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View Full Version : Arca Discovery needs no xtra bellows for Fuji 450C



Ken Lee
10-Oct-2004, 10:32
In case anyone was wondering, there is no need to purchase a longer bellows to accomodate a Fujinon 450 C with the Arca Swiss Discovery. The bellows which ships with the camera is more than sufficient.

Pictured below is a Discovery with standard bellows, detachable 25cm extension rail, and a Fujinon 450 C. Some room to spare, for shots closer than infinity.


http://www.kenleegallery.com/arca450a.jpg

http://www.kenleegallery.com/arca450b.jpg

Tom Westbrook
10-Oct-2004, 11:48
Nice looking camera, there. Is that with the standard bellows? If so, that's pretty good. I think the standard belows is only advertised to 30cm max.

Kerry L. Thalmann
10-Oct-2004, 13:14
I think the standard belows is only advertised to 30cm max.

Tom,

Actually, the standard bellows on the Discovery is the same (38cm) as the F-Line. The diffierence is the stock rail on the Discovery is only 30cm long.

Ken,

This echos my experience with the ARCA-SWISS cameras. They are very conservative and (unlike many manufacturers) consistently understate the specs and capabilities of their products. This often leads to pleasant surprises (like you've discovered), rather than disappointment during actual use.

Kerry

Armin Seeholzer
10-Oct-2004, 14:48
Hi

But your bellows looks a bit overstresst in my opinion if you do this often you get a "hanging in the middle bellows" very fast!

Good luck!

Ken Lee
10-Oct-2004, 18:32
You may be right - I'll let you know if the bellows starts to sag. In the meanwhile, I am happy to not have to change the bellows, just for that lens. And it's one less thing to purchase and carry around.

Ken Lee
11-Oct-2004, 08:42
By the way, the Fujinon 450 C is heavenly. I had a 400T, loved the length, but often wished for more coverage. Now my wish has been granted. Thanks to all for sharing so much helpful info.

Kerry L. Thalmann
11-Oct-2004, 15:40
But your bellows looks a bit overstresst in my opinion if you do this often you get a "hanging in the middle bellows" very fast!

There are a couple things that can be done to alleviate the stress on the bellows and still not resort to the longer 70cm bellows when using the 450 Fujinon C.

A cheap, easy way to get an extra 13mm of extension is to use an older flat ARCA-SWISS lens board with this lens - not the REALLY old gray/silver boards from the 1950s and 1960s (these lack the mechanical light-trp ridges of the newer ARCA-SWISS boards, but the older black boards from the 1970s and early 1980s. These show up on eBay on a semi-regular basis. I have some that I use with my longest lenses for just this reason.

Another older ARCA-SWISS item I use with my F-Line is a rotating back (again, 1970s or early 1980s vintage). This adds another 1/2" or so of "extension". Combine these two, and you get nearly another inch of extension with your existing rail - and much less stress on the bellows.

Finally, in the photos of Ken's Discovery, it looks like he is using an adapter that takes Linhof/Wista style lens boards. If so, there are several top hat type extender boards available (Wista, Ebony, etc.) in this type of board. Midwest Photo Exchange usually has them listed on their web site with various hole sizes and extension lengths. Give them a call for details. This is another relatively inexpensive way to add another inch or inch and a half of extension without resorting to a longer rail and/or reducing the strain on your bellows.

Kerry

Jack Arnold
17-Dec-2004, 20:47
this thread has helped me a lot. I've wanted to find a longer lens, not necessarily a telephoto, for my Arca-Swiss Discovery. I've been thinking about the Fujinon C 450mm (thanks, Kerry) as the b est way to go, but have hesitated because I thought I would have to purchase a rail extension as well as a longer bellows. It now apppears that I might be able to get buy with a reversed recessed lensboard and a rail extension. These Arca-Swiss parts are costly!

Jack