Small bag bellows on the cheap

[pdccamerqs]

I was thinking about finding a way to add some front lens movements on a small camera project and was initially planning to dismantle a scrapped macro bellows, but I became concerned about mechanical vignetting. That's when it occurred to me it might be possible and easier to make an effective bag bellows. Has anyone ever tried to repurpose a leather gear stick boot into a bag bellows? It certainly seems to be feasible and economical! There are tons of inexpensive ones on Ebay. Thoughts?

Paul

 

[Kino]

It's inexpensive enough; as long as the seams and material are light proof.

Should be worth a shot...

 

[reddesert]

You can also sometimes find inexpensive bellows material of reasonable size from a folding pack film instant camera. Kodak instant cameras (an utterly useless item that still survives in many American basements) often have them IIRC.

 

[Hassasin]

Shifter cover has almost zero rigidity, I doubt this will work. Note how camera bag bellows are constructed, much larger in the middle, to prevent collapse with movement.

I'd rather buy light proof material and make it from scratch to fit exact project.

But without dimensional details of your project, hard to have a more precise opinion.