Bellows Calumet 4X5 CC-401 Camera

<p>I am thinking about buying this Camera Calumet 4X5 CC-401 it hsa 26" Monorails<br>

I have a Schneider 210mm 1:5.6/360 mm1:12 <strong>Convertible</strong> Lens would 22" Bellows be long enough for this 360 mm Lens would I be able to Focus to Infinity??<br>

I have a CC-400 Calumet 4X5 Camera with 16" Monorail I am unable to use this 360 mm Lens with this Camera CC-400 4X5 Calumet</p>

<p>Infinity is usually going to be the closest focus (shortest bellows.) It's when you start focusing closer that you have to rack out the bellows more. And, remember that 1 inch = 25mm. So, 22 in. is 550mm.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>The rule of thumb is 1.2 ratio of lens to extending bellows (on 4x5 rig). Anyway, your 360mm will need little over 14" of bellows. Make sure, however, that you compensate in exposure for *that* extension.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>There's a brochure for the Schneider Symmar at CameraEccentric: the lens is described as 210/<em>370</em>, but I think it's the same as what you have.<br /> <a href="http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/schneider_7.html">http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/schneider_7.html</a><br /> (and it's on the 3rd page)<br /> The tables gives the back-focus for the whole lens and for the rear group used alone. According to this, you focus at infinity with 450 mm, or 17.7 inches. Your full extension of 22 inches is 558 mm, a touch short of what you need to focus down to 2 metres.<br>

The same site has several Calumet brochures. In this one, the Symmar is one of the recommended lenses, and it says about using the lens converted; 'Focal lengths above 150mm should be used on a 22" bellows for conversion'.<br /> <a href="http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/calumet_1.html">http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/calumet_1.html</a><br>

So yes, the CC401 should suit your lens well, I think.</p>

<p><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=6502147">Leszek Vogt</a>:<br>

How do I <a id="PXLINK_2_0_1" href="/large-format-photography-forum/00eHXt">compensate</a> for Bellow Factor using 3 different Lens 127 mm,210 mm,360 mm</p>

<p>A page at the Large Format Photography Forum about bellows compensation:<br>

<a href="http://www.largeformatphotography.info/bellows-factor.html">http://www.largeformatphotography.info/bellows-factor.html</a></p>

<p>I think Pete pointed at right direction. I (also) have Calumet different model and it came with a physical yardstick and it's super easy to align the "measure" against the bellows (210mm) and one can easily see as to a compensation (in F-stop/s or fractions of a stop). Once you get the exact measurements for each lens, you can create your own cheat-yardstick....adjustment depends on where the bellows extend while the image is in focus.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>CC-401? Perfectly fine camera with ample movements.</p>

<p>But, old school. It is a 4x5 Kodak Master View made by Calumet. It is not modular. The bellows are permanently attached to the standards. It is not very friendly to short lenses. Since you have a CC-400 you should know this already.</p>

<p>My first 4x5 camera was a CC-401. Its maximum extension was 22". Fine for lenses up to ~ 500 mm but if you want to use a lens longer than that it won't do.</p>

<p>Given today's prices, if you're in the US or EU you might be better off buying a more modern modular 4x5 camera. A variety of 4x5 Sinars are available at very reasonable prices and so are a variety of 4x5 Cambos. Both are very well supported, can be used with short lenses and can be extended quite a distance.</p>

<p>You say you have a 360/5.6 Convertible lens. I take it you have a 360/5.6 Symmar, whose rear cell's focal length is 620 mm. Schneider's documentation says that the rear cell alone needs 760 mm of extension to focus to infinity. Impossible on a CC-401. The complete lens needs 356 mm to focus to infinity. A CC-401 will do this easily.</p>

Converted Symmars (i.e using half the lens) have

quite poor image quality unless well stopped down.

You'd be better off getting a telephoto design

longer lens. Something like a 360mm f/5.5 Tele-Xenar for example. A proper telephoto lens like this needs only 250mm or so of bellows draw for

infinity focus.

Another alternative is to use a special lens panel with a conical extension "nose" to lengthen the lens-to-film distance. You can get maybe an extra 4 to 5" this way. A simple tin can sprayed matt black and Araldited to a lens board would do the job.