Bronica SQ-Am
Zenza Bronica · Bronica SQ mount · 55.6 × 55.6mm on 120 or 220; 24 × 36mm with the 135N back; Polaroid pack film with its own back (Tamron JP specification). 6×4.5 with the SQ-i 120J/220J backs and 24 × 54mm with the 135W back, introduced with the SQ-Ai in 1990 (camera-wiki) · 1982
Also known as: Bronica SQ-Am · Bronica SQAm · Bronica SQ Am · Bronica SQ-AM · Zenza Bronica SQ-Am · Zenzabronica SQ-Am · Bronica SQ-A Motor · ゼンザブロニカ SQ-Am · ゼンザブロニカSQ-Am · ブロニカ SQ-Am · ブロニカSQ-Am
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQ-Am (1982–91) | Bronica SQ | 1982–1991 | — | No production total is known to have been published. End year 1991 inferred from the English Wikipedia model table. |
- Tamron gives both body-only and set figures for the SQ-Am, the only SQ body for which it does; the 960g excludes the six AA cells and the 6 V battery.
- Mirror lock-up with S and C positions and the multiple-exposure lever are carried over from the SQ-A (Tamron JP).
- The end year is not stated by Tamron or Japanese Wikipedia; 1991 is inferred from the English Wikipedia model table and is uncertain.
- 6×4.5 and 24 × 54 need the SQ-i backs introduced with the SQ-Ai in 1990.
How to tell them apart
- ZENZA BRONICA SQ-Am on the front plate; no crank, a mode dial marked OFF, Sm and Cm, and a battery-check LED behind the shutter-dial window (Tamron JP)
- Hot shoe, remote-release jack and external-power jack on the body (Tamron JP)
SQ-Am (1982–91):
- SQ-Am on the front plate; a wider body, 144.5mm across against the SQ-A's 92mm, with the motor and its six AA cells built in and no winding crank (Tamron JP)
- Mode dial with OFF (shutter locked, all power off), Sm (single frame) and Cm (continuous) positions (Tamron JP)
- Film-advance button, overload LED, release-disabled LED, remote jack, external-power jack and a hot shoe on the body (Tamron JP)
- SQ-Am (1982–91): The only form. Japanese Wikipedia describes it as an SQ-A dedicated to motor drive, with an electromagnetic release and the motor on six AA cells beside the 6 V shutter battery.
Specifications
- Format
- 55.6 × 55.6mm on 120 or 220; 24 × 36mm with the 135N back; Polaroid pack film with its own back (Tamron JP specification). 6×4.5 with the SQ-i 120J/220J backs and 24 × 54mm with the 135W back, introduced with the SQ-Ai in 1990 (camera-wiki) · 12 on 120, 24 on 220 (Tamron JP specification) exposures
- Finder (waist-level finder)
- folding hood, supplied in the standard set (Tamron JP)
- Finder (metered and AE prism finders)
- the SQ-A's ME, MF and AE finders, coupled to the back's ASA/ISO dial; sync at all speeds holds with a metered finder fitted (Tamron JP; camera-wiki)
- Shutter
- Seiko #0 electronically controlled leaf shutter in each lens, electromagnetic release; mechanical fallback at 1/500 (Tamron JP; Japanese Wikipedia) · 8s–1/500 and T in whole steps, no intermediate speeds (Tamron JP) · flash sync X contact only, at all speeds; hot shoe on the body (Tamron JP)
- Film advance
- Motor only: about 3 frames in 2 seconds at the top speed in Cm, or single frames in Sm; no crank (Tamron JP); camera-wiki gives two frames every three seconds, see disputed
- Back
- Interchangeable backs for 120, 220, 35mm and Polaroid pack film, each dedicated, with an ASA/ISO dial coupled to the metered finders (Tamron JP)
- Meter
- None in the body; metering in the ME, MF and AE finders (camera-wiki)
- Motor drive
- Compatible — Integral; six AA alkaline or NiCd cells for the motor, about 500 exposures per set of alkalines at room temperature (Tamron JP), or about 60 rolls of 120 (camera-wiki); an external-power jack and a 6×C battery pack were offered (Tamron JP; camera-wiki)
- Weight
- 960 g
- Dimensions
- 144.5 × 132 × 93 (W × D × H) body only, 960g without batteries; 144.5 × 179 × 109 and 1,925g with the 80mm lens, SQ 120 back and waist-level finder, without batteries (Tamron JP) mm
- Country
- Japan
- Original price
- ¥242,000 for the standard set of body, 120 back, Zenzanon-S 80mm f/2.8 and waist-level finder (Tamron JP, which gives set prices because of the tax rules of the time) (today ¥333,000)
- Accessories
- Battery Pack SQ-Am (6×C) and the external-power jack; cold battery pack (camera-wiki; Tamron JP) · Finders: waist-level, plain prism, ME Prism Finder S, MF Finder S, AE Prism Finder S (camera-wiki) · Backs: SQ 120, SQ 220, 135N; Polaroid backs CB102 and CB103; later SQ-i backs (camera-wiki) · Extension tubes 18 and 36, auto bellows, bellows lens hood, 2× teleconverter, close-up lenses 1 and 2 (camera-wiki)
Where sources disagree
- First
- August 1982 — Tamron's Bronica chronology (archived b_list.htm) and Japanese Wikipedia
- January 1983 — camera-wiki
Better supported: August 1982
The later date is likely export availability; Tamron's own list is the maker's record.
- Film advance (motor speed)
- About 3 frames in 2 seconds at the top shutter speed — Tamron JP specification
- Two frames every three seconds — camera-wiki
Better supported: About 3 frames in 2 seconds
The two figures may describe different shutter speeds or film lengths; Tamron's is the specification.
- Last
- 1991 — English Wikipedia model table
- Not stated — Tamron JP and Japanese Wikipedia
What reviewers say
No reviews aggregated yet — this family is still in the research queue. Written one? We'd love to index it.
History
The SQ-Am is the SQ-A with a motor in place of the crank. Japanese Wikipedia describes it as a motor-dedicated SQ-A with an electromagnetic shutter release, and Tamron’s specification spells out what that meant: a body 144.5 mm wide instead of 92, 960 g on its own without batteries, six AA cells for the motor alongside the 6 V shutter battery, and a mode dial with OFF, Sm for single frames and Cm for continuous running at about three frames in two seconds at the top speed. The body adds a hot shoe, a remote-release jack, an external-power jack, a film-advance button and warning LEDs for overload and release-disabled. Mirror lock-up with single and continuous positions, the multiple-exposure lever, the 8 s–1/500 and T shutter and the ISO-coupled backs are the SQ-A’s.
Tamron’s chronology and Japanese Wikipedia date it to August 1982, seven months after the SQ-A; camera-wiki’s January 1983 probably marks export availability. Tamron lists the standard set at ¥242,000 and 1,925 g with the 80mm and waist-level finder, about 500 exposures from a set of alkaline AAs at room temperature, which camera-wiki renders as roughly 60 rolls of 120. Every Zenzanon-S and PS lens and every SQ finder and back fits. The SQ-Ai of 1990 moved the motor back outside the body as the detachable Motor Drive SQ-i, and the SQ-Am appears to have ended with the SQ-A around 1991, though no source states a date.
No dedicated review of the SQ-Am was found in English or Japanese; the accounts of the SQ-A and SQ-Ai on their own pages describe the same lenses, finders and backs.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.
Live listings
- Bronica SQ-Am w/ 80mm f2.8 PS
- ZENZA BRONICA SQ-Am 中判一眼レフカメラ
- 1/詳細不明 ZENZA BRONICA SQ-Am / SQ 6×6 中判カメラ 現状品 ゼンザ ブロニカ フィルムカメラ
Buying from Yahoo! Auctions outside Japan. It is a domestic marketplace: sellers ship within Japan, and most will not register an overseas buyer. A proxy service bids on your behalf, receives the item and forwards it, for a fee and a wait. Buyee, Jauce and ZenMarket each accept a Yahoo auction number directly. Listed alphabetically for information — none is recommended over another, and none of these is an affiliate link.
Listings updated 2026-11-02. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.