Right, this is going to be a quickfire one. While I was recording an in-depth comparison review of my Bronica S2 and Bronica S2A, I worked out that I had the two cameras mislabelled. The one I had been calling my S2 was actually an S2A. The one I had been calling my S2A was actually an S2. Both had been sold to me with the wrong designation on the eBay listing.
This kind of misidentification turns out to be common in the second-hand Bronica market. The two cameras are externally near-identical, the markings are subtle, and there is a lot of misinformation online about how to tell them apart. There are still several telltale signs that distinguish an S2 from an S2A, and once you know what to look for, the distinction becomes obvious.
This is the writeup of what I have learned by reading more or less everything online about how to tell them apart. Caveat: some of what follows is contested by other Bronica enthusiasts. I have flagged the bits that are debated. If you have an S2 or S2A you are trying to identify, use these checks as a starting point and do your own research to confirm.
Quick recap on why this matters
The Bronica S2 is a 6x6 medium format SLR introduced in 1965 (some sources say 1966; the launch was around the transition between those years) and made until 1977. The Bronica S2A is the revised model, introduced in 1969 in response to known reliability issues with the S2’s film advance mechanism. The S2 and S2A were sold in parallel for a number of years after 1969 because the S2 still had a place at the lower price point.
The S2A is generally considered the more reliable of the two, particularly for heavy use. On the second-hand market today, an S2A typically commands a premium of £30 to £80 over an equivalent-condition S2. This is exactly the kind of price differential that creates an incentive for sellers (knowingly or otherwise) to list S2s as S2As. The S2A tag bumps the price, and many buyers do not know how to verify the claim.
Knowing how to tell them apart is therefore useful for two reasons:
- To avoid overpaying for an S2 that has been mislabelled as an S2A.
- To occasionally find a bargain where an S2A has been listed as an S2 (it happens).
Identification point 1: the serial number
The serial number is engraved on the top plate of the camera, visible when you look down at the camera with the waist-level finder open. It is on the body itself, just in front of where the film back attaches. There is a second serial number on the film back (a separate component) which you should not confuse with the body serial.
For the early production run of S2A cameras (1969 to approximately 1973), the serial number was followed by the letters “S2A”. So a camera with a serial number reading something like “143527 S2A” is unambiguously an S2A.
From approximately 1973 onwards (starting at body serial number 150037 according to most sources), Bronica dropped the “S2A” marking. So any S2A from this later production batch will have a serial number with no “S2A” suffix.
This creates four possible cases:
- Serial with “S2A” suffix: definitely an S2A
- Serial above 150037 with no suffix: probably an S2A (though see the caveats below)
- Serial below 150037 with no suffix: probably an S2
- Serial below 150037 with “S2A” suffix: an early S2A
Caveats on the serial number approach:
There is inconsistent information online about exactly what serial number range corresponds to which model. Different sources give slightly different cutoffs. The 150037 figure comes from contemporary Bronica documentation and seems to be the most reliable, but I have seen S2As listed with serials in the 80,000 to 100,000 range and S2s listed with serials above 150,000. The serial number alone is not always definitive, especially for cameras at the edges of the production ranges.
If the serial number test is ambiguous, use the other identification points below.
Identification point 2: the winding knob shape
The film advance knob (the large knob on the right side of the body that you turn to wind on the film and cock the shutter) was redesigned for the S2A. The S2 has a larger, more conical winding knob; the S2A has a smaller, flatter winding knob.
The difference is most visible when you look at the camera from the side at eye level. The S2’s knob rises to a more acute angle, sitting higher above the body. The S2A’s knob is shorter and the angle of the cone is less pronounced.
This change was deliberate. The smaller knob on the S2A was part of the redesign to reduce the torque applied to the internal gears, helping with the reliability issues that plagued the S2 in heavy use. A smaller knob diameter means less leverage available to the user, which means less force getting applied to the gears each time you wind on.
Caveats: the difference is subtle if you have only one camera in front of you. Side-by-side, the two knobs are easy to tell apart. In isolation, it is harder. If you are buying remotely, ask the seller for photos taken from the side rather than from above.
Identification point 3: the centre of the winding knob
This one is one of the more reliable visual checks. Look at the centre of the winding knob from above with the crank handle folded out flat.
On the S2, the centre of the knob is flat. There is a small recess where the crank arm folds into, but the surface around it is essentially smooth. The crank arm itself is sometimes (though not always) made of aluminium on the S2.
On the S2A, the centre of the knob has a small screw with two pinholes on either side of it (the holes are for a spanner-type tool used in disassembly during manufacture and repair). The screw and the pinholes are clearly visible and are unique to the S2A design.
This is the identification point I rely on most when picking up an unfamiliar Bronica. It is a clear visual difference that does not depend on serial numbers, lighting, or angle of view.
Identification point 4: the neck strap lugs
The neck strap lugs (the small metal fittings on the side of the body where the neck strap attaches) were redesigned partway through the S2A production run, in 1973.
The S2 has what Bronica documentation calls “butterfly lugs”. These have a small moveable component (the butterfly itself) that pivots to attach the strap. The mechanism is more complex and has moving parts that can wear over time.
Early S2As (1969 to 1972) also have the butterfly lugs, because the lug change only happened in 1973. So this identification point is only definitive for distinguishing S2 from later S2A.
Later S2As (1973 onwards) have a redesigned lug that is essentially a solid mushroom-shaped knob with no moving parts. This is the same lug design used on the later Bronica EC, which makes the EC and the later S2A interchangeable with the same strap.
If your camera has the solid mushroom lugs, it is definitely a 1973+ S2A. If it has the butterfly lugs, it could be either an S2 or an early S2A (1969 to 1972), and you need to check the other identification points to confirm.
The brass gear question (genuinely contested)
There is a piece of folklore that circulates in vintage camera communities about the Bronica S2 and S2A, which is that the S2 has brass gears and the S2A has steel gears. This story is presented as the reason the S2A is more reliable.
I am not going to settle the question here because it is genuinely contested even among Bronica experts. What I can do is summarise what I have read across multiple sources, including from people who have actually disassembled both cameras and inspected the gears.
The position that seems most credible to me, based on multiple expert sources including Frank Marshman (a well-known Bronica repairer in the US) via his customers’ published accounts, is this:
- Both the S2 and S2A use steel gears. Neither uses brass for the main film advance gears.
- The actual difference is that the S2A has gears with deeper-cut teeth than the S2. The deeper teeth distribute the load across more material and are more resistant to stripping under heavy use.
- The S2 already had a clutch mechanism that disengages at the end of the wind to prevent over-stress. The S2A has both the clutch AND the deeper teeth.
- Bronica’s own sales literature from the period mentions that the S2A gears are “nitrided” for extended service life. Nitriding is a surface-hardening process used on steel, not on brass.
The “brass gear” story may have originated from confusion with the earlier Bronica S (the predecessor to the S2), which some sources say did use brass gears. By the time the S2 came along, the design had moved to steel.
There are still people online who maintain that the S2 has brass gears. They may be right. I cannot disassemble a sample of S2s myself to settle the question. What I can say is that the deeper-teeth-on-steel-gears explanation is consistent with what credible experts have published and with the physics of how the cameras actually fail in use.
If the brass vs steel debate matters to you, do your own research. Read multiple sources. Reach your own conclusions.
Caveats and edge cases
A few additional things to know about Bronica identification:
Repair shops have swapped parts over the years. It is entirely possible to find an S2 body with an S2A winding knob (because a repair shop replaced a stripped wind mechanism with a later S2A part), or an S2A body with an S2 film back, or various other Frankenstein combinations. The serial number identifies the body; the film back and the winding knob and other components can be from different cameras.
The film back has its own serial number. Do not confuse the film back serial (visible on the back component itself) with the body serial (visible on the top plate of the camera). The two are separate numbers and the film back can be swapped freely between Bronica bodies of the same family.
Cosmetic condition does not match production date. An S2A in heavily worn condition might look older than a clean S2 that has been stored carefully. Do not use cosmetic appearance to estimate which model you are looking at. Use the identification points described above.
There is a lot of debate online. This is a niche topic and the online community of Bronica enthusiasts has been arguing about model identification details for years. Different sources give different facts. The information in this guide reflects what I have concluded from reading widely, but it is not the final word.
What to do if you are buying remotely
If you are about to bid on a Bronica on eBay (or any other remote auction platform), here is what to ask the seller for before bidding:
- A photo of the top plate showing the body serial number clearly.
- A photo of the centre of the winding knob from above showing whether there is a screw and pinholes.
- A photo of the side of the camera showing the neck strap lugs and the winding knob profile.
- The film back serial number separately (if the listing claims a particular back is included).
Any seller who is unwilling or unable to provide these photos is either a flipper (who has not actually examined the camera in detail) or someone hoping you will not notice the inconsistency. Either way, a polite request for better photos before bidding is reasonable and most sellers will oblige.
Also: pay the auction premium that comes with a return guarantee. Bronica S2 and S2A cameras are 50+ years old and there are many things that can be wrong with them beyond the model identification question. A 14-day return policy on a £200 to £400 camera is worth more than the few extra pounds it costs.
What about the S, the C, the C2 and the EC?
Briefly, since you might encounter these names while researching:
- Bronica S: the predecessor to the S2 (1961-1965). Different focusing system (geared extendable tube, not removable helicoid). Has mirror lock-down feature.
- Bronica C: a 1964 budget version of the S, without interchangeable backs.
- Bronica C2: a 1965 improved C, with 220 film capability.
- Bronica EC: the 1972 electronic shutter successor. Larger, heavier, with battery-dependent shutter timing.
The identification points in this guide apply specifically to S2 versus S2A. If you are looking at an S, C, C2, or EC, you will need different identification approaches.
What this all means in practice
The Bronica S2 and S2A are great cameras with a complicated identification problem. Sellers list them inconsistently and the markings are subtle, and the online debate about which model is which has been going on for years. If you are trying to buy one, learn the identification points and ask for the right photos, and pay the premium for return rights.
If you have already bought one and you are not sure which model you have, run through the identification points above. The combination of serial number, winding knob design, knob centre and neck strap lugs should give you a definitive answer in nearly all cases.
If you find that you have an S2 when you thought you had an S2A (or vice versa), you have not been ripped off badly. Both cameras take the same lenses, use the same film backs, mount the same accessories and produce the same image quality. The S2A has the edge in long-term reliability, but a clean S2 with a competent CLA will run for years without problems.
My own discovery (that I had the two cameras swapped from what I had been told) cost me approximately the time it took to record this article. I prefer the S2A I have been using all along to the S2 I just acquired. Lottery and stock market in equal measure, as I said in the video.
If you have your own Bronica identification stories or corrections to any of the above, the comments are open. There is more to learn about these cameras than any one person can know.