Tachihara 4x5 question

[Tim Meisburger]

Wow! Cool and simple modification. I think if I still had a Tachi and needed new bellows I would be thinking about adding that functionality.

[Mark Sampson]

The Tachi I bought new in 1982 was made of cherry wood and had chrome hardware, and had 13" or so of bellows that let me use a 300/9 Nikkor-M. Nice lightweight camera; I sold it after ten years of hard use and still wish I had it.

[Pat Kearns]

In 1994 I bought a Calumet Wood Field which was a cherry & brass with 12 inch bellows. I wish it had 16 inch bellows so I could use some longer lenses. Nice light weight camera that I'm still using today.

[Ken Lee]

My guess is that the OP is measuring from the front of the lens board to the rear of the rear standard, adding a few inches along the way. I'd be surprised if the actual bellows draw (or bed extension) is anything other than the usual 13 inches.

[s389]

Hello,
I have a 13" Tachihara that need a new bellows. This is the brass and Cherry wood model. I should maybe change for a 16" bellows, it might be interesting. Do you have an online seller to recommend?
thanks

[Tim Meisburger]

Ken, have a look at the picture from ACM on the previous page of a 16" model. To me it looks an aftermarket addition, and possibly home made. Hard to tell exactly from the picture, and without a camera in front of me, but it looks like a competent machinist could knock one out in a few minutes.

[ImSoNegative]

My guess is that the OP is measuring from the front of the lens board to the rear of the rear standard, adding a few inches along the way. I'd be surprised if the actual bellows draw (or bed extension) is anything other than the usual 13 inches.

actually Ken, I bought it from Igor and the ad said 16 inch bellows, I havnt gotten it yet should be here in a few days then I will know for sure,

[ImSoNegative]

In 1994 I bought a Calumet Wood Field which was a cherry & brass with 12 inch bellows. I wish it had 16 inch bellows so I could use some longer lenses. Nice light weight camera that I'm still using today.

I have a couple of tele lenses that I use, one is a 300 komura and the other is the Fuji 400 t. that 300 was dirt cheap came in a copal shutter and is tack sharp, I was surprised, of course the Fuji is what one would expect, great lens.

[Michael E]

I bought mine brand new and it looked exactly like the one on the left. Whenever I got it out I was always afraid I was going to scratch it.

I bought mine new in 1996 and it still is my main LF camera. It was knocked over by wind in Death Valley in 1997 and the rear standard metal support was badly bent. It has been that way ever since, I have to adjust the alignment with a level for every shot. I keep telling myself that I will get it fixed some day...

... and I've had several dozen Tachiharas.

Why would you need so many?

[ImSoNegative]

hopefully this will be something very rare, an experiment they were having at the Tachi factory, they decided to scrap the idea of a 16 inch bellows after making only one camera and somehow it got out of the factory and ended up in Cleveland ohio at Igor's. A young/old man in Georgia spotted the ad that said 16 inch bellows, knowng that wasn't normal he posted a question on the LFF wondering if it was a different model only to find out he might have purchased a one of a kind, maybe worth thousands of dollars