Mamiya C220/C330 Outer Bellows Replacement

[timlaux]

Hi all,

 

For those who were following my recent Mamiya lens repair saga, I'm back at it again, ready to inevitably ruin another piece of gear. (Sarcasm, with a hint of truth.)

 

My (new to me) Mamiya C220 came with some holes/damage to the outer bellows, which was no problem for the wide/standard lenses which don't need much bellows extension, but I since picked up a cheap 135mm lens from my local camera store, I'll need to extend the bellows almost fully.

 

As far as I can tell, the inner bellows are in good shape. So, this might be a silly project to get involved with, but I'd like to know if anyone has any experience replacing the outer bellows on these. Apparently, there used to be a Mamiya users group with great detailed instructions, but that group is since lost. There are bellows available on eBay (of seemingly good quality) that I'm willing to try.

 

If you've ever done this repair, would you mind sharing the steps? Or, if you've done this repair, would you mind sharing some of the most important parts that a novice would likely get wrong the first time around?

 

Thank you!

 

Tim

[timlaux]

Or, if anyone has a suggestion for an experienced Mamiya camera repair person/shop in the US, let me know. I’d be happy to send it to them.

 

Thanks.

[orsetto]

Generic replacement outer-only Mamiya TLR bellows are available, but not exactly cheap ($75) so it may not be cost effective for a C220 (esp if the original inner bellows are fine and not leaking). If you're sure the interior lower bellows for the taking lens is light tight when fully extended, theres really nothing to worry about. Minor leaks in the upper viewing bellows don't usually cause any viewing/focus issues, and can be DIY repaired in a variety of ways. 3M Type 850B black polyester tape is popular, about $11-$36 a roll depending on size: 3/4" W x 5 yds L can be had pretty cheap at vendors like https://www.digikey.com/products/en?mpart=3/4-5-850B&v=1067 or https://www.amazon.com/3M-850B-Polyester-width-length/dp/B00JX9ROIU/ref=asc_df_B00JX9ROIU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366016992716&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12999377017081799249&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9067608&hvtargid=pla-804133778094&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=74513984125&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366016992716&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12999377017081799249&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9067608&hvtargid=pla-804133778094.

 

A wide range of repair suggestions for large and small bellows defects can be found here:

 

My bellows repair recipe and technique.

 

Most involve using a combination of very thin fabric and several applications of a glue + paint or ink mixture.

 

Re the 135mm lens: it does need the most bellows racking of all the Mamiya TLR lenses, so can be a bit clumsy hand held. Check the glass for hazing: this lens is esp prone to hazing every year or two, which must be cleaned off with peroxide or other safe lens cleaner. The glass is easy to access, just be mindful of the exposed aperture blades behind rear element.

Edited February 24, 2020 by orsetto

[timlaux]

Thanks again Orsetto for your advice.

 

I tried a popular recommended repair method with black RTV silicone, while the bellows were extended. I let the silicone cure for about 24 hours before pulling the bellows back in. 48 hour later, I tried racking bellows back out and discovered the folds were practically all stuck to each other now, which I did not expect. So, the holes became bigger holes, unfortunately.

 

The 3M 850 tape suggestion is also one I’ve seen. I’ll consider that next. I think I’ll need to remove the silicone/paper mess with an X-Acto blade first.

 

I am a hands-on electronics engineer by trade, so my confidence for fixing random things is typically pretty high, but in this case, maybe it’s a little too high, as it seems to be getting me into trouble.

 

Thanks.

[timlaux]

Any particular part of the glass that is typically more prone to hazing than others? Front elements, rear elements?

 

The guy behind the counter warned me about haze in this lens, though this one looked clean to me (at the moment.) Off-gassing of oils maybe?

[orsetto]

The 135mm (black barrel) often develops haze on the front or rear surface of the rear element. This thread prompted me to check mine just now after not using it for some months: sure enough, I found it hazed over again.

 

Fortunately the 135mm is one of the easiest to clean. The entire optical assembly unscrews out of the front barrel. Once removed, the exposed rear element is easily cleaned. But if the haze is still visible, it is on the inner surface of the rear element. To access, simply unscrew the rear element from the front optics: it comes off with an attached cone. The inner-facing rear element surface is inside that cone and easily reached by a finger with a cleaning cloth/cleaning solution.

 

Not really sure why this particular lens is such a haze magnet: there doesn't seem to be much that could be outgassing other than the adhesive fixing the rear element retaining ring, or perhaps the shutter. While its annoying to clean the haze off a couple times a year, it doesn't appear to cause any permanent harm since it wipes right off without etching the coating.

 

The lens has a mediocre optical reputation but is actually quite nice: those having sharpness problems probably were using it hand held at portrait distance at slower shutter speeds. At infinity for landscape, travel or architecture the bellows is less extended and hand holding more secure. But at anything approaching indoor or portrait distance the bellows racks way way out, requiring tripod, flash and/or high shutter speed to mitigate the front-heavy clumsy handling and dislocated shutter button. A side grip for the camera can help a little with handholding the 135, esp if using the eye level porrofinder or prism or the sportsfinder feature of WLF.

Edited February 24, 2020 by orsetto

[timlaux]

Thank you for that great information. I’ll have to check it out every once in a while.

 

So far, I’ve only tried shooting on a tripod with this camera. I think I prefer working on a tripod anyway, because it’s challenging enough for me to find focus with the WLF, compared to some other cameras I’ve used. (I prefer split prism.) So, the stability of the tripod is nice.

[orsetto]

Just for reference, here are some pics I took just now. BTW, turns out I was wrong re which lens maxes out the bellows: the 135 racks out more than the 80, yes, but the 105mmDS seems to need even further extension than the 135. Surprisingly, the 180 Super doesn't rack out unduly until you get very close (head shot distance).

 

[timlaux]

Great! Thank you for the wonderful photos and captions. I’ll give it a check.

 

Update on the bellows. Ive scraped/cut away the damaged bellows material. It looks quite a bit worse than when I bought it. (sigh). I am hopeful that some careful rework will get it to a good place. The lesson learned here is to be extremely conservative in the amount of silicone RTV used, and perhaps to allow an even longer set time (48hrs perhaps)

 

I plan to try to repair with the 3M 850 tape.

 

Since the damage is around the bellows’ top two edges (on the corner folds), I’ll have to do some experimenting with the tape to see how to make a good repair.

[orsetto]

Before trying another tack with the bellows, check the lower sub-bellows in a darkened room with a flash unit or LED flashlight placed over the damaged exterior areas. If you can't see any leaks in the taking lens sub-bellows thru the open camera back, repairs to the top exterior bellows don't need to be perfect (and as you've learned, the perfect can be the enemy of the good).

 

You could simply use two strips of the polyester tape placed at right angles around the damaged corners (IOW, don't literally try to cover the corner points by wrapping tape over them: that will lead to more problems). The right angle method should repair the holes or tears sufficiently to prevent any issues with viewing/focus. If you do feel the remaining tiny holes in the corners of the folds are a problem, extend the bellows and use tiny drops of the glue+ink mixture suggested in the link I posted yesterday to heal those corner pinholes. Leave the bellows extended and let the corner patching air dry for a full 24 hrs.

[timlaux]

Thanks for the tips. Yesterday I shined a bright led light into the viewing lens hole and saw no light leaking through the taking lens bellows. The inner bellows and bottom of the outer bellows appear to be in perfect condition. But, the top of the outer bellows looks like it experienced some user abuse and/or some wear due to exposure to the elements (i.e. sun).

 

I’m going to keep my repair attempt “light” this time. You’d think I would’ve learned after my attempted 65mm repair.

[timlaux]

Well, it doesn't look so great as a close-up with harsh lighting, but I'm pretty happy with it. This is my repair with 3M 850 tape.

 

A couple of notes:

1. Try to avoid touching the adhesive side of the tape with your fingers. The tape is quite sticky, but it's still tricky to get it to stick to the crusty old bellows material. So, maximize stickiness by minimizing finger contact with the adhesive side.
   
2. Cut strips of tape a little bit smaller than the width of one fold. (Maybe around 4-5mm.) 3/4" long strips was about right. (I used a 3/4" wide roll.)
   
3. I started on a fold on the top face of the bellows and stuck half of a strip down. I used closed tweezers and a Q-tip to apply light pressure to the tape to make it stick.
   
4. Then, I pulled the other half of the strip around the edge of the fold and stuck it down to the side face. Use the tweezers to keep the tape taught as you do this.
   
5. To keep the tape from coming loose, I applied some tape over the edges of the folds.
   
6. If experiencing difficulty getting the long strips to stick to the bellows material, try sticking a small square of tape down first, and then sticking the long strips to the starter tape. The tape sticks to itself very well.
   
7. I recommend applying this repair to both left and right sides of the bellows, even if the majority of the damage is on one side. The additional tape will make the bellows a little bit stiffer. If you apply the tape to one side only, then you'll notice that the folds will not compress equally as you rack the bellows in and out. The untouched side will compress more easily and the newly taped side will resist compression a little more. This may put some additional stress on the bellows, so I think it's probably best to do both sides.
   

 

Overall, I still have a few minor light leaks, but this definitely helped...It at least got me back to where I started before I ruined it.

 

Thanks everyone.