Kodak Eastman 2-D 5x7 Restoration Project

[ImSoNegative]

excellent

[photoevangelist]

Thanks everyone!

Lee, beautiful job. Congratulations on the refinishing. How do you like the bellows? Quality, smell, weight price? I'm building my 8x10 and I'm going to need to order my bellows soon and I'm wondering about ecobuy. I've used Custom Bellows in England and Western Bellows here in California. Just curious about what your thoughts are.

I don't know how to compare it to other bellows, but Rudy is really very helpful. I couldn't figure out how to instal the bellows so I mailed the frames off to him and he did them for me at no extra charge. My advice is if someone doesn't feel comfortable doing bellows themselves to just discuss with Rudy about sending your frames and having him do it for you. But I assume with your experience you could do it on your own. The red isn't as red as I thought. I was expecting Costco red. But the darker shade is nice.

[Curt]

Hey I thought that 2D's were made with Mahogany, never heard of any in Cherry. I have 3 and they are Mahogany.

Roger

...and mine, 5x7 & 8x10 have brown bellows...

[Curt]

I had ecbuyonline2008 make my 11x14 bellows. It stinks, is wrinkled, scuffed up and not made right. ACTUALLY!!!! It's as good as any commercially made bellows I've seen.

Like I said before on a thread, no smell, except the new material smell, made to order, carefully wrapped, shipped fast, no tax, no import duty, free shipping. One drawback, they don't bring it over to your house and install it personally because its made in Hong Kong, now China, was a BCC.

[Penumbra]

Lovely camera; I'd like to have one that nice. Great job on the restoration.

[Ken Lee]

The other nice thing about the camera is that scanned at 2000spi it's a 122 megapixel capture device, representing the latest in 1930's technology

[mdm]

I also had ecbuyonline make me a set of 11x14 bellows, they are very well made from 3M cloth, dont stink and are really supurb. I have recently got a whole plate set made and while they are very functional and more than adequate, they are made from much flimsier materials, smell of glue and the workmanship is not quite as good, but they fit perfectly and I am very relieved not to have had to make them myself. He may be using different cloth because he knows I am using IR film a fair bit, but its hard to know untill I have installed them and used them. Rudy is a pleasure to deal with.

[ShawnHoke]

Really gorgeous camera, Lee. I have a beat up 8x10 2D that I love, but your beauty puts it to shame!

[photoevangelist]

Thank you all for your complements! I was out today shooting for the first time with the camera and was using my new 12" Dagor for a lot of the shots. Which is odd because I almost never shoot with a longer lens. I usually like wide for landscapes. I was using it and the 210 Symmar-s if I wanted a bit wider ( but its probably normal). I'll upload a few when I develop them. If I previsualized correctly, I got some great shots!

[Michael Cienfuegos]

What a beautiful camera! Mine looks like something the cat dragged in, but the bellows are light tight. My 5x7 2D has brown bellows, my 8x10 has reddish bellows. I guess they are a faded red, but still light tight.
Following these threads on restoring old Kodak 2D cameras has given me impetus to restore one of mine. I have a 5x7 reducing back for my 8x10, so I might attempt the 5x7 first, then do the 8x10. Time will tell. Thanks again for sharing this wonderful camera.