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 SQ-Ai 50th Anniversary Edition is a special-finish variant of the SQ-Ai, Bronica's last 6x6-format (square medium-format) SLR body. The edition is reported to have been produced in 2009, approximately five years after Tamron officially discontinued the Bronica brand in 2004.
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.
Develop — film
We're growing the lab directory near you. Browse all labs.
Before you buy used
About this camera
A commemorative limited run of the Bronica SQ-Ai 6x6 SLR, issued years after the brand's discontinuation to mark a half-century of Bronica's history.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 film, 6x6cm (~12 exp per roll) |
| Mount | Bronica SQ |
| Shutter | Leaf (in lens): 8s - 1/500s + B |
| Flash sync | 1/500s (all speeds) |
| Meter | Via metered viewfinder accessory |
| Exposure modes | Manual, aperture-priority (with AE finder) |
| ISO range | 25 - ~ |
| Film advance | Motor drive integrated (battery-powered) |
| Film backs | Interchangeable (120, 220, Polaroid) |
| Viewfinder | Interchangeable (WLF, prism, magnifying) |
| Battery | 4x AA (in body) |
| Battery required | Yes - motor drive is integral |
| Finish | Special commemorative (details unverified) |
| Year | ~2009 (limited edition) |
The Bronica SQ line launched in 1980 as Bronica's 6x6-format answer to the Hasselblad 500 series. The SQ evolved through the SQ-A, SQ-Am, and finally the SQ-Ai, which added improved electronics and compatibility with the PS-series lenses. Tamron, which had acquired Bronica in the late 1980s, continued producing the SQ-Ai until announcing the end of the Bronica brand in 2004.
The 50th Anniversary Edition, if produced in 2009, would post-date the brand's formal closure. This places it in a category of post-production commemorative runs - sometimes executed from remaining parts stock or in partnership with distributors - rather than a regular product launch.
The SQ mount lens ecosystem was fully developed by the time production ended, and any 50th anniversary body would be fully compatible with all SQ-mount Zenzanon PS and S lenses.
The SQ-Ai 50th Anniversary Edition sits at the intersection of collector interest and historical curiosity. Functionally it is a standard SQ-Ai with commemorative finishing. The SQ-Ai itself is the final evolution of Bronica's 6x6 system and represents the most refined iteration of that line.
For working photographers the SQ system offers the 6x6 square format - which eliminates the need to rotate the camera for portrait vs. landscape composition - with the leaf-shutter advantage of full flash sync at any speed. Zenzanon PS lenses are optically competitive and significantly less expensive than equivalent Hasselblad C or CF optics. The 50th anniversary edition would command a collector premium over standard SQ-Ai bodies.
The SQ-Ai accepts Bronica SQ-mount lenses. Key optics include:
Earlier Zenzanon-S lenses (from SQ and SQ-A era) are also compatible. Accessories include:
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 →