Sandeha Lynch ... Photography and Sculpture
Bellows For 1940s & 1950s Folding Cameras
Bellows for the 6x6 Agfa Isolette/Ansco Speedex and 6x9 Agfa Record/Ansco Viking and some other Medium Format cameras

It takes a little practice to make a perfect set of bellows. The material has to be 100% lightproof and of just the right weight to provide the necessary level of flexibility and support. The supporting ribs must also be sufficiently rigid, but not too thick, since there is also a third layer of liner to add. The three layers together have to compress comfortably so that they will bed down easily when the camera is closed.


The Agfa Isolette range is famous for the high quality of its Agnar, Apotar, and Solinar lenses. Even the cheapest of them provides phenomenally sharp images with a good level of contrast. Unfortunately they are also infamous for the poor materials used to make the original bellows. They suffer particularly badly in the corners where constant opening and closing over the years leave tiny pinholes that eventually widen into slits. This is equally true of the Ansco Speedex cameras since these were rebranded Agfas made for export. The bellows are easy to remove and replace, and given the quality of the lenses this is a worthwhile option.


Isolette I, II, or III or Ansco Speedex 6x6 bellows cost GBP £38.00. Agfa Record I, II, or III or Ansco Viking 6x9 bellows cost £48.00. Postage is an extra £10.00 for Royal Mail International Tracked and Signed in Europe, £11.00 for the rest of the world, or £4.00 for First Class Signed For within the UK - (May 2024).




Isolette bellows are available in (from left to right) Black, Bronze, Brown, Blue, Burgundy, Green, and Red. The Agfa Record, the Mamiya Six, and some other classic MF folding cameras can have Black, Bronze, or Brown bellows.


For the Isolette and the Record, I include instructions on removing and fitting the bellows.


You can contact me here for further details ... sandehalynch AT yahoo DOT com


Other bellows completed in the past:
Carlton, 10x12
Star Camera, 10x12
Watson, 10x12
Agfa Ansco, 8x10
Deardorff Precision Studio, 8x10
Seneca, 8x10
Seroco, 8x10
Houghton Triple Victo, Whole Plate
Asunama, Half Plate
Agfa Ansco, 5x7
Conley, 5x7
Eastman Kodak 2D, 5x7
Eastman Kodak 33A, 5x7
Graflex Portrait, 5x7
Korona, 5x7
Rochester ROC, 5×7
Seneca, 5×7
Thornton Pickard, 5x7
Watson, 5x7
Linhof Technika III, 4x5
Plaubel Peko, 4x5
Toyo, 4x5

Meagher Tailboard, Quarter Plate
Conley, 3.25×5.25
Graflex, 3.25x4.25
Ica Lloyd, 3x5
Sanderson Roll-Film, 4.75x3.75
Polaroid Pack Film
Butcher Watch Pocket, 6x9
Ensign Autorange 820, 6x9
Ensign Selfix 20, 6x9
Ikonta 520/2, 6x9
Kodak Autographic
Kodak No2 Hawkette, 6x9
Moskva, 6x9
Plaubel Makina, 6x9
Plaubel Peko, 6x9
Balda Super Baldax, 6x6
Certo Dolly Super Sport, 6x6
Hapo 66-E, 6x6
Mamiya Six, 6x6
Olympus Chrome, 6x6
Agfa Billy 0, 4x6.5


Toyo 4x5 Long Linhof Technika III

Certo Dolly Super Sport Hapo 66-E

Rochester 5x7 Conley, 3.25×5.25

Agfa-Ansco 8x10 Asunama Half Plate