convert Cambo bag bellows for use with Linhof Kardan Color?

[j michael sullivan]

Used Linhof Kardan BI bag bellows are hard to find and when they are available, they

are inevitably expensive, bordering on the ridiculous. I've noticed that the Cambo 4x5

lensboards are remarkably close in size and shape to the Linhof Kardan Color -- is

anyone aware of a way to "convert" a Cambo bellows/lensboard to the old-style

Linhof Kardan Color bellows/lensboard size? Should I simply take one apart and glue

it to a pair of old Linhof Kardan Color lensboards? Any other ideas? Or should I simply

pay the required ransom?

 

Thanx

J Michael Sullivan

[j michael sullivan]

BTW. The Linhof kardan Color bellows/lensboard dimensions are 161mm x 161mm

-- what are the dimensions of the Cambo? Are they the same? (I think the recesses

are different though)

[pvp]

Cambo/Calumet lensboards are pretty close to 161mm; I measured them as 6 3/8 inches when making my own. It should be fairly easy to cobble together a mate between the two.

[gary_deal]

I recently received a Linhof Kardan Super Color 4x5 as sort of an "extra" - it was attached to the 300mm Fujinon I wanted. Since the bellows is completely trashed (and amazingly so), I kind of have the same problem.

I also happen to have a couple of Calumets, and I've checked the boards for fit.

 

The following assumes you have essentially the same camera I do....

 

The Good News:

Both boards are 6 and 3/8 inches square, so the height/width is right for the Calumet board to fit the Linhof.

 

The Bad News:

The thicknesses are wrong. The Calumet board is about 1/8 inch thick, plus some paint. The Linhof board is about .077" thick, or a few shades more than 1/16".

 

The Problem:

While the Calumet boards will fit into the Linhof frame dimensions (and the corners are more rounded on the Calumet boards, so that's not a fitting issue), the two clips at the bottom and the big clip at the top won't accept a board that thick.

 

Solutions?

Get a Calumet bag bellows. Have someone machine the thickness of the mounting plates in the areas of the clips down to something acceptable for the Linhof. (extremely judicious use of an end-cutting endmill in a drill press would work, but be slightly less neat, or... use a dremel) Do something about potential light leaks around the edges, since the light baffle setup is different - maybe some of that black adhesive backed felt, or some thin black foam weatherstripping. Pop it on the Linhof, check for leaks, and smile about the $300 you can spend on something else.

If you know any hobbyist machinists, you can probably get something slightly more elaborate made that doesn't involve altering the original bellows frames.

One possible problem:

My Calumet bellows frames are plastic, while my Linhof frames are metal. Shaving the plastic that thin may cause problems, like breakage. If you've got spare metal Linhof lensboards and don't mind taking the bellows apart, go for it.

 

Wait, *I* should do this! Except, the 4x5 calumet is basically mint in the box since I've only used it a few times since I got it ten years ago and I don't want to modify any of it's parts (this week). As I've cleaned and adjusted the Linhof, I'm finding that I really like it's operation, amazing how a really nice piece of equipment will do that. Too bad I didn't search/destroy that Linhof bellows that closed on fleabay two days before I received this camera, but I do have the bellows endplates so I'll see about scaring up something that I can splice in until another shows up.

 

I kind of deal in really thin leather, and the idea of sewing up my own bag bellows has occurred to me, any comments on that?