x 4.5 rangefinder camera to f eature interchangeable lenses , and comes w[...]

Special F eatures of the Bronica RF645 Nomenclature 1. Getting Star ted 1-1 Loading batt eries 1-2 Attaching and detaching lens 1-3 Attaching strap 1-4 Attaching the proper diopt ers adjustment lens 2. Preparing t o Shoot 2-1 Checking the batter y capacit y 2-2 Loading film 2-3 Setting the film speed 2-4 Exposure counter , Film memo holder , How to[...]

3 Special Fea tures of the Bronic a RF 645 ·A medium forma t coupled-meter rangefinder c amera. The Bronica RF 645 is a v er y compact and lightweight camera with a picture area appro xi- mately 2.7 times larger than the 35mm f ormat. The superior portabilit y and versatility of this model compared with other medium f ormat cameras ushers in an en[...]

4 Special Fea tures of the Bronic a RF 645 ·Shooting parameters of the c amera are clearly indicated on the internal vie wfinder display panel. An ov ersized L CD panel is installed inside the viewfinder to displa y constantly updated shooting status data such as shutter speed , lens aper ture, AE lock setting , exposure compen- sation setting , c[...]

5 Nomenclature Shutter speed dial Film adv ance lever Shutter release button Shutter speed dial lock release button Hotshoe Strap lugs Rear cover lock release Selftimer indicator Lens lock release button Fiber thread Lens Lens hood attachment Index Focusing ring Depth of field scale Distance scale Aperture ring Exposure meter window Finder Light in[...]

6 Nomenclature Lens mounting index (camera body) Rangefinder coupling roller Electronic contacts (camera body) Light shielding curtain Flash synch terminal Lens Lock pin Lens lock release button Rear cover Pressure plate Film spool shaft lock release button Spool holder Film start alignment mark Film type selection lever Printed circuit cable Film [...]

7 1. Getting S tar ted 1-1 Loading Batt eries 5.Batter y Checking Batter y status , the proper battery positioning of the loaded batteries , and the remaining battery power , must be checked prior to operation of the camera. T urn on the main switch and press lightly on the shutter speed dial. An L CD indicator lights up on the left side of the vie[...]

8 1. Getting S tar ted 1-2 Attaching and detaching the lens Note 1: The 65mm and the 100mm viewframes in the viewfinder ar e automatically switched as the respective lenses are attached . Note 2: When mounting the 45mm lens, inser t the dedicated viewfinder into the accessory hotshoe on the camera body . Refer to the instruction manual of the 45mm [...]

9 2. Preparing to S hoot 2-1 Check battery c apacity 2-1 Check Battery Capacity The Bronica RF 645 r equires a set of batteries to function, since the camera employs an electronically contr olled shutter . 1. Check the batter y level bef ore each shooting session. 2. T urn on the main switch and lightly press the shutter release button while lookin[...]

10 2. Preparing to S hoot 2-2 Loading Film 3. Install the film take-up spool in the right hand film chamber , align- ing the key-hole of the spool shaft of the camera. Push up the pr o- truding film spool shaft into the bottom plate of the camera until it locks into position. 4. Load a fresh r oll of film into the left hand film chambers as illustr[...]

11 2. Preparing to S hoot 2-2 Loading Film 8. Close the back cov er and lock it securely . Operate the film advanc e lever with f ew strokes until it stops. At this point, the exposure count- er window displays a "1". Note: After closing the camera back, make sure both film shafts are completely pressed back int o the camera bottom. Cauti[...]

12 2. Preparing to S hoot 2-4 Exposure Counter ISO speed F ilm speed dial scale DIN speed 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 3 3 25 32 40 50 64 80 100 125 160 200 250 320 400 500 640 800 1000 1250 1600 25 I I 50 I I 100 I I 200 I I 400 I I 800 I I 1600 2-4 Check the number on the exposure counter 2-4-1 Exposure Counter The exposu[...]

13 2. Preparing to S hoot 2-4 Exposure Counter 3. Remove the empty film spool from the f eeding side film chamber and transfer it t o the take-up film chamber in preparation for loading of the next roll of film. Note: When opening the camera r ear cover f or film loading and remov al, avoid exposing the camera to direct sunlight. Also, handle film [...]

14 3. S hooting 3-2 Viewfinder 3. T aking advantage of a tripod or a monopod: The difference betw een sharp pictures and shots blurred by camer a shake is one second away . When using a 100mm lens, 1/100 sec., is the limitation for holding the camera st eady . A faster shutter speed is strongly r ecommend- ed for shooting with a medium f ormat came[...]

15 Shutter speed (half step displa y) Aperture value (Progr am AE mode and Aperture-priority AE mode), proper exposure devia tion with + and - (M mode) Shooting mode display (P: program AE, A: aperture-priority AE, M: manual) AE.L (exposure memory) ON display . Shutter open status indicat or Exposure compensa tion display is used when the compensat[...]

16 3. S hooting 3-4 Exposures The numerals 1 t o 500 on the shutter speed dial represent shutter speeds or exposure times expressed in recipr ocals. In other words , "500" actually means 1/500 second and "60" is 1/60 second . The lens aperture can be set by rotating the lens aper ture ring . The 65mm lens provides an aperture ra[...]

17 3. S hooting 3-4 Exposures 3-4-3 Exposure Control Modes The Bronica RF 645 pr ovides three exposure contr ol modes: the Pr ogram AE mode , the Aper ture-priority AE mode and the manual exposure control mode . Any of the three exposure c ontrol modes mentioned can be selected and set using the shutter speed dial. 1. Program AE mode This is the pr[...]

18 3. S hooting 3-4 Exposures Manual exposure (2EV under) Corr ec t exposure 3. Manual Exposure Co ntrol This exposure c ontrol mode is par ticularly impor tant to those serious pho- tographers who intentionally det ermine specific shutter speeds and lens aper tures in order to pr oduce creative images . The Bronica RF 645 with its extremely precis[...]

19 3. S hooting 3-4 Exposures When an exposure compensation is applied , a (+) or (-) warning sym- bol is illuminated in the viewfinder panel. I t is impor tant to remem- ber there is no numerical indication for exposur e compensation. Note: Once the exposure compensation is complet ed in a photo ses- sion, do not forget to r eturn the exposure com[...]

20 3. S hooting 3-5 F ocusing The image contr ast will become noticeably sharp when the two images superimpose precisely . That is the point wher e the lens criti- cally focuses on the subject. 3. Split image focus: Split-image is an image divided into upper and low er halves. Human vision naturally perceiv es the most critical image matching when [...]

21 4. O ther Fea tures 4-1 Multiple Exposure Note 1: The ME button electronically cancels out the shutter r elease button lock system. F ive seconds after pressing the ME button, the canceling effect of the ME button will be cleared , the shutter button will be locked , and the L CD will switch off once again. Note 2: There is no exposur e compensa[...]

22 4. O ther Fea tures 4-3 Elec tronic flash photograph y 4-3 Elec tronic Flash Photograph y Equipped with a lens shutter system, the Bronica RF 645 featur es flash synchronization at all shutter speeds . Connect an electronic Speedlight unit to either the hotshoe or the sync terminal located at the front of the camera. When the dedicated Br onica [...]

23 4. O ther Fea tures 4-3 Elec tronic flash photograph y area photographed illuminated area 4. O ther Electronic Flash F eatur es * Exposure compensation: The flash exposure of the Speedlight RF 20 can be compensat ed from -3 to +2 stop in ½-st op increments according to the subject's reflectivity . * Back lit L CD: F or insufficient lightin[...]

24 4. O ther Fea tures 4-6 Depth of Field 4-6 Depth of Field Since the Bronica RF 645 is a coupled r angefinder camera compro- mising separate shooting and viewfinder optical systems , the sharp focus range is not dir ec tly display ed in the viewfinder . The depth of field must therefor e be read from the depth of field scale on the lens , or calc[...]

25 5. T roubleshooting Befor e tak ing your camera in f or repairs , check your camera r eferring to the f ollowing table. What ’ s happening Viewfinder L CD Cause of trouble Means to solv e How to oper ate Shutter release button depressed lightly but L CD does not light. No L CD indication Batter y drained Load new batteries Improperly loaded ba[...]

26 Shutter does not click No L CD indication Batter y exhausted Main switch turned OFF “X” mark flashing Camera temporarily inoperable , F ilm not wound to next frame Wind film Wind rapid wind lever to end No film loaded Load film, Replace lens correctly Use ME button for camera check w/o film Lens not mount ed properly Replace lens correctly C[...]

27 5. T roubleshooting Flash picture appears to be ... What ’ s happening Cause of trouble Means to solv e How to oper ate Under exposed Beyond exposure control range Cancel AE lock mode after shooting in this mode. Check flash range on flash unit L CD . Exposed on white subject Set Speedlight exposure compensation on plus (+) side. Over exposed [...]

28 6. References Exposure Measuring Range and Ev The exposure measuring range with the RF645 is EV3 to 18 (with ISO 100 film). F or example: If E V 14 is the correct exposure with ISO 100 film, the shutter speed setting will be 1/250 sec. when f8 is set to the aperture ring. I f the aperture is adjusted to , in the above case , the shutter speed se[...]

29 7. Specific ations Camera T ype Coupled-met er rangefinder , lens shutter 6 x 4.5 format camer a. Picture F ormat 41.5mm x 56mm F ilm 16 frames on 120 type film, 32 frames on 220 type film. Len s Interchangeable with Bronica ba yonet mount, 45mm f/4 Wide , 65mm f/4 Normal and 100mm f/4.5 T ele. F ilter Size 58mm (45mm f/4), 58mm (65mm f/4), 62mm[...]

30 F ilm Adv ance By rapid winding lever plac ed on top of cam- era with either 186° single stroke or rat ch- eted strokes , with 12° stand by angle . Coupled . Rangefinder Dual-image superimposing real image opti- cal system, with 53.5mm base line (effective base line: 33mm) Viewfinder Inverse Galilean optical system with c oupled rangefinder br[...]

8. Preliminar y C hecklist (Before loading film) A basic checklist of points and basic procedures to confirm bef ore embarking on a shoot is listed below . When you plan an important photographing session, it is essential to test y our camera to ensure the unit and other equipment is in good working order . This includes not only checking these poi[...]

Film Wind Lock Release If batter y power dr ops below the camera's operational lev el, or the main switch is mistakenly turned off during a long exposure shot (B or longer than 1 second exposure), the film wind lock mechanism will interrupt the camera operation and pr event the film from being advanc ed any fur ther . T o release the film adv [...]

9. Ensuring years of enjoyment through proper care and handling Camera Cleaning · Do not apply any solvent such as thinners and/or alc ohol to clean the external par ts of the camera. · T o wipe dir t or fingerprints from the camera sur face , apply a sof t cloth or silicone-treat ed cloth after blowing dust off the camera. · Do not apply silico[...]