Linhof Focus/Metering bellows

[John Hennessy]

Does anyone have experience using the Linhof Focus/Metering bellows? I am trying one and can foresee several problems and advantages. The first problem is the removable 2x loupe used for focusing: since it comes off completely and is a slippery polished aluminum I’ll drop it if not lose it altogether. So it should have a lanyard but I see no easy way to attach one short of drilling a hole in the loupe’s collar. Second, it screws in with a few shallow threads which may cross thread and strip and besides it’s a pain to fumble with screwing and unscrewing all the time. It would be better if it bayoneted in place or better yet if it used a captive pivoting loupe. It may turn out that it is more convenient than the dark-cloth-and-loupe combo that I have been using for years but it could have been even more convenient if it had been better thought out.

So it anyone has found work-arounds for its bumbling design I would love to hear them. Thanks.

[Doug Dolde]

Major PITA in my opinion. I tried one did not like it at all. I'd avoid it in favor of a dark cloth.

[Brian Ellis]

I used one briefly, it reminded me too much of squinting through the viewfinder on a 35mm camera. I never tried it for metering.