Frank You got a good point there. I will repair them just to try that, but new once should be made from a different material, they should be made by Camera Bellows and maybe they should be of a different design. The current double-tapered bellows are too thick, squeeze together too tight and are consequently overburdened. I think the reason for the double-taper was rigidity, but I think that the new bellows materials used by Camera Bellows are more rigid anyway. Why not use single-tapered bellows, which makes it cheaper, and while at a re-design, drop a few folds, losing a bit of extension but gaining a lot durability? I can discuss this with Camera Bellows tomorrow. And I will tell Linhof too! Regards Ralph W. Lambrecht http://www.darkroomagic.com On 2005-11-30 21:46, "Frank Filippone" <red735i@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Yours failed in the corners. Mine failed with the rubberized gook on the > outside of the material flaking off. > > I once asked, and the gang here in the US think that 5 years is about the life > expectancy... At least that is what I remember.... > > $600 every 5 years.... must be a professional point of view.. us amateurs ( > the ONLY customers left for LF) do not count! > > BTW, someone just posted elsewhere ( I forget where) that he had a bellows > made by Camera Bellows and it was done very well. He thought the material > used was like the original.... > > Why would any self respecting person get new material as bad as the original > when there are other choices? The Canham material, while not time tested as > much as a Linhof, is certainly pliable and has the potential to not have the > feature mode that I experienced.... So that is the way I am going... new > Canham material put on by Camera Bellows of Birmingham.... > > > > Frank Filippone > red735i@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >