3rd Party Bellows for Sinar F2?

[Ed Richards]

I use a Sinar F2 in the field. I can use the bag bellows for every lens I use, from 65mm up to the 210mm (not for macro, of course). The standard bellows is great for 150 to about 400, but is too stiff for anything much shorter if you use much movement. I am wondering if someone makes a replacement bellows that would be good from about 90mm to 300mm.

[Geert]

Ed,

you could try to shorten the bellows by 25% and reglue it to the bellows frame.
I have done so to replace the bellows on my Toyo: I bought a cheap second hand Sinar bellows, removed it from the frame and glued it to the frames of a Toyo wide angle bellows that I hade spare.

I do have some doubts on the flexibility of the bellows.
Ideal would be the Ebony bellows style, where part of the bellows has no stiffeners:
http://www.ebonycamera.com/media/cam/617S.jpg

G

[Andrew_4548]

The thing with the Ebony bellows is that they are leather opposed to the synthetic Sinar ones so should be more supple once "worked in." I questioned the Ebony's ability to take a 65mm lens when I bought mine as the 90mm hardly moved and was told to keep using them and break them in...

Camera Bellows in the UK could supply me a replacement set of Sinar bellows if required but whether they can work in leather I don't know - you'd have to get in touch and find out. There might be another synthetic material available to make an Ebony style set, i.e.

http://www.ebonycamera.com/media/cam/45SU.jpg

Is it possible to make a Sinar fitting Ebony style with straight bellows or does the taper on the Ebony ones help stability? I have an old set of Sinar ones that are tapered but with a full size square board on the front standard. Mine are like a collander on the corners but I used to use them for a lens shade rather than between the standards.

Andrew

[Kirk Gittings]

The thing to do would be to have a bellows made out of the current "lightweight" bellows material that Phillips, Canham, Walker uses. Which I understand that the English bellows company makes. Mine will do from 120 to 450 with full movements and to 90 with limited movements. Only trouble is it doesn't seem to be an option on their site and they have never answered my inquiries about the material.