Nice to know. Tapered bellows are nicer to work with than box bellows, and seem more internal-flare-resistant. I certainly prefer my original tapered Norma bellows, which can be interchangeably used on a F2 or P2 if one owns the tapered version. My hunch why Sinar switched to box bellows was that they were much more cost-effective to make in volume, and then simply cut down per length. But I have a Horseman long box bellows which fits Sinar too, and doesn't sag enough to warrant the intermediate standard Sinar might at especially long extensions using their box bellow. The Horseman will resist sagging out to 28 inches of extension, suitable for a 600 mm lens, while the tapered Norma 4X5 bellows will easily handle a 450 lens. But all that interchangeability is one reason to stick with the classic Sinar choices, rather than the later P3. Spares and components abound on the used marke. Once something gets highly specialized, like a P3, you're back to high prices and expensive repairs again.
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Originally Posted by pchong
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