[Isolette] Is this a bellows leak

perkeleellinen · Nov 16, 2025

I bought an Isolette II from a local market for a very cheap price, attracted by the condition of the lens and that there was a film in the camera I could process.

A fresh roll of Delta to test the camera has produced these results. Do these look like bellows light leaks?

You'll see frame 7 in subdued light has less / no issue, likewise frame 14. Frame 8 with hard shadows shows the pattern the best, but there's also a strange pattern around the centre of frames 17 and 18. All frames have a slight overlap image in the top left.

I'd like to spend some money / time on this camera but would like to know if the bellows are the issue.

Thanks!

Ian Grant · Nov 16, 2025

I would say yes, they can be hard to find.

Ian

koraks · Nov 16, 2025

Could be; could also be where the shutter/lens assembly connects to the front stand or where the bellows connects to the front.
If it's the bellows proper you should be able to see it fairly easily using a flashlight in a darkened room.

titrisol · Nov 16, 2025

IMO a bellows leak would be more like a pinpoint or a line.

Test in a darkroom with a flashlight.
I got my bellows from sandeha lynch (in the UK)

baachitraka · Nov 16, 2025

new bellows and changing them are not so expensive, if the shutter is working and lens even Apotar is a good performer for landscapes.

*but then there are other cameras.

Randy Stewart · Nov 16, 2025

Well, it is a light leak. I think it is more likely a separation of the rear of bellows from the body, rather than a pinhole, but a flashlight in a dark room should clarify. The problem is that an Isolette II, fully repaired, is not worth the cost of a new bellows. Isolettes were sold in the US as Ansco Special models. A junker body may donate a working bellows, as I repaired my Ansco Special 4.5 version. They are quite easy to work on, so if it is just a body separation, you can just glue it back together.

itsdoable · Nov 16, 2025

There is a repeating pattern on the light leak:

The offset in the light leak implies it's coming from the right side, as the film gate shadows the near edge. But the repeating pattern implies someone sitting on the film plane. Hard to determine what is going on without looking at the actual camera.

Ian Grant · Nov 17, 2025

Some years ago I borrowed a MicroPress camera to see how much of the camera was actually made by Graflex (quite a lot, over 50%). Before returning the camera I was asked if I could find an intermittent light leak. Initially it was impossible, I just could not find it using a torch inside the camera, in the darkroom.

In the end I put a small flash unit inside the camera, covering the back so no light could leak out, and when the flash was fired I detected a weak flash where the bellows were attached to the body, it was easy to remedy. You need to do something similar, it may be possible to fix the leak(s).

If not, I may have some bellows.

Ian

perkeleellinen · Nov 17, 2025

Thanks, All. Yes, that pattern is very puzzling. I had hoped to inspect the camera last night but things got in the way. Hopefully tonight when dark I can shine a torch inside.

There's a fellow who sells bellows in the UK, they cost more than the camera did but I'll go ahead if I can be sure it is a bellows issue.

Don_ih · Nov 17, 2025

I have a camera that I thought was fine but I ended up with light leaks like that. The bellows was detached from the camera at the bottom. Well, it still is - I haven't fixed it, yet. Looks like it was originally only ever attached with glue and the frame it was attached to oxidized, which made it detach.

Your pattern in the middle looks like the immediate shadow of some thread.

Agfa bellows are not good, anyway. But reattaching it might make it usable for a long time.

titrisol · Nov 17, 2025

perkeleellinen said:
Thanks, All. Yes, that pattern is very puzzling. I had hoped to inspect the camera last night but things got in the way. Hopefully tonight when dark I can shine a torch inside.

There's a fellow who sells bellows in the UK, they cost more than the camera did but I'll go ahead if I can be sure it is a bellows issue.

Yeah, Sandeha Lynch's bellows are very good
IF the pinholes are small, you might get away with patching them with black fabric paint but that is a (very) temprary fix

Isolette-III

perkeleellinen · Nov 17, 2025

I was able to shine a light into the bellows in a darkened room and I can see a pinhole on the left side at the bottom. That would make sense given the light leak at the top part of the images. It was a very bright day when I shot the film and it was 400 speed. I also think I was walking around with the camera extended for a good while in the sun. Unsure about that repeating pattern, maybe some debris in the bellows chamber I hadn't spotted when I loaded the film?

Andrew O'Neill · Nov 17, 2025

These old folders are notorious for bellows leaks. Luckily, my Mamiya-Six is in excellent shape. If yours isn't too bad, you can get some liquid electrical tape, or something similar. I would only change the bellows if it's riddled with pinholes.

[Isolette] Is this a bellows leak

perkeleellinen

Ian Grant

koraks

Moderator

titrisol

baachitraka

Randy Stewart

itsdoable

Ian Grant

perkeleellinen

Don_ih

titrisol

perkeleellinen

Andrew O'Neill

Moderator

[Isolette] Is this a bellows leak

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency