Internal Bellows Flair with Linhof Technika Cameras

[mark_baylin]

I've posted the following question in another thread that sort of got buried... sorry for the repeat here...

 

My start in large format was a Crown graphic camera... great camera except for the lack of back

movements and one other problem. When I began using the camera, I was using the 135mm Optar... not a

great lens, but fine for contact printing and it certainly taught me alot!.

 

When I began using lenses that projected a much larger image circle, I started getting a line of extra

density along the edge of my negs... no inner painting with matte black paint would solve the problem.

Both my Nikkor 135mm and Schneider Symmar 210 produced this problem, but never the Optar. The

working theory was that the press camera's bellows were narrow enough to throw some of the light being

projected from the lens back onto the film edge...

 

I have heard that the standard Linhof technika bellows (on cameras like the Master and Master 2000)

shape is not that much different from the Crown. Have you ever had any of these kind of problems with

the Linhof cameras you've used?

 

PS- I had tried lens shades with my Crown and newer lenses to no avail... The Zone VI camera I now have

(and want to update to a metal field camera) does not exhibit this problem. It's bellows are much wider

than the Crowns...)

 

Thanks for any help!!

 

Take care

 

Mark

[pete_andrews10]

Dust inside a bellows can increase its reflectivity by a stop or more. Try simply brushing the bellows out with a small paintbrush, or one of those miniature battery-operated vacuum cleaners.

 

Also, matt black paint is next to useless at acute angles of reflection. Black velvet material is much better at stopping reflections off sharp corners and the like.

[pico_digoliardi]

I have had the same experience Pete has.

 

Allow me to add one more - for dust removal, I have found that "grab it" DRY cloths work best. You can get them in any grocery store. I use them in bellows, 4x5 film holders, and to clean the inside of enlarger housings. It truly takes away dust. Vacuuming seems to just throw up more dust somewhere else. :) You must use the "DRY" type; you do not want to put polish on a light baffle.

 

I use the Super Technika and Color, each of which uses the same bellows and I've had no profound bellows flare.

[brian_ellis16]

I've owned two Technikas, a Tech V and a Master. I had two bellows on the Tech V, the original and a replacement from Marflex. I've used seven different lenses with the cameras, from an 80mm to a 300mm. I never encountered this problem. I would have thought that light bouncing around inside the bellows and projecting through the lens' image circle would have produced something more random than a line along the edges of the negative.

[mark_baylin]

Thanks for all your help!!

 

If memory serves, there's a shot section on bellows flair in Adam's "The Camera" which

describes the problem I was having with my Crown to a tee...

 

Incidenatlly, what would you all consider a fair ball park price for a used Master Technika

in V.good to Exc condition?

 

Thanks again!

 

Mark

[brian_ellis16]

"Incidenatlly, what would you all consider a fair ball park price for a used Master Technika in V.good to Exc condition"

 

"Very good" is a pretty low grade. The range is usually along the lines of mint, mint minus, excellent +, excellent, and very good. Anything worse than very good is pretty much a beater. So it's hard to say what a fair price would be, it depends on what the problems are that cause the camera to be graded so comparatively low. If it's cosmetics and not someting that will require repairs, then I'd estimate around $1700-$2000 depending on how bad the cosmetics are. If the cosmetics are excellent but there's something that will need to be repaired or replaced then I'd guess that you would start at around $2300 and subtract the repair or replacement cost. You could check the completed sales section of ebay and probably get a better idea.

[User_503771]

Regarding flare on the bellows:

 

Most lens shades don't do a very good job -- they're still MUCH better than nothing, but to really solve the flare problem, you'd probably want to go with a compendium bellows shade of some kind. That way you can rack the bellows shade out until it starts to vignette the image, then back it off slightly to really frame the image with minimum reflection from the bellows and/or other surfaces.

 

If you're going to put some sort of flocking material inside, watch out! Even velvet can reflect a lot of light! It really depends on what the fibers are made of; avoid fabrics with any kind of sheen.

 

A good precise metering of the fabric at various light angles will tell the tale.