C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →slr-medium-format
The Bronica ETR Special (1980) is a variant of the ETR-series 645 medium-format SLR with an integrated motor drive built directly into the body, eliminating the need for the separately purchased Motor Winder E accessory used on the standard ETR and ETR-S bodies. The integrated winder provides automatic film advance after each exposure, advancing to the next frame and re-cocking the shutter without manual lever winding. In all other respects — leaf-shutter Zenzanon lenses, modular film backs, interchangeable viewfinders, manual exposure only — it matches the standard ETR.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Develop — film
We're growing the lab directory near you. Browse all labs.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The 645 ETR with an integral motor drive built in — automatic film advance without a separate winder attachment.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 / 220, 6x4.5 cm (15/30 frames) |
| Mount | Bronica ETR bayonet |
| Years | ~1980–~1988 |
| Shutter | Seiko leaf in lens: 8s – 1/500s + B |
| Flash sync | All speeds (leaf shutter) |
| Motor drive | Integrated (automatic advance) |
| Meter | None built-in |
| Modes | Manual |
| Finder | Waist-level (standard) |
| Weight | ~1,350 g (body only, estimated with motor) |
| Battery | 4x AA (required for motor advance) |
By 1980 the ETR-S had superseded the original ETR, adding multiple-exposure capability and refined AE finder compatibility. The Special was developed in parallel to address a different market need: photographers who wanted the ETR system's optics in a self-contained body without a dangling winder attachment. The integral motor made the Special physically more compact and balanced when shooting handheld, at the cost of a heavier body baseline.
The ETR Special occupied a niche alongside rather than within the main ETR upgrade path. It did not receive the TTL flash metering that would come with the ETRSi in 1989, and it was phased out before the ETRSi's introduction. Its production run is relatively obscure and it appears less frequently on the used market than either the ETR-S or ETRSi.
ETR series context:
The ETR Special illustrates how Bronica actively managed its product line to address different photographer workflows rather than simply iterating the main body. For event and wedding photographers in 1980, a 645 medium-format body with automatic advance — without attaching a separate winder — offered a faster shooting rhythm closer to 35mm SLR practice.
In the contemporary used market the Special is less commonly encountered than the ETR-S or ETRSi, making it something of a curiosity within the ETR family. Its integrated motor means the body is heavier than a bare ETR-S but eliminates the mechanical joint between body and winder. All Zenzanon-E and Zenzanon-PE lenses and ETR-system accessories remain fully compatible.
Bronica ETR bayonet mount. Full Zenzanon-E and Zenzanon-PE lens compatibility: 40/4 E, 50/2.8 E, 60/3.5 E, 75/2.8 PE (standard), 100/2.8 PE, 150/3.5 PE, 200/4.5 PE, 250/5.6, and others. Film backs: 120 and 220 E-series backs interchange normally. Finders: waist-level (standard), 45-degree chimney prism, AE-III metered prism (aperture-priority via PE lenses). Motor winder accessory is not needed or applicable (motor is integral).
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Bronica ETR Special
Image coming soon