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.
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slr-medium-format
The Zenza Bronica GS-1 Black is the black-finish body variant of the GS-1, introduced in 1985. The GS-1 was Bronica's sole entry in the 6x7 cm medium-format category and its largest-format leaf-shutter SLR. It shoots 6x7 cm frames on 120 film (10 exposures per roll) or 220 film (20 exposures). Like the ETR and SQ systems, the GS-1 houses its shutter in each lens rather than the body, providing full flash synchronization at all shutter speeds up to 1/500s. The body requires batteries for shutter operation; there is no mechanical fallback. Metering requires an accessory AE prism finder. The black-finish variant was produced alongside the silver body and is the less common of the two on the used market.
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.
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Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
Bronica's only 6x7 leaf-shutter SLR in black finish - the largest frame in the Bronica system, with full flash sync at all speeds.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 / 220 (6x7 cm) |
| Mount | Bronica GS |
| Years | ~1985 - ~late 1990s |
| Shutter | 8s - 1/500s + B, leaf (in lens) |
| Flash sync | 1/500s (all speeds) |
| Meter | None (body); AE prism accessory |
| Modes | Manual; aperture-priority with AE prism |
| Weight | ~900 g (body only) |
| Battery | 4x AA (required) |
| Viewfinder | Waist-level (standard); prism options |
Bronica's product line by the mid-1980s covered 645 (ETR system) and 6x6 (SQ system). The GS-1 was introduced in 1985 to offer a 6x7 cm option within a leaf-shutter modular system - a format otherwise dominated by the Mamiya RZ67 and Pentax 67, both of which used focal-plane shutters. The GS-1 was a niche product within Bronica's own lineup: the 6x7 format produced negatives significantly larger than 645 or 6x6, at the cost of a heavier, larger body and fewer frames per roll. The system never achieved the sales volume of the ETR or SQ lines. The GS-1 was eventually discontinued as Bronica was acquired by Tamron and medium-format film sales declined in the digital transition era.
The GS-1 is the only Bronica body that delivers the 6x7 cm negative size, often called the "ideal format" for its proportions close to an 8x10 print. Its leaf-shutter architecture gives it one meaningful advantage over the Mamiya RZ67 and Pentax 67: full flash synchronization at 1/500s, which is significant for location portrait work with fill flash and for studio strobe work requiring precise motion control. The black-finish variant is the rarer of the two body colors and carries a modest collector premium. Zenzanon GS lenses are generally well-regarded, though the mount is unique to the GS system with no crossover to ETR or SQ. The GS-1's relative obscurity compared to the RZ67 or Pentax 67 means used prices are moderate for the format size.
The GS mount lenses are unique to the GS-1 system (not compatible with ETR or SQ mounts):
All lenses carry the leaf shutter and aperture-priority coupling. Key accessories:
Note: GS-system film backs and lenses are not interchangeable with ETR or SQ system accessories.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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