New Bellows by Mark K. Kapono of Replacement Camera Bellows

[ragc]

Asanuma King No. 1 with 210/370mm Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar convertible lens, f5.6/12 on a Linhoff shutter.

My new bellows arrived this Monday. Mark K. Kapono of Replacement Camera Bellows in Hilo, Hawaii made them in less than a week, for a very reasonable price. His website is http://www2.hawaii.edu/~mkapono/bellows.htm . The bellows are of excellent quality and fit. Dealing with Mark was a pleasure, with frequent communication which showed me he was doing a careful job. I recommend him highly. The camera is now transformed into a capable tool, handling both 4x5 and 5x7 formats on a frame that's 8"x8"x3 1/4" when folded.

Total cost of camera, including bellows, backs, new Satin Snow glass for both backs, but not the lenses, was approximately $300.00 (also excluding my own time and various postages - this I consider the cost of the hobby of restoring old things).

I have posted this message in other forums. The post is not meant as a commercial endorsement, just a recommendation of someone who did a great job on my camera; information that may be valuable to others like myself.

 

[darinwc]

Thank you for the info. did you have to send the camera to them or did they build it to your specs?

 

[Mick Fagan]

That looks excellent, looks like a nice small business starting up in the pacific.

I too, would be interested to know whether you sent the camera to be fitted.

Mick.

 

[Kapono]

That looks excellent, looks like a nice small business starting up in the pacific.

I too, would be interested to know whether you sent the camera to be fitted.

Mick.

Aloha Mr. Fagan:

RAGC gave me heads up that he had posted here to give venue to his newly refurbished camera with replacement camera bellows from my shop.

Upon review of dimensions submitted regarding this particular bellows, I requested that the original bellows be sent out to aid in the fabrication of the replacement. Although any bellows may be constructed from simple measurements of the camera body alone, occasionally an OEM bellows may have the odd tapering bellows, diminishing fold depth, &c., that is not revealed by a client's measurements alone. Some measurments are tough to obtain accurately as a bellows begins to age. In most instances, and when available, I encourage the original bellows to be removed and be sent out for measurement.

A hui hou!

Mark K. Kapono
Hilo, HI

 

[ragc]

Well... I guess I don't need to answer anymore!

The bellows were removed and sent after Mark received my original measurements on his online form and some photos of the camera. I guess at that time he decided it would be best to have the bellows at hand. I really was hoping not to send the bellows, but his mailing a sample of a bellows corner made of the material with his written price quote convinced me of going ahead. Removing the bellows was pretty easy with an x-acto knife. I used the time while the camera was 'naked' to lubricate, polish, clean, and fuss over everything else. When the bellows came back (new one and the original) I waited around for a day for them to acclimate as Mark explained in his letter with the bellows and then glued them on directly. The new bellows material is a bit heavier than the original material, so the closure of the camera is a bit tighter than before, but not a problem. Yesterday I had a photographer friend who had seen the camera before ask me if I still had it while he played with it, not realizing that was the "new" camera he was playing with!