Need new bellows for Linhof IV

[SpeedGraphicMan]

Hello,

My friend needs to buy a new bellows for her Linhof IV.

Could someone please tell me which is the better ones available? She does not want to buy a "pig in a poke"

Has anyone had any luck with these bellows?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional-Made-Red-Bellows-For-Linhof-Technika-3000-2000-IV-V-4x5-Camera-/281090595390?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41724e1a3e

[Bob Salomon]

Linhof Technika bellows are available from Linhof service, they are Nippon Photoclinic in New York City.

[SpeedGraphicMan]

Do they have a website?
Can hardly find any info on them... Do you have an estimated cost?
Was hoping for a more durable synthetic bellows and not the pigskin originals.
However I have heard of some people having difficulty with the synthetic bellows... Any thoughts?

She has the 90mm, 135mm, 150mm, 210mm, 380mm
Would the synthetic bellow work with all of these focal lengths?

[Bob Salomon]

The Linhof bellows works with all lenses on her camera from 35mm to 360mm. Linhof has been making cameras longer then any other current camera company, last year they celebrated their 125th anniversary!
They use the bellows material that has proven, over prolonged time and professional use, to be the best possible choice. In your friend's position she is helping to prove that point if she needs a new bellows. The Technika IV went out of production in 1963. How many times has this camera, in all those years, been serviced or had the bellows replaced?

Nippon is nipponphotoclinic@hotmail.com. They do not have a web site. You can call them at 212 982-3177. Ask for Rim. We have no idea of what they charge for a bellows or to install it.

[SpeedGraphicMan]

Thanks Mr. Saloman... I will send them an e-mail and see what they charge for a replacement.

But I would like additional information about other options for bellows from other manufacturers as my friend cannot afford to spend a great deal.

[vinny]

make sure you're sitting down when you get that quote.
search ecbuyonline2008 on this forum for several threads including one from a couple days ago regarding his bellows.
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?searchid=1627115

[SpeedGraphicMan]

Sorry Vinny, Your link does not work...

[vinny]

works for me. all I did is the search you could do yourself anyway ecbuyonline2008

[SpeedGraphicMan]

I did search... All sounds good...
I have e-mailed my friend the info...

I think $599 is a bit steep for bellows...

[Bob Salomon]

make sure you're sitting down when you get that quote.
search ecbuyonline2008 on this forum for several threads including one from a couple days ago regarding his bellows.
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?searchid=1627115

Link does not work.

[Bob Salomon]

I did search... All sounds good...
I have e-mailed my friend the info...

I think $599 is a bit steep for bellows...

Where did you see a $599.00 bellows?

[Vick Ko]

I　ｇｏｔ　ｒｅｐｌａｃｅｍｅｎｔ　ｂｅｌｌｏｗｓ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｙ　Ｌｉｎｈｏｆ　Ｔｅｃｈｎｉｋａ　Ｍａｓｔｅｒ　ｆｒｏｍ　Ｃｕｓｔｏｍ　Ｂｅｌｌｏｗｓ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ＵＫ（http://www.custombellows.co.uk/）

Ｔｈｅ　ｋｎｅｗ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｉｚｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｃａｍｅｒａ，　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｂｅｌｌｏｗｓ　ａｒｅ　ｂｅａｕｔｉｆｕｌ．　　Ｙｏｕ　ｃａｎ　ｅｖｅｎ　ｃｈａｎｇｅ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｙｏｕｒｓｅｌｆ，　ｆｏｌｌｏｗｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅｓｅ　ｉｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎｓ：　
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5SarEdwOr8LZmUwZjEwOWUtNzRmMS00ZDMwLWE2MjUtMGNhY2Y1NWE3NzAw/edit?hl=zh_TW&pli=1

Ｇｏｏｄ　ｌｕｃｋ

Ｖｉｃｋ

[ntsiouris]

Stay away from Nippon
rim kept my camera for 6months decided he wasn't doing cams anymore andsent it back with new bellows and no cams
he charged me 986$ and all i have is new bellows that i could have put myself
btw he also ordedred the wrong part from Germany and that added another month of waiting
says he will do one thing andcharges for another
very unproffessional

[Bill_1856]

Check with Midwest Photo who often have factory bellows for ONLY a few hundred dollars.

[Bob Salomon]

Stay away from Nippon
rim kept my camera for 6months decided he wasn't doing cams anymore andsent it back with new bellows and no cams
he charged me 986$ and all i have is new bellows that i could have put myself
btw he also ordedred the wrong part from Germany and that added another month of waiting
says he will do one thing andcharges for another
very unproffessional

I have the copy of the invoice that you sent me. Please list the services performed on this invoice for that cost and not just the total. Besides a new bellows you also have a repaired 1989 camera and a repaired 1979 lens. This was not just a bellows charge.

The delay in time was waiting to receive the bellows from the factory. And, as explained to you on the phone on Monday, he does not do camming and we will have a camming service done in the USA through Bob Watkins starting in the fall after he goes for training.

We now do have a large number of blank cams, infinity stops and focus scales at our office that will go to Nippon on Tuesday. These are the parts that were at Marflex.

[mortensen]

I have bellows (the PU-version) from ecbuyonline. They are cheap and quite well made and you can change bellows yourself. It all fit well for me, since I was on a budget while restoring my Tech V, but please mind the following:
- ecbuyonline's product is not Linhof quality! My PU-bellows remain sticky even after several treatments with talc. In all fairness, Rudy regretted this failure and sent me a nylon bellows free of charge (their service is good, no doubt). It is reasonably flexible with my 115 Grandagon, but since it is a thicker material than the OEM Linhof bellows, it has to compress a LOT in order to fit into the housing when closed.
- changing bellows on a Technika is certainly doable, but consider it a two-night job involving a lot of very small screws that easily get lost or damaged. I personally screwed up (ahem...) and over tightened the bellows' attachment to the lens board, causing the screws to break with the thread inside - very difficult to remove without causing damage. Plus I had to order (and wait for) replacement screws.

all in all, if your friend has the budget go for OEM linhof bellows. The camera, if taken properly care of, will outlive her and resale value (in case she doesn't find it the tool for her trade) will increase greatly if it has new linhof bellows.

[RichardRitter]

Be very careful where you get the bellows from. Most bellow are to big for Linhofs and will not work. Most are to thick and the camera will not close right and could cause problems down the road. Or the maker will make the bellows shorter to make then work and you loss the overall lenght you would need for long lenses.

[Bob Salomon]

Be very careful where you get the bellows from. Most bellow are to big for Linhofs and will not work. Most are to thick and the camera will not close right and could cause problems down the road. Or the maker will make the bellows shorter to make then work and you loss the overall lenght you would need for long lenses.

And not compressable enough for the short lenses a Technika can use.

[ntsiouris]

all this is fine IF you authorize it
if you send your lenses to be cammed and instead you get about 600$ of Unauthorized miscalleneous repairs of what was fine to begin with i don't think you would be very happy with the "service "
saying he will do one thing and doing another is not acceptable

[E. von Hoegh]

Do they have a website?
Can hardly find any info on them... Do you have an estimated cost?
Was hoping for a more durable synthetic bellows and not the pigskin originals.
However I have heard of some people having difficulty with the synthetic bellows... Any thoughts?

She has the 90mm, 135mm, 150mm, 210mm, 380mm
Would the synthetic bellow work with all of these focal lengths?
A friend bought some new synthetic bellows for his STIV. They were so thick, the camera would not close, and they were too short. The original leather bellows are very durable if you give them any care at all, mine were put on the camera in 1959 and are still good. Your best choice is to get original or original specification bellows. My friend not only paid for the correct bellows, he paid for the incorrect bellows.

[SpeedGraphicMan]

Thanks all for the replies and opinions...

Has anyone tried the bellows from ecbuyonline on a Technicka?
Several pro or cons about the product I inquired about would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again!

[vinny]

yes, frank petrino and others have and posted info about it here.

[SpeedGraphicMan]

yes, frank petrino and others have and posted info about it here.

Sorry, I only saw one post that dealt with that product directly.