PB-6 Bellows by Nikon - beyond the basics - tips and tricks you may not know
/Everyone knows how I feel about the PB-6 Bellows…
… because I talk about it all the time. I talk about it so much, because I use the bellows almost every day. And I use them every day because they are the best bellows - ever.
Nikon stopped making these bellows decades ago and they don’t make any bellows today. Yet they remain among the most popular bellows among macro photographers the world over. Gorgeous lines, built like a tank, and guaranteed to last a lifetime, these devices deserve all the praise I heap on them.
Fortunately for us, there are lots of these devices still in circulation, and most of them have been carefully kept and gently used (as you might expect from macro photographers). You can pick up a set for about $200, though a few vendors have some new, unused copies that sell for a bit more. Most of the many accessories are also available, but some (the extension bellow, for example) are getting harder to find.
If you don’t own a set, why not? That’s a serious question. It is the only way to go for anything up to and including 5X finite objectives. It is by far the most convenient way to use enlarger lenses, and short prime lenses, as well. Changing magnification is a breeze, and there is nothing to disassemble.
The idea for this video came from a couple of questions about the “hidden features” of the bellows. I don’t know of any hidden features - they are all described in the excellent manual (which you can get for yourself, from www.cameramanuals.org). But they are features that don’t get talked about much.
In the video, I go over each feature and show you how to use it to get the most out of your bellows:
How to mount oversized and non-Nikon cameras
How to control depth of field and exposure when using modern lenses on the bellows
How to adapt all your lenses to use in reverse, within the bellows, and control the aperture
That’s not all that I cover, but you need to watch the video to find the rest!
I absolutely love the 45mm f/1.8 Tamron lens that I used in the demonstration. It is actually one of my favorite people-lenses and I only recently tried it out as a macro lens. I turns out to be an excellent normal prime, well suited for use on the bellows. I have a feeling that I will like the 35mm, even more!
You cannot go wrong with the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D - my favorite bellows lens. The links for purchasing these items are affiliate links, meaning that I might make a small commission from qualified purchases.
These are the two Tamron lenses that I recommend for use on the bellows:
This looks like a decent cable release - a lot better than mine, anyway!
This is the wonderful ProMaster monopod head that I used to support the camera, bellows and lenses in the video. I have never used it as a monopod head, but have been using it for years in the studio for all kinds of things. One of the few tripod heads I would trust to hold the bellows like that.
Thanks for dropping by and I hope you enjoy the video article. See you next week!
Allan
