Just curious - does anyone use a bellows? I have been thinking about buying a PB-6 for sometime now, but I would like to hear from anyone out there about their experiences?
lots and lots of light...
Depending on the body you use it on, i.e. the D100, you have to remove the battery grip to get the bellows to rotate onto the mount.
lots and lots of light? Meaning - I'll need lots of light if I was planning to use one? I thought it might be fun to try one out - and the prices on ebay seem attractive... some people are selling them for a couple of hundred.
Haven't used one for years. Agree on the light comment, but it will be worse with a shorter lens. Bellows can be awkward to use, but can get you some serious extension. I used them indoors for product photograpy. Hard to imagine using bellows outside for macro shots.
I have a bellows and the Kenko Tubes.
The tubes are lighter, easier to use and your lens will meter and focus.
Note: Get the new "D" ones to work with the DX lenses.
I like the Kenko tubes as well. Picked up a set used for $20. As for the light you will need a lot of it when the bellows is extended. This also makes it interesting to light since your lens to subject distance is usually within a few centimeters. If you have a Sigma ringlight this is one good light source, another is to use manual power on a speedlight laying on its side if you have everything layed out on a flat surface.
lxdesign wrote:
Just curious - does anyone use a bellows? I have been thinking about buying a PB-6 for sometime now, but I would like to hear from anyone out there about their experiences?
Unless you favor a particular Nikkor bellows lens, the modern micro lenses with integrated focussing helical should be more convenient and superior in general use. The exception is the use of front-standard swing movement for getting some creative control over the object plane. In that case, you need one of the bellows lenses (105mm or 135mm) and the old PB-2.
I have the equivalent setup for the Contax RTS system, and also use a Canon DSLR for digital fun. Prism head clearance can indeed be a problem with this old gear from past decades.
