Originally Posted by hoffner
Well, little did I know...
Well, little did I know...
LOL... too funny.
There's two approaches to this type of problem... panic and insist that only the most secure and tried and true methods will work. Buy brand new cameras, replace any gear that shows any signs of wear, drop big money on brand new everything. Of course, if you're "pro" this is the "right" way to do it.
Or, you could be like 90% of the people on the forum here, shoot with older used gear, for the joy of making images, on a reasonable budget. And then you could appreciate the highly useful suggestions for economical repair that many people here on this forum have offered... noting that yes, they are only temporary repairs and do not stop the inevitable march that time and entropy has upon camera gear, and on us all as well.
And as as side note, all the gear of real pros that I've come in contact with is far more well used, beat up, fixed up, and gaff taped than any of the cameras of your typical amateur.
At least that you have right.
Nothing is infinite, even those new fancy bellows will eventually rot. I have decided to spend less money on fancy gear and more on the materials, you know, actually go out and have fun shooting. Can't have both on my salary.
Whatever that means. But shooting with leaky bellows isn't exactly cheap either, is it?
Who said I have leaky bellows? I did repair them with tape and acrylic and I do check them before shooting. Once the pinholes start appearing these shall be replaced with brand new ones but since it is just a few damaged corners from years and years of abuse by previous owner, I am not very worried. The cost of replacement bellows will buy me 100 sheets of film and chemicals to develop them.
Who said something is "infinite" and fancy bellows will never rot? Either you want to use arguments reduced ad absurdum or not. Take your pick.
....and thank goodness for the ignore button. Life is too short to waste on people who have nothing to offer but argumentative and unhelpful posts.
Ok, you beat me to it.
To all those, who think that a coat of acrylic paint can repair your failing bellows riddled with holes - make the following test.
Take a piece of white paper. Fold it in the way a part (best the part with a corner) of your bellows is folded. Make a small hole to it. Now, pull it straight, as bellows is when in its full length. Coat it with your preferred acrylic paint. Let it dry. Fold it again to the bellows shape. Now stretch this bellows part and fold it again, as you do with camera bellows when using it, counting how many stretching times it takes before you start to perceive the white paper or the hole under the paint coat again. (Look at the folds and in its corner.) That's the number of stretching your "repair" will last.
Now on the positive note. The only way how to repair a bellows with holes, so that it could still be used for some reasonable time without fear of failure is to patch the holes with a tape, cut of a suitable material and folded and glued to the original failed part of the bellows. The only disadvantage you will have from this repair is the slightly (depending on the size of the patch) diminished flexibility of the bellows. But the patched part will very probably outlast the rest of the bellows, as it will be made of a new material unlike the rest of the ageing bellows.
Hope this put the matter to the rest (no, I don't believe it).
Scribbles 3D fabric paint - black
Hobby Lobby $1.29 for a 1 ounce bottle:
http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/...-paint-774422/
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