replacing wista bellows

[jzakko]

hey guys, somehow (don't wanna get into it) my bellows got ruined and I gotta replace them. Just wanna make sure that the bellows I'm about to buy are the correct (normal sized) ones and want to square away how i'm gonna replace them.

Took me a while to figure out how to remove the bellows, but once I did, I see they have frames at the front and back that ones online don't. Is it as simple as tearing the bellows off and using the old frames for the new bellows? Do I just superglue the new bellows to the frames?

Here is the ebay link for the bellows:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional-Made-Bellows-For-Wista-45D-45N-45VX-45SP-45RF-Large-Format-Camera-/281096076643?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4172a1bd63

thanks guys.

[Bob Salomon]

Some Wista cameras have an interchangeable bellows, others have a fixed bellows. If your camera has an interchangeable bellows then you need the Wista replacement bellows with a frame, 214540, for the SW and Technical models.
If your camera has the fixed bellows then you need the replacement bellows that does not have frames.

[jzakko]

Ok, well my camera definitely has interchangeable bellows, thing is I can't find any bellows with the frames attached on ebay, I feel like anywhere I can get bellows like that will be way over my budget. I'd like to spend $100 if I can and am trying to avoid going over 200. Is attaching new bellows to the old frames a bad idea/not feasible?

[vinny]

Rudy from ecbuyonline makes nice bellows for the money. No, he doesn't have frames. You'll need to reuse yours or go with bob's suggestion and spend $450.
No, you don't use superglue. You should use Tanner's contact cement that comes in a can and remains flexible long after it's stuck. Warning, this shit is sticky! That's the way to do it if you want a light-tight box for making photographs. If you want a pretty camera with oem parts that you plan to re-sell, go for the oem bellows. I'd link to the glue, but cannot find it right now. There are several threads on gluing bellows, search from google. I posted pics of how I've done mine successfully using binder clips and painters tape online somewhere but I can email them if you'd like.

[Richard Wasserman]

It is not hard to do. I have bought bellows from the same seller and they were very high quality. I used white glue (Elmer's) and it worked well. You may need to trim the new bellows to fit your frames, but that's no big deal. Take your time and work carefully, you should be fine.

[Bob Salomon]

Ok, well my camera definitely has interchangeable bellows, thing is I can't find any bellows with the frames attached on ebay, I feel like anywhere I can get bellows like that will be way over my budget. I'd like to spend $100 if I can and am trying to avoid going over 200. Is attaching new bellows to the old frames a bad idea/not feasible?

We have one new Wista interchangeable bellows in stock that we are selling on special. It has a list price of $449.00 and a MAP price of $360.00. We will sell it for $275.00 + shipping to wherever you are. We can not sell it after Jan. 14th.

[Ari]

We have one new Wista interchangeable bellows in stock that we are selling on special. It has a list price of $449.00 and a MAP price of $360.00. We will sell it for $275.00 + shipping to wherever you are. We can not sell it after Jan. 14th.

That's a pretty sweet deal for original factory bellows. Just pop them in and go.

[Alan Gales]

Wista bellows pricing at B&H. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Wista+bellows&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

Do like Ari suggests and take Bob up on his generous offer!

[SteveR]

I got replacement bellows for my Wista quite a few years back, I don't remember the seller, but they were pretty much the same as the ones you linked to. I just cut the old ones out of the frames and glued the new ones in. Fairly easy job, I went overkill and used a strong epoxy to get them in, just because I was off on an assignment the following day and couldn't risk them coming loose. It's now howevermany-years later and they're still good to go whenever I call on that kit.

[NoBob]

If you buy both frames and bellows from Rudy, he'll put them together for you and ship them as one parcel. He did for me (not Wista bellows and frames though).

[brandon allen]

FWIW I ordered bellows from rudy and had a very good experience. They arrived quickly and fit my specs nicely. I would buy from him again without hesitation. It sounds as though others have had similar results.