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Thread: Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

  1. #1

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    Has anyone used Robert Whites new viewing bellows made to fit Ebony. It is a off shoot of the bellows hood Ebony offers (which I regretfully puchased). The Ebony hood I purchased sags and requires a extra hand to be used to support it. I have taken the advise of the more advanced LF's on this forum and tried to purchase a set of used Horseman folding reflex bino's, but the e-bay "snipers" would have none of this so far.

  2. #2

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    I have one of these that I use on an SV45U and I like it very much. The +3 diopter of the magnifier that comes with the unit is too weak IMO, requiring (at least for my old eyes) too much extension of the bellows to get the proper focusing distance from the GG, although a greater "stand off" from the GG is good for composing. I purchased an additional $30 Tiffen 3-lens (49mm) magnifier set wherein I use a stacked +4+3+2 (giving a +9, I guess) for most focusing work. This allows me to work with very little bellows extension on the hood and to use it for all but the most critical foucsing situations, as you can move the rear of the hood in various positions to see in the corners better. These addition magnifiers can be removed and mounted in seconds giving you any combination of magnification you need. For "composing" I often use a +4 or +3+2 then screw on an additional magnifier for more critical focusing. I no longer carry a focusing cloth at all. The hood is quite rigid and never has any "droop". Excellent piece of kit, IMO. Good Luck.

  3. #3

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    There is a new Ebony viewing hood with a magnifier on the Ebony website. It looks similar to the Robert White hood but with a larger lens. I have no idea if it is better than the Robert White hood, but I'll bet it is a lot more expensive.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Dec 1997
    Location
    Baraboo, Wisconsin
    Posts
    7,697

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    I used the Robert White viewing bellows for a while on an Ebony SV45Te but ended up selling it. It was o.k. but on balance I found that I preferred viewing the scene on the ground glass itself rather than squinting at the ground glass through the magnifier, which reminded me too much of using a 35mm camera. It also wasn't always easy to see the corners and edges of the ground glass, especially in dim light, and sometimes I had to shift the position of the bellows left and right, up and down, to see the corners and edges. However, the bellows is flexible but firm, you don't need to use your hands to support it. It also was easy to put on and remove from the camera though I kept mine on the camera all the time. I didn't have a problem with the 3x magnification.

    I think that the utility of accessories like this are mostly a matter of personal preference. If you really dislike using your darkcloth, if viewing the entire scene on the ground glass isn't part of the pleasure of large format photography for you, and if you don't mind having to sometimes shift the position of the bellows several times to see the edges and corners of the ground glass, you probably would like it.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  5. #5

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    I'm in the middle - sometimes I like it (when standing under a dark cloth in the hot Aussie sun isn't working for me)...but most of the time I prefer being under the ground glass (with a real loupe). It's a good product certainly but the magnifier is definitely not strong enough for anything more than rough focussing for me.

    It's inexpensive and is certainly useful for quick placement of the camera and composition checking, but I usually find it comes off for actual shot taking.

  6. #6

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    Thanks for all the input everyone.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Mar 1999
    Posts
    111

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    One more opinion: I bought mine used, it worked great. However, it didn't take long for it to need a shot of Viagra. After several uses it got VERY droopy, so much so that I now leave it at home and bring the darkcloth.

  8. #8

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    Thanks for the warning Todd, I guess I'm delaying the inevitable. I think I'll go back to the darkcloth maybe I'll try the Gnass or Blackjacket. I tried using a monocular finder and Brian seemed to have a point about all the squinting that goes on while trying to look through it. By the way, Brian the SVTE is working flawlessly I just processed my first set of negs....wow. Thanks again

  9. #9

    Robert White Ebony Viewing Bellows?

    I used the said hood for three months in Chile last summer (their summer). I think it is great for travel, packs up nicely. After a few hundred extensions the self-support fails from fatigue and it sags. It works better with long lenses than wideangles if used with a fresnel.

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