Identify Camera for Mystery Bag Bellows

[neil poulsen]

I'm trying to identify the camera for which these mystery bag bellows were made. They came with an 8x10 Toyo G camera. But from their construction, they have nothing to do with that camera. Please see the attached photos.

As for dimensions:

Back Frame: Frame is made of wood, and they're 10 11/16" square for outside dimensions and 9 5/8" inside dimensions.

Back Cavities for Slides: This width of the top and bottom cavities on the back that receive the slides on the back of the bellows are 4.25" long.

Front Frame: 6 1/4" square outside dimensions.

As large as these bellows appear to be, they can't be for an 8x10, given the inside dimensions of the back frame. Seemingly, too small for an 8x10 and too bid for a 5x7? (Hmm.) Given that they're interchangeable, I'm thinking that the camera is not an antique. The bellows appear to be well made.

Anyway, any ideas that you have would be appreciated.

[neil poulsen]

Actually, if the rear frame is mounted a little towards the front from the sheet of film, this bellows could fit an 8x10 camera.

[Tracy Storer]

Plaubel Profia. Posting a pic of the front frame from my 5x7 (13x18) The 5x7 standard bellows has tabs(that clip to the side notches) to keep the bellows compressed when the bag bellows is on the camera. EDIT:If you look at your photo of the front frame, you can see where the clips are cast in place so they can be machined out to be like mine. I remembered I have a bag bellows, and looked, sure enough, the 5x7 bag bellows front frame looks exactly like yours, and the cmamra design DOES leave the thickness of the rear standard between where the bellows attaches and the film back, so your bellows is undoubtedly for an 8x10 Plaubel. (I would not have known about the wooden rear frame though, but maybe someone else can weigh in on that)

[neil poulsen]

Tracy, Thanks for the information. I'll look into that. Neil

[Sevo]

The 8x10 Profia bellows I've had all had a plastic rear frame. Perhaps a early version, or from the (preceding) Plaubel Peco Universal.

[Riise]

It is an Universal III bellows. The shallow cut-outs seen in the last photo at the sides halfway between center and bottom are for the center-tilt zero detents on the Universal III. Will work on all Universals and probably the Profia too. But it can't be used with Profia type casted lens boards. The Profia boards have a light trap ridge that will interfere with the bellows frame.

[Tracy Storer]

Correction, my camera is a Peco Universal III NOT a Profia. Appologies, it came to me as "chaff" from an artists estate a couple months ago (I was helping a friend collect a Deardorff commercial 11x14 and 10' stand and was offered a couple things for my troubles).
I hope to return it to clean usable condition later this year.