Hello, First time to a forum.. I am looking for a bellows mfg. co. in the USA. Any possible leads would be heart warming. Thank you
Hello, First time to a forum.. I am looking for a bellows mfg. co. in the USA. Any possible leads would be heart warming. Thank you
Peter this question is quite often discussed on this forum. Here's a link to the most recent one.
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/500830.html
I can definitely recommend Western Bellows. I installed the bellows myself on the old frames and it was a perfect fit (for my 8x10 Deardorff). I have not yet tried Camera Bellows in England or Flexible Products in Florida.
DG
Unlike the post above, my very recent experience with Western Bellows was unfortunately anything but happy. A promised three-week delivery of a pre-paid order turned into a three-month delivery which was accomplished in the end only because I threatened to cancel the order and demanded my money and materials be returned. The treatment I received was deplorable. Suffice it to say that I won't be sending them any more business. And I would strongly urge anyone interested in a camera bellows to shop elsewhere. There's quite enough of this type of business behavior in the large format world already well documented within these pages.
Try Camera Bellows in the UK - they seem to offer a fast turnaround from previous postings. They are based in Birmingham, England and their phone number is 0121 440 1695.
Correct me if I'm wrong...I seem to recall that Flexible Products is out of business. Camera Bellows (UK) is a great pace, though.
Flexible Products wouldn't be my first choice even if it's still in business. My one experience with them was mixed, the bellows didn't work properly but they were willing to do it over at no cost. Camera Bellows gets uniformly good reviews. I'm surprised at the response about Western, I thought they were supposed to be good.
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.
My experience with Western Bellows was similar to Will's. They made a very nice bellows for a fair price, but I was promised several times that "they were being finished and would be shipped in a few days". A call a few weeks later would confirm that they had not yet been completed (probably not started). The owner finally admitted that his father had passed away, causing him to get behind schedule. Three weeks became about three months. In the end the product was good and maybe they have caught up with their workload. I would be hesitant if you need quick delivery.
I wish to thank all for the responsive results.. May Large and Ultra large live forever. I use 8x10-11x14-12x20 Does any one in the Pgh.Pa. area use anything but digital????
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