The what-about-the-135 imbroglio has been enough to turn the brand-new camera into a decided 'also ran' for the majority of potential medium-format purchasers. Shoppers have duly spanked Bronica-Tamron for all this. As far as I know, most of the stock of 135mm lenses was bought up by retailer Robert White in England, and from what I hear, Robert White wonвЂ™t sell one to you unless you agree to have your camera body calibrated for the lens. Actually, a number of 135mm lenses were made, but evidently Bronica then discovered that the RF645вЂ™s rangefinder baselength was not sufficient for the longer lens to be focused accurately without individual camera-to-lens calibration, so, rather than cope with the PandoraвЂ™s box of hassles that that would have created, they stopped production of the 135mm and, as quickly as they could scramble, ramped up to make a 100mm instead. Ahhh, ahem, well, yes, this is the biggie - Bronica consistently promised a 135mm telephoto for a long period of time surrounding the cameraвЂ™s release, and then bailed. The three problems with the lenses, listed from leastest to mostest, are 3. Not that Bronica is any slouch in the optics department, either. This is probably a bit embarrassing to Tamron, since lensmaking is the companyвЂ™s fortГ©. Namely, the lenses, the lenses, and the lenses. The RF645, the first all-new Bronica since the medium-format manufacturerвЂ™s acquisition by the independent lensmaking giant Tamron, has been something very close to a fiasco. (Word to the wise: donвЂ™t stop reading too soon.) First Things First Right now, until March, Bronica is offering a whopping $450 rebate on this already pretty inexpensive camera, so now seems as good a time as any to revisit the unique, unusual RF645. At the time, I promised a follow-up to my 'first impression' that was then circulating on the internet.

Last Spring, Bronica sent me a big Pelican case containing an entire Bronica RF645 kit.

Bronica rf645 review