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Sagging Bellows On Deardorff 8x10



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 19th 04, 11:59 AM
Vladamir30
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Default Sagging Bellows On Deardorff 8x10

I recently purchased a Deardorff 8x10 camera that has a new bellows
installed. I discovered that with a 400mm lens on the camera, the lens panel
raised to its top position, the camera tilted up about 15 degrees to include
the top of a building in the photograph, and the lens and back brought to
vertical postions parallel to the front of the building, the bellows sags
quite severely and gets in the way of the photograph. I lose about an inch
of the photograph at the bottom of the photograph (top of the negative). The
sag is pretty much in the middle of the bellows. If I use my hand to push
the bellows up from the bottom the problem is reduced but not eliminated (I
still lose about a half inch of the photograph).

Is this something other Deardorff users experience? I used to own another
Deardorff camera with a much heavier bellows material than this one and
never encountered a sagging bellows problem though I'm not sure I ever used
it in this configuration with a lens this long.

I know there are workarounds to sagging bellows but none that I've seen have
ever been very appealing to me. At this point I can return the camera but I
don't want to do that if the problem is one I would encounter with any other
Deardorff and any other bellows material. I'm not sure what the material of
this one is, it feels very light, soft, and pliable so it may be leather.


  #2  
Old April 19th 04, 04:20 PM
Argon3
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Default Sagging Bellows On Deardorff 8x10

Worked in a catalog studio where all the cameras were 8X10 and 11X14
Deardorffs. The bellows sag is a familiar problem but by no means limited to
'dorfs...I have a Lotus 4X5 and the extra long bellow that it came with (which
is a benefit in some cases) has a tendency to sag. Fortunately, the good folks
at Lotus put a velcro strap and a "D" ring in the middle of the bellows so that
you can pull it forward and hook it on a stud on the top of the lensboard
assembly...they also make a great "hybrid" wide angle bellows with accordian
pleats on either side of a "bag" assembly.
We used to just stack 8X10 film boxes between the bed and the bellows to jack
the bellows up...real high tech! Probably still the most efficient and low
cost solution that you'll find.
You'll find that any extra long bellows will eventually sag...you might
consider having a shorter new bellows made and installed but i don't remember
the bellows being easily interchangeable on the Deardorffs so you'd be limited
to whatever exchanged the original bellows for.
They're still as excellent a field camera as you're going to find...I doubt
that any other comparable camera would be much different. As distasteful as
any of the work-arounds might be to you, it's just another of the
eccentricities of shooting LF...lots of jerry-rigging in order to get the shot
you want.

argon
  #3  
Old April 19th 04, 05:58 PM
William Laven
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Default Sagging Bellows On Deardorff 8x10

You need to fashion a "bellows clip" to make it work. Many cameras have
these already on them. The idea is that maybe 5 or 6 pleats behind the
front standard you glue a little piece of fabric with a small ring
attahced and then place a small screw vertically in the middle of the
front standard. When the bellows sags, you hook the clip on the screw,
thus pulling the bellows tighter. My description might not be that
clear; just look at different 8x10 cameras and you're bound to find one
with this already on the camera and you can copy it. Far more efficient
and handy than other methods.


In article , Argon3
wrote:

Worked in a catalog studio where all the cameras were 8X10 and 11X14
Deardorffs. The bellows sag is a familiar problem but by no means limited to
'dorfs...I have a Lotus 4X5 and the extra long bellow that it came with (which
is a benefit in some cases) has a tendency to sag. Fortunately, the good
folks
at Lotus put a velcro strap and a "D" ring in the middle of the bellows so
that
you can pull it forward and hook it on a stud on the top of the lensboard
assembly...they also make a great "hybrid" wide angle bellows with accordian
pleats on either side of a "bag" assembly.
We used to just stack 8X10 film boxes between the bed and the bellows to jack
the bellows up...real high tech! Probably still the most efficient and low
cost solution that you'll find.
You'll find that any extra long bellows will eventually sag...you might
consider having a shorter new bellows made and installed but i don't remember
the bellows being easily interchangeable on the Deardorffs so you'd be limited
to whatever exchanged the original bellows for.
They're still as excellent a field camera as you're going to find...I doubt
that any other comparable camera would be much different. As distasteful as
any of the work-arounds might be to you, it's just another of the
eccentricities of shooting LF...lots of jerry-rigging in order to get the shot
you want.

argon

  #4  
Old April 22nd 04, 08:05 PM
Richard Knoppow
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Posts: n/a
Default Sagging Bellows On Deardorff 8x10


"Vladamir30" wrote in message
.com...
I recently purchased a Deardorff 8x10 camera that has a

new bellows
installed. I discovered that with a 400mm lens on the

camera, the lens panel
raised to its top position, the camera tilted up about 15

degrees to include
the top of a building in the photograph, and the lens and

back brought to
vertical postions parallel to the front of the building,

the bellows sags
quite severely and gets in the way of the photograph. I

lose about an inch
of the photograph at the bottom of the photograph (top of

the negative). The
sag is pretty much in the middle of the bellows. If I use

my hand to push
the bellows up from the bottom the problem is reduced but

not eliminated (I
still lose about a half inch of the photograph).

Is this something other Deardorff users experience? I used

to own another
Deardorff camera with a much heavier bellows material than

this one and
never encountered a sagging bellows problem though I'm not

sure I ever used
it in this configuration with a lens this long.

I know there are workarounds to sagging bellows but none

that I've seen have
ever been very appealing to me. At this point I can return

the camera but I
don't want to do that if the problem is one I would

encounter with any other
Deardorff and any other bellows material. I'm not sure

what the material of
this one is, it feels very light, soft, and pliable so it

may be leather.

Use the ring on the top of the bellows. For long extension
do _not_ clip it to the hook on the front. Rather use a
section of dowell run through it and supported on the back
and front standards of the camera. This will lift the
bellows and make them straight. If the bellows does not have
the tap with ring on it you can either support it from
underneath in a similar way or use the rod above with some
cord looped around the bellows to pull it up to the rod. Sag
is pretty common in all cameras with long bellows.


--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA



 




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