On Tue, 23 Jan 2001, Bradley Small wrote:
> I am not sure if this actually answered my question or not.
>
> I am building a 4x5, but I am in design phase now. I am questionning
> the differences in bellows design *because* I want to determine
> whether the front and rear need to be the same size...
I can't think of any reason why the front and rear standards NEED to be
the same size. The front standard only needs to be big enough to hold the
lens. The only reason I can dream up for having a larger front standard
would be to accommodate a larger bellows which probably allows for more
extreme camera movements and/or wider angle lenses.
> Again, what are the benefits of a straight bellows or tapered bellows.
> Or is it purely a mattter of aesthetics or weight?
The tapered bellows can be a bit more efficient in terms of the amount of
material required, both in the bellows and in the smaller front standard.
That would certainly help reduce the overall weight of the camera. Also,
if the taper is steep enough it is possible that the tapered bellows can
compress more. This is because the folds at the small end actually fit
inside of the folds at the large end. In a straight sided bellows that
isn't possible since the folds all stack directly on top of each other.
So, aesthetics aside I would hazard to guess that if you want a light
weight camera and need to get optimal bellows compression, the tapered
bellows could offer some advantages. If weight is less of an issue, but
you are looking to get the most out of lens coverage and camera movements
the straight bellows might be a better choice.
In most cases, the design criteria are probably not this extreme. Then,
it probably depends more on aesthetics, and ease of manufacturing. The
straight bellows takes a bit less measuring and cutting to manufacture.
Hope that helps.
- Wayde
([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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