AE-II Part II

Now we can start. First take a look into this picture:

This is the activation control, there is two way to activate the metering system. You have the choice to activate it by pressing this button or by pressing half-way the shutter release of the camera, it will work also by doing the same thing with the shutter release from the speedgrip.





When activated, you should see the reading in the viewfinder.
It goes from 8s to 1/30 in yellow
From 1/60 to 1/500 in green
Above 1/500, you wil see a red arrow in the lower corner in the left.
Below 8s, you will see a red arrow in the lower corner in the right.
If the number is blinking, your are in the M mode, otherwise, you arre in the A mode.

This feature, mean metering activation will not work if the meter is off. But how to set the meter on or off?

Good question!! I knew you'll like this blog!!! So there is the answer.

This picture shows the dial that will set the metering on or off. You have the choice between 2 'on' setting and 1 'off' position. The red dot is the 'off' setting. Don't forget to put it back if you don't use the camera or if you have no need to use the metering function. Otherwise, the metering will completely drain your battery within the day (never try but that’s what I’ve heard).

The A setting is for Automatic function.
The M setting is for the manual function.
So in simple word, the A function will put the camera in an automatic setting. Basically, the AE_II control the camera speed upon of the reading of the metering system. It is an aperture priority metering system, in other word; it will take in consideration the actual aperture value to set the correct shutter speed.

Now the ‘M’ setting. Well... it's the manual setting, not much to say. You can still activate it the same manner as described. It will measure the light, tell you what the equivalent shutter speed is, and still aperture priority. It won't override the speed dial setting, it won't talk to you or hug you or kiss you and don't blame him if something goes wrong.

The last dial and function of the camera: the ISO dial.

There is two function located in the same dial. The first one, it is the function that will let you adjust the film speed corresponding to their ISO value. It goes from 25 to 3200 ISO by 1/3 of a step. You work with a 320 ISO film? You will have to deal with the 333 ISO setting. In order to change the speed film value without putting apart the dial, you will need to press the silver button in order to rotate the dial, and yes, the white strip is the actual value of the selected ISO value.

The other function located in this dial is the exposure compensation setting. It was highly engineered to confuse everybody, to step back the most experienced photographer to an amateur level as a final point, to take the control of the world. But there is hope fellow readers, there was some alien transcript secretly hidden in area 51 that leaked from those felony scientist circle. It took long before the transcript could be interpreted as follow:

Read as from 2->1/2

2 = +1 stop
. = +2/3 stop
. = +1/3 stop
1 = Normal setting (0 stop)
. = -1/3 stop
. = -2/3 stop
1/2 = - 1 stop

There you go, have fun and enjoy your new old meter.

AE-II Part I

First, why we don't take a look of the overall system first?

This is the front of the camera with the infamous viewfinder.












Here we can see both side of the camera

Bad bad bad computer

I don't know what exactly I want to aim this thing to, but well, I created my first blog. And Wow, I'm conformed now.

I received my new old viewfinder, the AE-II one from Bronica. Oh yes... I like to take picture and I want to go back to the old school fashion way. So I bought a couple of month ago a complete and used Bronica ETRS 645 system but it didn’t came with the metering viewfinder. So now I've got it and I just wonder if this thing is working or not. But wathever, this is not my point.

I realized buy browsing all over the world of the wide web that everybody keeps jealously theirs own manual. I mean its ok, but there are so many requests down there, I cannot believe that nobody wants to scan and share this infamous manual… Maybe it is some form of a machination, an evil plan from E-Bay?? Who knows…?

So there is my first goal, well I guess, by doing this blog thing. I am going to teach you how to use a used AE-II metering viewfinder from Bronica. And then… maybe one of these days, some soul from outer web world with a wide generosity will plan the atrocity to break up this inhuman market of selling this manual for thousand and thousand of pesos.