Make a macro focusing rail out of an old bellows

[nghi_hoang]

I have an old Minolta bellows III (the manual version) that I picked up at a

garage sale for quite a bargain. I want to make a macro focusing rail out of

it. My plan is to cut away the bellows unit (see gray out portion in picture

below) with a hack saw and attach an arca-style QR shoes to the top/front

focusing element to mount the camera with QR plate attached. I am still at the

contemplating and brainstorming stage and wondering if anyone has done the same

for this particular bellows or any other one. I am digging for idea or

experiences with this project.

 

I anticipate that I will receive advice to forget it and go buy a macro focusing

stage from B&H or RRS, but I think this sort of project is a lot of fun, even if

I have to invest time and money into it. This is also not Nikon related, but

since I use Nikon gear and there is not other place to post this, I am sneaking

it in here. Hope you all won't mind.<div></div>

[User_502260]

I have several focusing rails. One of the nicest is the one which goes with the Olympus Auto Bellows. I bought the focusing rail stage which goes with it when it is separated from the bellows. The whole set-up is very sturdy and the teeth of the focusing rail are metal and not the more common plastic.

 

It would be a shame to wreck a Minolta Bellows III that way. The rack and pinion mechanism for the front standard of the bellows is not meant to hold the weight of a camera. You would be better off looking for an old bellows with tears in it but with a nice focusing rail which can be separated from it and which has a stage for your camera.

[jim_foley4]

You should be able to find something easier to convert than this. The Minolta Auto Bellows-I has a very nice (and strong) focus rail that you would not have to modify at all. I have a Vivitar focus rail that I adapted to fit a Minolta Bellows-IV (think) which has the front movements. I also adapted that bellows to fit my D200. You should be able to find something better for a few bucks.

[User_502260]

The Minolta bellows with the front movements is the Auto Bellows III.

[jose_angel]

Good idea. I wonder if your bellows have a locking knob. I`m afraid it will be an easy job. Shame that the bellows will be ruined...

[daniel rufer]

As Jeff said in his first post, there might be a problem of load. If the weight of Body + lens is not centered over the front standard, the resulting lever can cause the standard to "stick", making focusing difficult. I once had this problem when mounting an 80-200 f/2.8 on a similar looking bellows (can't remember the brand), the leverage of the lens made it stick. I solved the problem by using a PB6, which was sturdy enough.<p>

On another note: if you are going to buy a focusing rail, I would suggest to stay away from those types that focus with a worm drive like the one from <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=723&A=details&Q=&sku=162665&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation" >Manfrotto</a>. Turning a wheel on the side like on the bellows seems far more intuitive to me.<br>

The Manfrotto design on the other hand has the advantage of being able to hold (and not slip) a larger weight when pointed downward without tightening of the securing screw.