storing or displaying a 4 x 5

<p> I've got a cherry wood Wista 4 x 5 field camera...which I use fairly often...but I also like to display it on a shelf when I'm not shooting with it because it's so elegant. I started wondering if, in the long run, the bellows would stay in good condition longer if the camera were stored folded up...or if they would stay in better condition with the camera unfolded and the bellows partially extended. My gut instinct tells me that it's more the <strong>act of folding and unfolding </strong>that probably ages the bellows more quickly...and that it really doesn't matter whether it's stored folded or unfolded. But I was wondering if there was any other wisdom out there...</p>

<p>Bellows tend to sag when the camera is left open for extended periods. You can put something under the bellows to prop it up. Dust can also be a problem.</p>

<p>I would put a wad of acid free paper or something inside the bellows, and house the camera in a plexiglass case. Might look for UV reducing plexiglass to prevent damage to bellows etc.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>Letting air to the bellows by having them extended might dry them out more quickly and make them more prone to cracking. This is only surmise, based on my observation that bellows tend to crack and leak light on the outer exposed edges, while the internal creases very rarely crack.</p>

<p>OTOH having the bellows on display might encourage you to look after them a bit more and polish them up with a little wax ocassionally!</p>