Shift and Swing Bellows and the Nikon PB-4 Bellows

<p><strong>Shift and Swing Bellows</strong><br /><br /><br />Of course, I got here by a devious route. I try to pick up old Spiratone gear, and one item I kind of wanted was a bellows unit with shift and tilt that was called the Bellowsmat.</p><div></div>

<p>This may be Spiratone's version of the Kopil ( http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Seiki ) Bellowsmat that also shows up occasionally on eBay, for a little less, but I've had little luck in finding one of those to bid on either -- I've only found it already sold.<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>However, my every effort to bid on the fairly rare appearances of this item was futile. Although you would think that there are not a lot of "Spiratone collectors", there are obviously some out there, mostly closeted. Moreover, there are apparently lot of people who want a swing/tilt/rise bellows unit of one kind or another. As a result, the prices of Spiratone Bellowsmats were often even higher than the much more common Nikon PB-4 bellows.<br /> <br /><br />So, thwarted by market forces, I desultorily bid on some Nikon PB-4 units, looking for the rare bargain. Frankly, I missed a couple of what looked like they could have been good opportunities. Also, these are often offered with a Nikon PS-4 slide copying attachment, and I have more slide-copying equipment than most small imaging support operations. Another commonly offered accessory is an adapter (really spacing) ring to mount the bellows units on some camera bodies with projecting front elements. I don't need that for my old film Nikons, and the unit mounts well with an adapter on my Canon digital bodies without any interference with the functions that I have detected so far. Anyhow, since I started looking the starting bid prices and the realized prices in sales have gone back up again. I finally threw in the towel on getting one on the cheap, and bought a BIN offer that was at the low end of the new prices. Hence this report for a Nikon made element, standing in as ersatz for a Spiratone unit.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>The Nikon PB-4 Bellows</strong><br /> The short of it is that this model of Nikon bellows has both lateral shift of the front as well as lateral swing. Since the camera can be rotated on the device (depending on the projections on the camera being mounted to), this allows a wide variety of _front_ lens movements. <br /><br />By doing this, the plane of sharp focus can be skewed to include objects in a slanted rank, or for correction of perspective where the camera back is not vertical.<br /><br />Although I suppose that using short barrel lenses would allow this rig to be used as a lens for non-macro applications, this is so awkward, in my opinion, as to be not worth the effort. If you want and need that sort of thing, spend the necessary money to get one of the excellent tilt/shift wide angle to telephoto lenses available for most major camera mounts.<br /><br />For the real thing in shift and tilt, look at <br /> http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00YizA PC-Nikkor 35mm <br /> http://www.photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00b2NO TS-E24mm <br /><br /><br />This is a frequently discussed item in one place or another (most often the Nikon Forum) here on P.net at<br /><br /> http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00YHeU <br /> http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00bGUY <br /> http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00YG20 <br />and many, many more<br /> http://www.google.com/search?q=Nikon+PB-4+site:photo.net&num=100&newwindow=1&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=diy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official <br /><br />Anyhow, my copy of this was clean, turned out to have a slightly bent swing lever which was quickly and easily bent back into shape. Otherwise it looks like new, but came without box or instruction manual. Fortunately, a visit to Butkus ( http://www.butkus.org/chinon/nikon/nikon_bellows/nikon_bellows.htm) fixed the latter problem, although the Nikon manual there is not incredibly informative, it does tell what part is what. [the French language manual at http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=18&ved=0CIgBEBYwEQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nikonpassion.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fdownloads%2Fmanuels%2FManuel_PB4.pdf&ei=ahX3UbOtNo79qAHd5YDYDw&usg=AFQjCNGpki_-VcUfQmbfqDacF-XRBlOxdw is more detailed if you read French a little]<br /><br />Here is a simplified version of the controls on the PB-4<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>I am still waiting on a delivery from China for an M39>Nikon F mount adapter so I can use my various short barrel M39 lenses on it (I thought I had one already, but can't find it -- note to self- get organized one of these days). Hence the following examples were done with a longer Nikon regular telephoto to try to get some working distance.<br /><br />The subject are some rather large (for this demonstration) Russian (post-Soviet you had better bet! сильно запрещено! [?, in the language of the Third International "Am strengsten Verboten!"]) nested dolls. <br /><br />This is not a very good illustration, but it points the direction. I had to use a zoom lens that tended to creep on me, the remote release for some reason wouldn't work, the dog ate the Scheimpflug angle, I ran out of gas, …. You get the idea.<br /><br />Here is straight on to the angled dolls, showing different degrees of focus:<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>And though nothing is very much in focus in any of these, here is the same image with the swing used, although obviously not enough. Done properly the row could have been all brought into sharp focus, but this is as good as you're going to get in this exercise.</p><div></div>

<p>I hope this gives a little idea of the utility of swings in close-in work. Better examples on line are to be found at http://crystalflair.blogspot.com/2012/07/setting-up-with-nikon-bellows-pb-4.html and http://blackburnimagery.com/wp/nikon-bellows-pb-4/ , both involving jewelry imaging.<br /><br />That is all I can manage for now. Good night, all.</p>

<p>Interesting. This is already more than what I can wrap my head around.<br>

:-)</p>

<p>I agree with Rob about wrapping your head around this. I am just new to large format and am trying to understand all the principles of tilt, swing and shift. Doing this with 35mm and bellows, to me, increases the process tenfold. JDM, you must be a very patient man.</p>

<p>Neat stuff! I play with the idea of getting the Minolta AutoBellows with the tilt shift feature. But I rarely if ever do any macro work indoors, and a bellows rig just seems a bit too unwieldy to wander around with outdoors. So it'll probably never be part of my gear bag. Looking forward to seeing what kind of results you get after you've become more acquainted with using the tilt/shift features.</p>

<p>I have thought about the PB-4. I have the whole Minolta Auto Bellows III system with all lenses and attachments. It has been helpful to use enlarging lenses meant for medium format printing when the movements are employed. These lenses have more covering power. It's funny about the Spiratone unit. I remember seeing it at the Spiratone store in NY years ago. It did not look very sturdy. My Minolta Auto Bellows III was found at 47th Street Photo and used for some time with adapters on Konica cameras. The front standard movements seemed interesting. Eventually I bought Minolta cameras to use with the bellows and now I have a large Minolta outfit which also includes two PX-80 ring flash units. At the time that I got my first X-700 I was able to find additional focusing screens for it. These are very difficult to find now. One of my X-700s has a plain matte screen, another has a grid screen and the rest have the standard screen. The standard screen is not really suitable for very close macro work. There are many Nikons with easily interchangeable screens and this is one reason the PB-4 is so useful. Of the four bellows lenses made specifically for the Auto Bellows III the hardest one for me to find was the 25/2.5. I was finally able to convince Minolta to sell me one directly from their showcase at the old headquarters in Ramsey, NY. I miss being able to go there for service. For someone who has the patience to use a bellows, there are many available for reasonable prices but the PB-4 will probably remain expensive for some time. </p>

<p>JDM, you overlooked the T-mount bellows with L-shaped front and rear standards and full movements (horizontal and vertical decentering, usually called shift and rise; swinging movements, usually called tilt and swing). See, for example, http://savazzi.freehostia.com/photography/tiltshiftbellows.htm</p>

<p>These beasties and the ones you mentioned, including the PB-4 (I got mine in 1970), are cute. Very cute. Also completely useless for most purposes.</p>

<p>They're made to be used with 35 mm SLRs and accept lenses in various 35 mm SLR mounts. Since they have positive, not negative, thickness the obvious lenses to put on them (in an SLR's mount) won't focus to infinity on them. The exceptions are lenses in short mounts, and even they have to be fairly long for the format to focus to infinity. And since lenses made for 35 mm cameras have to cover only a 43 mm circle, few of them can be used with decentering movements.</p>

<p>If you want a 35 mm view camera, the only choice, as far as I know, is the KI/Ilford Monobar. I've seen a couple. The lens used has to cover more than 43 mm to be usable with movements. And it has to be in shutter. For focal lengths under around 65 mm, the choices are limited.</p>

<p>The PB-4 seems to me a classic example of a solution looking for a problem.</p>

<p>Jeff, isn't your 25/2.5 Minolta lens a rebadged Leica Photar?</p>

<p>Dan, I not only missed it, but the unit you show genuinely is overkill. As I say, I'm waiting for my M39>Nikon adapter so I can use my short barrel lenses. The PB-4 does have the virtue of being an extremely well-made bellows in a mount easily adaptable to my digital cameras, quite aside from the swing, shift capabilities.</p>

<p><br /> I suspect that they <em>are</em> useless for most purposes, but seem to have found a reason for being in jewelry photography, which, unfortunately, I do almost none of.</p>

<p>As I said, for real world shooting outside the "studio" I'll stick with my actual shift and TS-E lenses. This is for "fun", whatever that is. ;)</p>

<p>I have & sometimes use a Vivitar/PB-5 knock-off, which has an optional copy stand & 35mm slide dupe + focusing rail. (It's a bugger to use outdoors for small flowers without a wind blind.)</p>

<p>I also have a couple Spiratone? non-shifting bellows units + parts. (PM me, as they are just part of my hoarded pile. I think a couple have may have Exacta mounts.)</p>

<p>;-)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>you must be a very patient man.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>In the real world, I don't have much patience at all*, nor am I a perfectionist, or I would have taken the time to do a much better job with the examples above.<br>

As I have said before, and attacked for xenophobia [? ?] because of it, "the best is the enemy of the good", AKA "good enough for government work".</p>

<p>_______<br>

*at least, not for those who <em>should</em> know better. I do tend to suffer certified fools more or less gladly.</p>

<p>Nice technical exercise, <strong>JDM</strong>, and a demonstration of why we love to use view cameras with all the movements. I must admit I have a boxed set of Kopil bellows I've never un-boxed; tilts and swings on 35mm format is a little beyond my eyesight! Interesting post; many thanks.</p>

<p>Um, JDM, I've seen examples of the "the overkill," or something much like it, badged Spiratone. IIRC Charlie Barringer had one. Since you're somewhat of a Spiratone accumulator, you <em>must</em> have one.</p>

<p>Happy hunting,</p>

<p>Dan</p>

<p>I finally got my M39>Nikon adapter and here is another example of the use of swings to tilt the focal plane. Still could be done with more care, but this is at least a better example.</p><div></div>

<p>Later, for the record, here is what I would still love to have, but don't recall ever seeing for sale:<br /> The 1982 Spiratone "Bellowsmaster SST™" more elaborate version of their tilt and shift bellows.</p><div></div>

<p>That's pretty neat. One of these days I'm going to try something like this for macro work. I imagine on a sturdy tripod and with a stationary subject these could deliver some pretty interesting results.</p>

 

<p>Much later addendum:<br /> I found one of the Bellowmaster SSTs for sale at http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1320433<br /> US$700 - so I'm thinking this may be one Spiratone item that I really, really don't need.<br /> I know I'd rather get one of the cheaper Leica M series bodies at that price.</p>