Leica Bellow ii : safe to use ?

[chris7273]

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Hello

I read that the leica bellows ii was not really compatible with the M240 since the lens release button was hidden (and worst, impossible to reach) once the body was mounted on the bellows. 

 

I have found a nice bellows ii and wonder if it could be compatible with the M11 : any idea ? 

Thank you

 

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Edited July 29, 2024 by chris7273

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[farnz]

Sorry, Chris, I don't have an M11 so I'm not in a position to confirm.

What I can say is that if you used an OUFRO between the Bellows II and the M11 there would definitely be enough room to actuate the release button. 

Pete.

[david strachan]

Yes..

One of the reasons I bought an OUFRO so I could fit my M240 to my Bellows II, without having problems removing the bellows later.

[Knorp]

1 hour ago, chris7273 said:

Hello

I read that the leica bellows ii was not really compatible with the M240 since the lens release button was hidden (and worst, impossible to reach) once the body was mounted on the bellows. 

 

I have found a nice bellows ii and wonder if it could be compatible with the M11 : any idea ? 

Thank you

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Yes, get a ‘spacer’ like the suggested OUFRO.

Just out of interest: what lens/head are you going to mount ?

[chris7273]

Thank you. I checked quickly and the it seems easy to find on ebay, unfortunately at the Leica price… it's even more expensive than the bellows …

I will use a Nikon micro 60mm with an adapter ring. 
 

[Knorp]

31 minutes ago, chris7273 said:

Thank you. I checked quickly and the it seems easy to find on ebay, unfortunately at the Leica price… it's even more expensive than the bellows …

I will use a Nikon micro 60mm with an adapter ring. 
 

LOL - yes indeed, they’re as scarce as hen’s teeth these days …

[farnz]

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3 minutes ago, Knorp said:

LOL - yes indeed, they’re as scarce as hen’s teeth these days …

I'm sure I recall seeing a year or two ago that a non-Leica 'replica' was being produced (in Asia I think) at a far more affordable price but I regret that I don't have any details to offer.

Pete.

[frame-it]

2 minutes ago, farnz said:

I'm sure I recall seeing a year or two ago that a non-Leica 'replica' was being produced (in Asia I think) at a far more affordable price but I regret that I don't have any details to offer.

Pete.

this?

 

[chris7273]

I also checked on the K&F webshop and there is a 10mm extension tube for M : Adaptateur de Monture d'objectif Leica M – EXT 10 mm -K&F Concept - K&F Concept (kentfaith.fr)

I have already their nikon to M adapter and it's well made. 

[Maarten]

10 hours ago, Knorp said:

Just out of interest: what lens/head are you going to mount ?

From the lens heads I have, (65mm Elmar, 90 mm Elmarit, 135 mm Tele-Elmar) I like the 90 mm best.
Somehow this lens fits best to the close focus subjects where I use the bellows for.
The digital cameras with live view have improved the ‘bellows-experience’ enormously. With OUFRO of course!

Edited July 29, 2024 by Maarten

[chris7273]

News : 

I have bought a nice bellows ii and I received it this morning. Wow, the bellows is such a nice little thing 🙂

To mount the M11 safely, I also ordered the Kentfaith 10mm M extension ring "oufro" and it's on its way. I will keep it my bag as a closeup ring in case of.

While musing on ebay, I "accidentally" (😉) bought a visoflex iii (for a very affordable price, put a low bid on an auction without great expectations and finally won...) :  this could also act as a longer spacer between the bellows and the M11,  with the mirror up (red dot position)... am i right ? 

 

Edited August 2, 2024 by chris7273

[Knorp]

35 minutes ago, chris7273 said:

News : 

I have bought a nice bellows ii (received) and the kentfaith 10mm "oufro" (on its way). Wow, the bellows is such a nice little thing 🙂

while musing on ebay, I "accidentally" (😉) bought a visoflex iii (for a very affordable price, put a low bid on an auction without great expectations and finally won...), thinking that this could also act as a longer spacer between the bellows and the M11,  with the mirror up (red dot position)... am i right ? 

 

In my M8 and M9 days I used that Visoflex III because those cameras had CCD-sensors without live view.

No sure a Visoflex nowadays is very useful for the 'more modern' CMOS-based cameras, but it will work and if I recall correctly there's no need for a spacer.

[chris7273]

1 hour ago, Knorp said:

In my M8 and M9 days I used that Visoflex III because those cameras had CCD-sensors without live view.

No sure a Visoflex nowadays is very useful for the 'more modern' CMOS-based cameras, but it will work and if I recall correctly there's no need for a spacer.

thank you

In fact, the visoflex would replace the 10mm extension ring between the bellows and the body. A kind of extra "3cm" length if the fully extended bellows is not enough... I paid less for it than for the K&F 10mm extension... And if I don't use it with the M11, it will be a nice companion for my grandfather's M1 🙂

I am 50, not a too bad photographer but a newbie regarding bellows and macro... 

Edited August 2, 2024 by chris7273

[Knorp]

2 hours ago, chris7273 said:

thank you

In fact, the visoflex would replace the 10mm extension ring between the bellows and the body. A kind of extra "3cm" length if the fully extended bellows is not enough... I paid less for it than for the K&F 10mm extension... And if I don't use it with the M11, it will be a nice companion for my grandfather's M1 🙂

I am 50, not a too bad photographer but a newbie regarding bellows and macro... 

It's quite a contraption that Visoflex and its viewer. And then there's that mirror ...

[chris7273]

On 7/29/2024 at 11:50 PM, Maarten said:

From the lens heads I have, (65mm Elmar, 90 mm Elmarit, 135 mm Tele-Elmar) I like the 90 mm best.
Somehow this lens fits best to the close focus subjects where I use the bellows for.
The digital cameras with live view have improved the ‘bellows-experience’ enormously. With OUFRO of course!

As you are a 90mm user, do you have some experience with this elmarit 90mm as a repro lens (for slides or b&w negs) ? 

- quality at f/8 or f/11 at 1:1 ratio ? 

- vignetting at f/8-11 ?  

- sharpness of corners vs. center at f/8-11 ? 

- distortion : I assume really small.

thank you

Edited August 6, 2024 by chris7273

[jaapv]

On 8/2/2024 at 3:22 PM, chris7273 said:

thank you

In fact, the visoflex would replace the 10mm extension ring between the bellows and the body. A kind of extra "3cm" length if the fully extended bellows is not enough... I paid less for it than for the K&F 10mm extension... And if I don't use it with the M11, it will be a nice companion for my grandfather's M1 🙂

I am 50, not a too bad photographer but a newbie regarding bellows and macro... 

quite useful though. I used it for Safari work quite a lot on M8,M9 and M9M quite a lot successfully. 

[Maarten]

Hi Chris, I don't use my 90 Elmarit head for flat objects. I've never noticed vignetting and distortion should be very low indeed.

For photo's like this the qualifications you're looking for are not so important.

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[chris7273]

Summaron Power 🙂

Thank you

I played a little yesterday with my Frankenstein configuration for slide scanning : the 10mm extension on the bellows is enough to remove the M11 from the bellows ii.

The bellows is useful for the smoother and more accurate focusing, rather than using the lens focus ring. 

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[farnz]

15 minutes ago, chris7273 said:

the 10mm extension on the bellows is enough to remove the M11 from the bellows ii.

Just 'for the record', Chris, does this mean that without using the 10 mm extension ring (or OUFRO) there would be a problem reaching the M11's lens release button to separate the Bellows II from the camera?

Pete.

[chris7273]

2 minutes ago, farnz said:

Just 'for the record', Chris, does this mean that without using the 10 mm extension ring (or OUFRO) there would be a problem reaching the M11's lens release button to separate the Bellows II from the camera?

Pete.

I can't answer as I am not brave enough 🙂 

I have presented the M11 to the bayonet of the bellows and just turned a few degrees to assess if there was enough room to reach the M11 lens release button. There is a small gap (1mm ?) between the button and the bellows ii frame but I didn't dare to turn to the "click of death" 🙂  This small gap is maybe enough to slide a toothpick or a kind of torture dentist tool but who knows if the limited space will be enough to exert the necessary force... 

The 10mm ring offers peace of mind. The visoflex body, 40mm thick, with mirror locked up acts also a big spacer but it's too long for 1:1 with my Nikon 60mm micro on the bellows.