Highly Collectable and Very Rare

This item is a highly collectable and very rare Bronica ETR Si camera kit to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Fox Talbot and photography.

The items for sale are the Fox Talbot 150th Anniversary Special Edition Kit plus many additional items listed below.  Due to the prestige and large number of items, I decided to put this page together with a series of photographs to better show what is on offer.  This is an amazing kit and needs to be seen, either in a museum or out in the field being used.  If you have any questions please leave a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

The William Fox Talbot 150th Anniversary Special Edition ETR Si was launched in 1990, this particular kit is the 18th out of a total production run of just 150.  It includes a standard black polycarbonate ETR Si body with gold commemorative plate below the shutter speed dial.  All equipment, including three lenses and extras, came in a Billingham Hard Equipment Case.

I’ve seen this camera for sale a few times on Amazon and eBay, but never with the full three lens kit and the original Billingham case.  This is the complete Edition, and, to my mind, should be in a museum.

Items included in the Special Edition Kit:
  • Zenza Bronica ETR Si body (N° 7308018) 18/150
  • AEII eye-level viewfinder (N° 642143)
  • Ei motor winder (N° 9301537)
  • 120 Ei film back (N° 8302210)
  • 120 Ei film back (N° 8302064)
  • Zenzanon MC 50mm f/2.8 lens (N° 5224018) 18/150
  • Zenzanon EII 75mm f/2.8 lens (N° 7961018) 18/150
  • Zenzanon MC 150mm f/3.5 lens (N° 15438018) 18/150
  • Waist level finder
  • G-Metz 45CL-4 flash
  • Flash connector, cables & sundries
  • Billingham handmade hard canvas and leather case
  • Soft dust-proof cover for the Billingham case

Additional Items also Included:

  • 100mm macro Zenzanon-E lens (N° 10102598)
  • Polaroid Land Back Film Back
  • Zenza Bronica lens hood (105 – 250mm)
  • Tamron Lens case
  • Tamron Lens hood
  • Tamron Extension Tube 1X
  • Shutter release cable
  • 2 off Filter Hoya HMC 62mm Skylight (1B)
  • 2 off Filter Hoya  HMC 62mm UV(0)
  • Filter Hoya Polariser 62mm PL
  • Filter Hoya HMC 49mm Yellow (K2)
  • 2 off Cokin Filters plus close up (?)
  • Nikon UR-E8 Extension Tube (?)
  • SCA386 Flash Adapter Cable
  • Other Sundries

 The Billingham wooden case measures 21″ x 15″ x 7″ and weighs 10 kg with all items of the kit present.  The case was especially commissioned and hand crafted by Billingham and the exterior is covered with a black fabric and finished with tan leather corners and straps.  A green pre-cut foam insert holds the Bronica & Metz flash equipment safely.  The case lid is fully lined and padded with three pockets to hold the original manuals.  The case has a removable dust proof cover which it has been stored in.

This truly is a collectors piece, when the lenses were made, not only do they have the usual serial number engraved on the cover ring, but the text ’18/150′ is also engraved next to the serial number; only 150 of these kits were ever made.

For more information and history of this kit please refer to my blog entry.

Condition of Items:

These descriptions are accurate to the best of our belief and knowledge.  All of the photographs in this article and the blog are of the equipment being sold, if you need further information please send a comment.

  • In general, the equipment is used not new, but in excellent condition (please see photos)
  • The original manuals are in ‘good’ condition
  • Camera equipment and lenses in ‘excellent’ condition
  • With the exception of Ei motor winder, it was unreliable during testing and may need some attention.  The camera can be used manually without the Ei Motor Winder.
  • Billingham case is unlocked but key missing

Guide Price:

I originally posting this item on behalf of a friend and she was looking for offers around £700.  I don’t know if it was eventually sold, I did reach out to museums to see if they would take it.  This equipment would have suited a museum or collector, or perhaps a student studying photography that needs experience with film and especially the artistic benefits that film and medium format offers.  It would also suit the hardened photographer that likes to experiment or just wants to own something very ‘special’ and part of photographic history.