Anybody who knows more for this Pentax/Novoflex bellows system?

bbobby · 03-20-2010, 03:09 PM

Hi
I bought from Ebay this strange looking setup - Asahi Pentax SL SLR camera, Novoflex bellows, Novoflex-Noflexar 105mm f/3.5 lens, Metz Flash, etc. Very nice looking, bought it because I was thinking this setup is for macro-photography - well, it's not. If the bellows are fully extended macro capability is not bad, maybe something like .8x.
Anyway, I was able to remove the lens, mount is not M42. It is not T-mount either. Any idea what kind is it?
The camera is connected to the bellows with some kind of adapter, who allows to move it quickly and very conveniently in portrait position. I was not able to remove it, but will try again with screwdrivers later. The idea is to put eventually DSLR...

Attached Images

RioRico · 03-20-2010, 05:15 PM

I'm not certain (not that THAT'S ever stopped me!) but I'd guess that, with 1:1.25 (0.8) magnification, the coverage area was important to the user -- at full extension, that would be around 30x45mm. That auto lens stops down to maximize DOF, so if a fine-grain slow film was used, large prints or projections could be studied in detail.

Measure the diameter of the lens thread -- I'll bet you'll find it's 39mm. That was a common size for enlarger-projector-bellows lenses.

I'll rule out medical-dental applications, because those would be better served with a ringflash, which had existed for some years when this rig was assembled. Maybe it belonged to a collector or analyzer of small objects: coins, stamps, rings, beetles, marbles, shells, etc. Maybe we'll never know.

bbobby · 03-20-2010, 05:42 PM

Forgot to mention: you have maximum magnification of approximately .8x when the bellows are fully extended AND infinity focus with bellows fully retracted - and, of course, anything in between.
I tried to replace the novoflex lens with one old Rodenstock-Omegaron 135mm f/4.5 enlarger lens - it does not fit exactly, the thread pitch is not the same, I was able to make only something between 1/2 and 3/4 turn. The magnification with this lens is around 1:2.2.

excanonfd · 03-20-2010, 09:54 PM

This is a macro photographic system, which, I think is a pretty damn ingenious setup; taking a cumbersome bellows system and making it a portable, hand held shooting system. Right hand presses the double cable release, activating the shutter release and stopping down the aperture simultaneously, left hand adjusts all of the bellows movements. The lens is a bellows lens - no focus ring thus could only be used with a bellows - Pentax made one as well: Pentax Lens Review and Specification Database - 100mm F4 Bellows

Comparing the length of the maximum bellows extension of your unit vs my Pentax Auto Bellows-A, yours is half sized; 85mm vs 170mm. You are not able to achieve 1:1 ratio using the 100mm lens because the lens cannot extend far enough away to do so, you need at least 100mm or more extension to achieve 1:1 ratio with the pictured lens. You can achieve 1:1 ratio if you change the lens to a 50mm lens because you only need to extend the lens about 52mm or so, but your working distance shrinks to half that of the 100mm lens.

If you can reverse the lens, a 28mm reversed can achieve up to 3.3x life size within that short 85mm bellows extension. Pretty skook'um results from such an unassuming piece of photographic antique, eh?

Thanks,

Tchebec · 05-02-2010, 06:05 PM

You can remove the adapter ring from bellow by turning bayonet ring to the left.
The three adjusting screw on the adapter ring are for perfect alignment.
The treads between the lens and the bellow are Leica-type lens-acceptance.
Appropriate adapter rings are available, should You wish to use your camera lens.
Higher magnification is possible via bellow extension tubes.
Works very well with Pentax k 20D via NOVOFLEX "PENTA" adaptor.
Enjoy it!

kryss · 05-03-2010, 06:43 AM

Originally posted by bbobby

Hi
I bought from Ebay this strange looking setup - Asahi Pentax SL SLR camera, Novoflex bellows, Novoflex-Noflexar 105mm f/3.5 lens, Metz Flash, etc. Very nice looking, bought it because I was thinking this setup is for macro-photography - well, it's not. If the bellows are fully extended macro capability is not bad, maybe something like .8x.
Anyway, I was able to remove the lens, mount is not M42. It is not T-mount either. Any idea what kind is it?
The camera is connected to the bellows with some kind of adapter, who allows to move it quickly and very conveniently in portrait position. I was not able to remove it, but will try again with screwdrivers later. The idea is to put eventually DSLR...

Hi, I have exactly same system except flash is a vivitar and camera is Pentax H1a got it from Goodwill store for $50 Can.Thanks for post as now I know how to remove camera.May I ask how much you paid for yours.I use it for macro shooting find it a lot easier than lugging tripod and focusing rail around.

Ben_Edict · 05-03-2010, 07:21 AM

That is an old 105mm bellows lens, probably in M39 screw mount. Novoflex made these lenses without focusing tube to use it with bellows. It is not really meant for macro, more like a standard medium tele with close-focusing abilities.

You could call it a forerunner of the early rapid focus systems.

Ben

r0ckstarr · 05-04-2010, 05:32 AM

Originally posted by kryss

I use it for macro shooting find it a lot easier than lugging tripod and focusing rail around.

Got any pictures to show how well it does? Just curious, that's all.

bbobby · 05-04-2010, 08:12 AM

I was able to remove the lens from the bellows, so now I am looking for few enlarger lens and eventually adapter so I can mount them on the bellows. And if the thread is m39 I will probably buy some old leica and russian lens for macro work.
I was able also to remove the camera, but... the adapter ring attached to the mount of the camera is stuck. You see the last picture with the letters "COA" and the head of screw bolt (which are 3 total) - I thought when I unscrew the bolts I will be able to remove the adapter with left turn, but its impossible with bare hands. Now I believe this adapter should have m42 thread but why is so tight? I will try maybe with vise or some other similar tool... I have to find a way to mount digital camera with this system, too lazy for shooting film.

Ben_Edict · 05-04-2010, 08:24 AM

Originally posted by bbobby

I was able to remove the lens from the bellows, so now I am looking for few enlarger lens and eventually adapter so I can mount them on the bellows. And if the thread is m39 I will probably buy some old leica and russian lens for macro work.
I was able also to remove the camera, but... the adapter ring attached to the mount of the camera is stuck. You see the last picture with the letters "COA" and the head of screw bolt (which are 3 total) - I thought when I unscrew the bolts I will be able to remove the adapter with left turn, but its impossible with bare hands. Now I believe this adapter should have m42 thread but why is so tight? I will try maybe with vise or some other similar tool... I have to find a way to mount digital camera with this system, too lazy for shooting film.

I would simply buy good quality enlarger lenses - they are so cheap now! Go for a good Rodenstock or Schneider-Kreuznach or even a Nikon or Minolta one. You can find them for next to nothing now and they deliver really nice IQ for macros.

The adapter is, by the way, the original Novoflex-M42 adapter. May be the threads are stuck over time, due to surface corosion?

Ben

Tchebec · 05-05-2010, 10:14 AM

kryss · 05-25-2010, 11:47 AM

Originally posted by bbobby

Hi
I bought from Ebay this strange looking setup - Asahi Pentax SL SLR camera, Novoflex bellows, Novoflex-Noflexar 105mm f/3.5 lens, Metz Flash, etc. Very nice looking, bought it because I was thinking this setup is for macro-photography - well, it's not. If the bellows are fully extended macro capability is not bad, maybe something like .8x.
Anyway, I was able to remove the lens, mount is not M42. It is not T-mount either. Any idea what kind is it?
The camera is connected to the bellows with some kind of adapter, who allows to move it quickly and very conveniently in portrait position. I was not able to remove it, but will try again with screwdrivers later. The idea is to put eventually DSLR...

I have one of these but with H1a & Vivitar 283 flash ,got it from Goodwill store,I use it a lot,beats lugging tripod + focusing rail and bellows.I have aquired a.lot of different enlarging lenses they are cheep cheep.

03-20-2010, 03:09 PM	#1
bbobby New Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: ChicagoLand Posts: 7	Anybody who knows more for this Pentax/Novoflex bellows system? Hi I bought from Ebay this strange looking setup - Asahi Pentax SL SLR camera, Novoflex bellows, Novoflex-Noflexar 105mm f/3.5 lens, Metz Flash, etc. Very nice looking, bought it because I was thinking this setup is for macro-photography - well, it's not. If the bellows are fully extended macro capability is not bad, maybe something like .8x. Anyway, I was able to remove the lens, mount is not M42. It is not T-mount either. Any idea what kind is it? The camera is connected to the bellows with some kind of adapter, who allows to move it quickly and very conveniently in portrait position. I was not able to remove it, but will try again with screwdrivers later. The idea is to put eventually DSLR... Attached Images

05-02-2010, 06:05 PM	#5
Tchebec New Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: LEVIS Posts: 2	Novoflex bellow with Pentax adaptor You can remove the adapter ring from bellow by turning bayonet ring to the left. The three adjusting screw on the adapter ring are for perfect alignment. The treads between the lens and the bellow are Leica-type lens-acceptance. Appropriate adapter rings are available, should You wish to use your camera lens. Higher magnification is possible via bellow extension tubes. Works very well with Pentax k 20D via NOVOFLEX "PENTA" adaptor. Enjoy it!

05-04-2010, 08:12 AM	#9
bbobby New Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: ChicagoLand Posts: 7 Original Poster	still problems... I was able to remove the lens from the bellows, so now I am looking for few enlarger lens and eventually adapter so I can mount them on the bellows. And if the thread is m39 I will probably buy some old leica and russian lens for macro work. I was able also to remove the camera, but... the adapter ring attached to the mount of the camera is stuck. You see the last picture with the letters "COA" and the head of screw bolt (which are 3 total) - I thought when I unscrew the bolts I will be able to remove the adapter with left turn, but its impossible with bare hands. Now I believe this adapter should have m42 thread but why is so tight? I will try maybe with vise or some other similar tool... I have to find a way to mount digital camera with this system, too lazy for shooting film.

05-05-2010, 10:14 AM	#11
Tchebec New Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: LEVIS Posts: 2	Novoflex bellows parts

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03-20-2010, 05:15 PM	#2
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	I'm not certain (not that THAT'S ever stopped me!) but I'd guess that, with 1:1.25 (0.8) magnification, the coverage area was important to the user -- at full extension, that would be around 30x45mm. That auto lens stops down to maximize DOF, so if a fine-grain slow film was used, large prints or projections could be studied in detail. Measure the diameter of the lens thread -- I'll bet you'll find it's 39mm. That was a common size for enlarger-projector-bellows lenses. I'll rule out medical-dental applications, because those would be better served with a ringflash, which had existed for some years when this rig was assembled. Maybe it belonged to a collector or analyzer of small objects: coins, stamps, rings, beetles, marbles, shells, etc. Maybe we'll never know.

03-20-2010, 05:42 PM	#3
bbobby New Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: ChicagoLand Posts: 7 Original Poster	Forgot to mention: you have maximum magnification of approximately .8x when the bellows are fully extended AND infinity focus with bellows fully retracted - and, of course, anything in between. I tried to replace the novoflex lens with one old Rodenstock-Omegaron 135mm f/4.5 enlarger lens - it does not fit exactly, the thread pitch is not the same, I was able to make only something between 1/2 and 3/4 turn. The magnification with this lens is around 1:2.2.

03-20-2010, 09:54 PM	#4
excanonfd Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,421	This is a macro photographic system, which, I think is a pretty damn ingenious setup; taking a cumbersome bellows system and making it a portable, hand held shooting system. Right hand presses the double cable release, activating the shutter release and stopping down the aperture simultaneously, left hand adjusts all of the bellows movements. The lens is a bellows lens - no focus ring thus could only be used with a bellows - Pentax made one as well: Pentax Lens Review and Specification Database - 100mm F4 Bellows Comparing the length of the maximum bellows extension of your unit vs my Pentax Auto Bellows-A, yours is half sized; 85mm vs 170mm. You are not able to achieve 1:1 ratio using the 100mm lens because the lens cannot extend far enough away to do so, you need at least 100mm or more extension to achieve 1:1 ratio with the pictured lens. You can achieve 1:1 ratio if you change the lens to a 50mm lens because you only need to extend the lens about 52mm or so, but your working distance shrinks to half that of the 100mm lens. If you can reverse the lens, a 28mm reversed can achieve up to 3.3x life size within that short 85mm bellows extension. Pretty skook'um results from such an unassuming piece of photographic antique, eh? Thanks,

05-03-2010, 06:43 AM	#6
kryss Banned Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Alberta Posts: 218	Originally posted by bbobby Hi I bought from Ebay this strange looking setup - Asahi Pentax SL SLR camera, Novoflex bellows, Novoflex-Noflexar 105mm f/3.5 lens, Metz Flash, etc. Very nice looking, bought it because I was thinking this setup is for macro-photography - well, it's not. If the bellows are fully extended macro capability is not bad, maybe something like .8x. Anyway, I was able to remove the lens, mount is not M42. It is not T-mount either. Any idea what kind is it? The camera is connected to the bellows with some kind of adapter, who allows to move it quickly and very conveniently in portrait position. I was not able to remove it, but will try again with screwdrivers later. The idea is to put eventually DSLR... Hi, I have exactly same system except flash is a vivitar and camera is Pentax H1a got it from Goodwill store for $50 Can.Thanks for post as now I know how to remove camera.May I ask how much you paid for yours.I use it for macro shooting find it a lot easier than lugging tripod and focusing rail around.

05-03-2010, 07:21 AM	#7
Ben_Edict Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: SouthWest "Regio" Photos: Albums Posts: 3,309	That is an old 105mm bellows lens, probably in M39 screw mount. Novoflex made these lenses without focusing tube to use it with bellows. It is not really meant for macro, more like a standard medium tele with close-focusing abilities. You could call it a forerunner of the early rapid focus systems. Ben

05-04-2010, 05:32 AM	#8
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Originally posted by kryss I use it for macro shooting find it a lot easier than lugging tripod and focusing rail around. Got any pictures to show how well it does? Just curious, that's all.

05-04-2010, 08:24 AM	#10
Ben_Edict Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: SouthWest "Regio" Photos: Albums Posts: 3,309	Originally posted by bbobby I was able to remove the lens from the bellows, so now I am looking for few enlarger lens and eventually adapter so I can mount them on the bellows. And if the thread is m39 I will probably buy some old leica and russian lens for macro work. I was able also to remove the camera, but... the adapter ring attached to the mount of the camera is stuck. You see the last picture with the letters "COA" and the head of screw bolt (which are 3 total) - I thought when I unscrew the bolts I will be able to remove the adapter with left turn, but its impossible with bare hands. Now I believe this adapter should have m42 thread but why is so tight? I will try maybe with vise or some other similar tool... I have to find a way to mount digital camera with this system, too lazy for shooting film. I would simply buy good quality enlarger lenses - they are so cheap now! Go for a good Rodenstock or Schneider-Kreuznach or even a Nikon or Minolta one. You can find them for next to nothing now and they deliver really nice IQ for macros. The adapter is, by the way, the original Novoflex-M42 adapter. May be the threads are stuck over time, due to surface corosion? Ben

05-25-2010, 11:47 AM	#12
kryss Banned Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Alberta Posts: 218	Originally posted by bbobby Hi I bought from Ebay this strange looking setup - Asahi Pentax SL SLR camera, Novoflex bellows, Novoflex-Noflexar 105mm f/3.5 lens, Metz Flash, etc. Very nice looking, bought it because I was thinking this setup is for macro-photography - well, it's not. If the bellows are fully extended macro capability is not bad, maybe something like .8x. Anyway, I was able to remove the lens, mount is not M42. It is not T-mount either. Any idea what kind is it? The camera is connected to the bellows with some kind of adapter, who allows to move it quickly and very conveniently in portrait position. I was not able to remove it, but will try again with screwdrivers later. The idea is to put eventually DSLR... I have one of these but with H1a & Vivitar 283 flash ,got it from Goodwill store,I use it a lot,beats lugging tripod + focusing rail and bellows.I have aquired a.lot of different enlarging lenses they are cheep cheep.