New Bellows for KMV

[Ari]

Hi,
I will be ordering some new bellows for a recently-arrived Kodak Master 8x10.
The bellows come in standard length of 650mm (25 inches); the camera can extend to 32 inches (810mm).
I'm relatively new to 8x10, so I've stuck with 12" and 14" lenses thus far, using the 8x10 only for portraits.

Could any KMV owners out there let me know if longer bellows work well on this camera?
Is there an ideal bellows length for the KMV?

Thanks in advance.

[Daniel Stone]

I got a new set on my (now sold) KMV before I sold it, and I requested the ability to get 30" of draw out of them. They(Custom Bellows) said that's their "normal" procedure for the KMV, IIRC.

-Dan

[C. D. Keth]

Hey, Ari. I have that master view that Dan just sold. The 30" bellows lets you comfortably get all the extension the hardware will allow. That is, full out on both beds, as well as a combination of base and axis tilt on the front to cantilever the lens out the last 4 inches or so. If you want, I could take a photo for you.

[Ari]

Thanks, guys.
Christopher, I appreciate the offer; please post here when you have a chance.

[Len Middleton]

Ari,

When I was getting bellows from Custom Bellows UK for my Korona 8x20 Panoramic, I measured the distance from the front to rear standard when fully extended (32") with the rear extension added, during the process of getting a quote from them.

I think if you had that dimension for your KMV that would provide you with maximum bellows extension. You could also get them to provide bellows straps / clips to compress parts of the bellows when using shorter lenses to reduce bellows sag.

I recommend them highly for both quality of work and quality of service. I would not hesitate to use them again.

Good luck in your efforts,

Len

[Ari]

Thank you, Len!
I am going by the specs I found online; I still have the old bellows attached, so I can't find out he actual maximum extension as the current bellows do not allow it.

[Len Middleton]

Thank you, Len!
I am going by the specs I found online; I still have the old bellows attached, so I can't find out he actual maximum extension as the current bellows do not allow it.

Ari,

I am not familiar with the KMV, so do not know the specifics.

I would expect however that with the extension (if it has one) installed, it would be a simple task to do. Rack the front standard as far forward as it should normally go (without falling off) and mark the front bellows position (including bellows on the frame) on the rail. If the bellows are in poor shape you might need to move the rear standard forward to reduce the stress on the bellows. Then do the same thing with moving the rear standard to its rear-most position and mark it.

Maximum bellows length would then be the measurement between the two points, unless I missed something or got this all wrong... :confused:

Let me know if that makes sense on your camera,

Len

[Ari]

Sorry, Len; what I mean is that the current bellows do not extend the full length of the camera's extension capability.
I can't remove them, so my maximum extension is limited by the bellows I have.
The camera (from what I've read) can extend 34 inches; my current bellows extend only 26 inches.

[Len Middleton]

Ari,

Good that you have the information you need (34"). I expect that doing what I suggested (i.e. moving standards to the end of their travel, and moving the other standard along with it as required) will allow you to confirm that dimension.

As Custom Bellows has a long history of doing various bellows, they would also be able to confirm the overall length. They will mount new bellows on the frames for you for a small fee, if you provide the frames.

Keep us posted with your experience on getting the KMV going,

Len

[C. D. Keth]

OK, after a couple loooong days of work and forgetting to do it, I took a couple photos of my camera a full extension with the new bellows that Dan put on it.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8183/8420526949_ec7b5e18a0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79873735@N03/8420526949/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79873735@N03/8420526949/) by CKeth (http://www.flickr.com/people/79873735@N03/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8421624930_06daec9f0b_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79873735@N03/8421624930/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79873735@N03/8421624930/) by CKeth (http://www.flickr.com/people/79873735@N03/), on Flickr

[Ari]

Thank you, Christopher; very much appreciated.

[C. D. Keth]

You're very welcome, Ari. I think you'll like your master view.

[Ari]

I think you'll like your master view.

I like it already :) I will order 30" bellows on the recommendation of a very kind forum member.

BTW, I borrowed this KMV back in November and just took possession of it, along with the included 12" Commercial Ektar.
What I didn't notice too much the first time around was that the camera was focusing slightly in front of where I was focusing.
A closer look shows that the back is slightly warped, and a film holder has a fraction of a millimeter of wiggle room when inserted in the camera.
A paper neg confirms this discrepancy.
Bending the spring on the back was not the answer.

So before shooting film, I'm sending it to a local machine shop for re-alignment.