Had to pick between a cheap bellows replacement and a full rebuild on an old Mamiya RB67

I got a client's RB67 in last week with bellows that looked like a gopher got to them. I could either grab a $30 generic bellows kit off eBay or spend $150 on the proper Mamiya set and reseal the whole body while I was in there. Decided to go the cheap route and now the bellows are floppy as hell at 65mm extension, totally useless for landscape work. Anyone else find those cheap kits are more trouble than they're worth?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.troy20d ago

Cheap bellows are basically just a gamble on whether they'll hold air or not. Sounds like you got a floppy one that can't even support itself at full extension. That $30 savings just cost you more time and frustration in the long run.

cole_hall19d ago

Eh, I dunno. I've had a couple cheap ones that actually did the job fine for a year or two before they started acting up. Sometimes it's worth the gamble if you're only using them a few times.