Lets get one thing clear: This is not a review. Simply my first impressions of the camera and a look at some of the first images I made with it.

I encountered my first big error with this camera while out and about, I put an 800-speed film into my camera which was far too fast for how bright it is leading me to shoot (almost) everything at F/22 1/500th of a second (the lowest amount of light the camera lets in) which even then meant the photos lost a significant amount of sharpness and were still overexposed. Not what I had in mind but I did not judge the conditions well enough with the 800-speed film… and I certainly wasn't about to waste it!

Now for a bit of technical information on the camera:

The ETRSi is a 120 medium format film camera from the 80s. Produced by the now defunct Bronica company in the 80s this modular SLR system is now available with a lot of the features of the more sought after Mamiyas and Hassleblads at a fraction of the cost. Shooting 120 film as standard you can also get polaroid backs and various other medium format sizes for the camera. Being modular also means you can add different viewfinders. The ETRSi features a shutter lock up and bulb mode which the earler ETRS models did not feature.

I don't think it is fair to truly review the camera based on 3 rolls of film but I can however give you my first impressions. The camera itself is an interesting, almost pleasingly unergonomic 80s-designed box which I believe to be capable of creating fantastic analogue photos given the correct input. But then all analogue cameras can do that. Cant they? The camera is awkward, heavy and a little bit cumbersome. But I hugely enjoy using it nonetheless. Its awkwardness is appealing to me. As mentioned earlier it forces me to slow down even more - which then further forces me to take more time to physically work on composing the image I am attempting to make, producing more meaningful photos. Not necessarily better or worse photos but certainly photos with greater detail in the thought process and creativity behind them. With practice and repetition, this should allow you to make these creative decisions faster until you can truly capitalise on “the decisive moment” every time. As Henri-Cartier Bresson taught us.