500mm Tele Xenar 13x18 Sinar Norma Homemade Bellows Supports

[Daniel Unkefer]

500mm Tele Xenar 13x18 Norma Homemade Norma Bellows Support by Nokton48, on Flickr

The extra long 5x7 Norma Custom Bellows tends to sag a bit sometimes, so I built up a permanent solution. I cut down three Norma Auxiliary Standards, using my Little Machine Shop Electric Band Saw. I was left with an 6" long adjustable rectangular long piece, to which I drilled a hole on each end. Then I inserted large steel lag bolts with circular round tops, with lag nuts which can be adjusted quite a bit up and down. So this slides laterally/swings and has rise and fall as well, pretty adjustable.

I made three of these units, cleaning out my Norma parts box. Never throw anything like this away.

You can see the new unit just to the right of the Norma tripod block. Somebody removed all the green paint on this one it's black but still Norma

[Daniel Unkefer]

Homemade Sinar Norma Bellows Supports by Nokton48, on Flickr

The two green ones support my new extra long 5x7 bellows very well. I think this is a success

[Daniel Unkefer]

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

David Maheu has been painting these canvases for photographers for forty years. This is 8x8 foot "Tim Kelly Beige" which is one of the most requested backgrounds. He is retiring this year so I thought I better get these made up while I can!
This will get a lot of use. I've followed Tim Kelly for thirty years + and I've wanted some cool backgrounds for my work

This is one of my 5x7 Normas and I've left the 500mm Tele-Xenar on it for a while. Looking forward to working with this lens as it warms up around here. If it ever does!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcP...luable%20asset.

[Greg]

Here's a Sinar bellows support that I acquired from the son of W Eugene Smith probably around 1980. Evidently it was fabricated for Smith by LIFE magazine for him to use when he was photographing an essay on Pittsburgh for LIFE. He actually used an 8x10 Norma to take some of the photographs. His son years ago wrote me that most people thought his father only used the 35mm format.

[Drew Wiley]

Interesting. But if this were for sake of just 4X5, and I wanted to go up to 750mm or so, I'd simply substitute my 28-inch (nominal) Horseman long bellows, which uses relatively thick material and doesn't seem to sag much at all compared to the Sinar box bellows. And is the case when I often shoot a Fuji 450 C, I simply use the original Norma tapered bellows, which does just fine by itself.

The other trick, instead of supporting from below, it simply to pull front above, with a velcro strip running from the susceptible point of the bellow to the front standard.
There are numerous potential cures, with those in the field prioritizing lighter weight methods.

[Daniel Unkefer]

Fair points with 4x5. Sometimes i go to 2x3 when exploring. The other way to do it on 5x7 and this lens, is the Technika 5x7 and I'd much rather use a monorail. I think it might be easier to balance the Norma but I have no experience with the Technikas. Overall weight is not too bad with this, but may stay close to the car when beginning out. The bigger holders are much more to carry for a distance

[Drew Wiley]

Well, with a 6X9 roll film back, even a 300 is approximately equivalent in angle of view to 450 on 4X5 film. Getting older, that's been a trick of mine homing on on distant crags and so forth on long mountain treks. The limiting factor with distance photography is atmospheric conditions anyway; so sometimes, in that case, there isn't even any advantage to larger sheet film. But of course, the nice thing is that one can carry some of both if needed.

People called me nuts when I opted for Sinar over both the Technika or a light 4X5 folder for serious backpacking use. But monorails are much easier to balance and support than a 4X5 Technika, and allow for much longer lenses without resorting to bulky telephotos, so actually end up weighing less over all (not the P system, of course). Going up to 5x7, a Technika is an outright Tank, while shifting up to 5X7 in a Norma probably only adds a kilogram, I'd guess (not counting extra filmholder weight, which would be equal either option). So overall, given how much easier it is to balance a Sinar, and how easy it is to control it without a redundant heavy separate tripod head, a much lighter if still solid tripod setup can be used in the field, greatly decreasing total carry weight. ... But not enough for my age now! I still carry a Norma in the pack for day hikes, but alas, resort to a little Ebony 4X5 folder on long treks.

[Daniel Unkefer]

Here's a Sinar bellows support that I acquired from the son of W Eugene Smith probably around 1980. Evidently it was fabricated for Smith by LIFE magazine for him to use when he was photographing an essay on Pittsburgh for LIFE. He actually used an 8x10 Norma to take some of the photographs. His son years ago wrote me that most people thought his father only used the 35mm format.

WOW That piece has some real panache and is a piece of collectable photographic history. If you are photographing steel mills and such why not use an 8x10 Norma? No better camera.

[Philippe Grunchec]

BTW, which filter size for the Tele Xenar 5.5/500?

[Daniel Unkefer]

BTW, which filter size for the Tele Xenar 5.5/500?

Hi Philippe,

According to my old original Schneider literature, it is 110mm which is mighty beeg. I tried a Sinar Norma 103mm glass disc and it almost press fits into the original Schneider hood. Or I'd put a gel filter 4x4" inside the camera, mounted onto the rear cell. Wouldn't be too hard to make something. Do they even make 110mm fiters?