Bronica Brand Terminated

Tamron USA has discontinued the production of the Bronica RF645 rangefinder camera, along with its lenses and accessories. Introduced in 2000, the RF645 was the last Bronica model still in production; its discontinuation marks the end of the Bronica brand business.

“For many years, Bronica cameras have been the workhorses used to photograph hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of weddings around the world,” says Stacie Errera, chief marketing officer for Tamron USA. “However, for these photographers, who collectively make up a huge percentage of our installed customer base, digital SLRs produce satisfactory image results, higher creativity options, and increased profits (after the initial issues of workflow and printing were worked out by most), which made the switch to digital almost unanimous among this group of professional photographers.”
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Tamron reports that Bronica sales have drastically dropped as digital has eclipsed film. The first Bronica “? the Zenza Bronica D “? made its debut in 1959. Tamron acquired 75% of Bronica in 1995, then merged the two companies in 1998.

“I believe we all understand the issues at hand when it comes to the business of medium format,” says Kenji Nakagawa, sales manager of Tamron's Overseas Sales & Marketing division, Japan. “We've been struggling to find the best possible solution for the medium-format camera business under the Bronica brand, but after careful study and the comprehensive consideration of the market situation, we have concluded that there is no other choice but to end this business.”
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Tamron USA reports that it will carry on servicing Bronica equipment for 7 years from the date of discontinuation of each model.

TAMRON
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