Wista SP - 600mm Bellows & Extension?

[neil poulsen]

I've been familiarizing myself with the Wista SP I recently found on Craigslist. I'd like to use a 355mm G-Cleron as a longer lens, and I know that one can purchase a Wista 600mm bellows and extension for an SP that would enable me to mount this lens and focus at infinity.

To my question, does this work in practice? The tripod mount is well towards the rear of the camera, which means this lens (when mounted) would cantilever well out in front of the camera. At least, as 360mm range lenses go, a 355mm G-Claron weighs less than most.

What are members' experiences in using this bellows/extension combination with longer lenses?

[Dan Fromm]

Why do you want such a long bellows? At infinity the lens' diaphragm will be ~355 mm from the film plane. Another 35 mm will get it to 1:10. How close do you want to shoot?

[neil poulsen]

Dan, Thanks for asking.

Checking EBay, I see a 600mm bellows with a 600mm extension bed. From the Wista website, 600mm is the shortest extension bellows available. Putting this together w/what I read at B&H, I gather (hard to tell) that this bellows/extension combination extends the reach 300mm to 600mm. At any rate, the current bellows racks out to about 290mm, so I need the next size bigger for a 355mm lens.

To the query, this all looks nice in theory; but, does it work that well in practice?

[Mark Sampson]

Even if well-enigineered, such a solution sounds rickety to me. A 355 G-Claron is in a large and heavy #3 shutter, too. A 300 Nikkor-M or 305 G-Claron might be more practical, using a top-hat lens board. Or just the (spendy) Nikkor-T 360. I've never used a Wista but ten years with a 4x5 Tachihara taught me a few things about featherweight cameras.

[Pfsor]

To my question, does this work in practice? The tripod mount is well towards the rear of the camera, which means this lens (when mounted) would cantilever well out in front of the camera. At least, as 360mm range lenses go, a 355mm G-Claron weighs less than most.

What are members' experiences in using this bellows/extension combination with longer lenses?

Cantilever or not, for comfortable shooting you need 2 tripods.

[Alan Gales]

I don't know much about Wista extension beds but I googled these images for you.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Wista+Bed+extensions&biw=1680&bih=962&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwia_OX93uLPAhVn0oMKHU1yCTwQsAQISQ#imgrc=BrEhUfrstvZq-M%3A

In the top pictures you can see a place to screw in a second tripod to the bed extension. In the middle high lighted picture it looks like Wista made a rigid bed with a sliding tripod block.

[neil poulsen]

Even if well-enigineered, such a solution sounds rickety to me. A 355 G-Claron is in a large and heavy #3 shutter, too. A 300 Nikkor-M or 305 G-Claron might be more practical, using a top-hat lens board. Or just the (spendy) Nikkor-T 360. I've never used a Wista but ten years with a 4x5 Tachihara taught me a few things about featherweight cameras.

It's rickety.:) I bought the extension and bellows to give them a try, and I'm returning them. I was wondering if, since the extension itself is 300mm long, thereby needing only about 2 inches of added focus length, it might work. It "works", but it's far too prone towards vibrations for my taste.

There's definitely a place for telephotos. I have a "recent manufacture" of the Wollensak 15" Tele-Raptar, which has a flange focal length of about 240mm. While heavier than a 355mm G-Claron, it's stable (minimal vibrations prone) on a Wista SP at its flange focal length. I've not had occasion to use this lens and will give it a try. Depending on the quality of images, there are other telephotos out there. (e.g. Nikon f8, or Schneider f5.5.)

Thanks for all the input.

[Rod Klukas]

This works well as I have used it with a 720mm Nikon telephoto.
The extension has a tripod mount under it and if using the long lens, for balance, mount there.
I use an Arca-Swiss head, obviously, and put a bit of spacer under the plate, on each side of the Wista mount, under the A-S plate I mounted on the rail, to alleviate any rocking that might occur.
I used an 80mm plate on it. 802010.1 is the plate number for 1/4-20 screw plate.

By the way, a golfers umbrella really helps when clamped under your upper arm, fabric behind your back, when dealing with some breeze or wind.
Worked great in Antarctica, the plains of Kansas, or the Navaho reservation. Cheap and light as well.
If you feel you need more stability a lightweight monopod with a QR on it could be mounted to the extension rail. Leave the QR a bit loose until finished focusing, then lock down. Leaving it loose, allows the extension to move in and out when focusing.
By the way there was also a 300mm extension rail for the metal cameras made, as well.
Also Wista has an extended lens board in #0, 1, and 3. But it does upset the geometry of the movements a bit.