Originally Posted by séamuis
this thread has prompted me to seek out a bellows, this is really cool. Ive toyed with the idea before and I'm still on the verge of purchasing the DA 35mm macro ltd but getting a good cheap bellows seems like it would be really fun. Ive noticed that the number of K mount bellows available is far less than the m42 but should I seek out a K? Ive come across 3 sets two m42 and an Auto bellows M obviously K mount and Im leaning towards that but is it worth the extra price? I already own a pentax m42 to K adapter so mounting the bellows isn't a problem. any suggestions?
The M42 bellows are much cheaper then K-mount. The advantage of the K-mount is that you can easily mount your lenses. K-mount to M42 adapters are not available, so mounting K-mount lenses on M42 bellows is a problem. The best bellows have a built-in focusing rail, so that after you determine the magnification you can easily move the entire assembly on the tripod to focus. I have a nice Minolta bellows, which I converted to K-mount at the camera end. I removed the Minolta bayonet and glued an M42 adapter on with Gorilla glue. I don't think that it will ever come off. The lens end still uses cheap Minolta manual lenes. It works great, but has no focusing rail.
Dave