Using Enlarger bellows to make a DIY 10x8 camera ?

[neilt3]

As per title , is there any reason not to use the bellows off an enlarger on a DIY 10x8 camera ?
Specifically the bellows of a DeVere 10x8 enlarger .

I'm in the process of making my own camera , on the cheap , and picked up some NOS bellows , still in the original packaging .
Perfectly good condition and don't seem to have aged a day from when they were made .

Clearly in their original use they only need to keep the light from the bulb escaping .
Used on a camera in sunlight , should they still be fully light tight ?
I'm thinking of infrared light here and the potential for fogging the film , but I'm not sure how sensitive the film I'll be using is .

Any thoughts or experience ?

Thanks , Neil . .

 

[Dan Fromm]

Dumb question of the day. How long is the DeVere bellows?

 

[neilt3]

Dumb question of the day. How long is the DeVere bellows?

I haven't stretched them out fully yet ( or rather , as much as they are intended to be ) , but I would guess at least 30" usable length .
maybe more .

 

[neilt3]

I have a Kodak Specialist camera model 2 for 7x5 , and my plan is to make it similar in design to that and a tailboard camera ,
Possibly just having a full range of movements on the front , and nothing on the rear except possibly a small amount of tilt to aid levelling off the back on a tripod .

The longest lens I'll likely be using is a Schneider Symmar 300mm f/5.6 / 500mm f/12 convertible lens .
So with the rear box part of the camera made around six inch deep I should be able to capture an image approx. half life size on the negative @ 500mm . ( 500mm extension for infinity , 1000mm for 1:1 , so 750mm draw for 1:2 ?)

Other lenses to be used will be barrel type lenses , old brass ones 100+ years old , and a few home made ones .
I also intend making a light unit and negative holder to use the combination as an enlarger .

 

[ic-racer]

I have a spare Durst 10x10 bellows and to look at it and compare it to bellows I have made for 8x10 cameras, I'd think it would work fine.

 

[neilt3]

I have a spare Durst 10x10 bellows and to look at it and compare it to bellows I have made for 8x10 cameras, I'd think it would work fine.

Thanks' .
I thought it was worth the gamble when I bought it .
It only cost about the same as a decent steak dinner !

The only thing I do notice about it is it's much flimsier than camera bellows .
Unlike enlarger bellows that only have to hang down , camera bellows have to be strong enough to support themselves when stretched out horizontally .
I'll have to glue some tabs on the top corners to fasten to some string supports .

They seem like they'll not come to harm if I get caught out in the rain , it's mainly their light tightness tht's the concern , especially I.R light .