Is your Micro Four Thirds camera lacking in the macro photography department? Do you need ultra-closeup photography and your macro lens equipped with a set of extension tubes isn’t cutting it? Never fear; just take a trip back to the 1960s and use a bellows that was made for M42 thread mount Asahi (Honeywell) Pentax Spotmatic cameras.
Although a modern bellows can be purchased from Fotodiox, these eight models lack a native Micro Four Thirds camera mount. Sure, you could opt for one of these alternatives and purchase a lens-to-camera adapter thereby equipping yourself with a working bellows system. But, where’s the fun in that option? A more adventuresome idea, however, is recycling a bellows from the last century.
Now, make no mistake about this bellows solution–you’ll still need to purchase a lens-to-camera adapter, but the vintage bellows could turn out to be a real treasure. Case in point, a recent trip to a thrift store yielded an Asahi Pentax Bellows II in its original box. Furthermore, this particular purchase hid a wonderful surprise inside the box. Attached to the bellows was a 100mm f4 SMC Bellows-Takumar preset lens…in near mint condition. The asking price of $90 for the complete bellows/lens/box was a steal.
More Than Meets the Eye: Add Vintage Camera Bellows!
Naturally, an M42 to Micro Four Thirds lens-to-camera adapter was needed for converting this recycled bellows into a modern macrophotography workhorse. A Fotodiox M42 Screw Mount SLR Lens to Micro Four Thirds (MFT, M4/3) Mount Mirrorless Camera Body adapter was the answer. This isn’t to suggest that this jury-rigging apparatus was difficult to setup and use. Far from it. Once the bellows was mounted on a stable tripod, connecting the adapter configured camera just required a simple threaded attachment.
Magnification up to 2.84X is possible with the 100mm Bellows-Takumar lens operating from a remarkably comfortable 16-inch sensor-to-subject distance. Furthermore, the Pentax Bellows-Takumar lens uses a preset diaphragm. Unlike a modern aperture ring, you will focus and compose your exposure at the maximum f4 setting and prior to exposure rotate the aperture closing dial to the desire setting. Remember, for maximum depth-of-field you’ll need a small aperture. Likewise, this small setting (e.g., f22) will lengthen your exposure. And a lengthy exposure time can produce unwanted camera vibration–even on a sturdy tripod. Therefore, you should consider using the camera’s self-timer for releasing the shutter.
Mixing vintage bellows equipment with a modern camera can give your macrophotography a boost in magnification, convenience, and flexibility. Remarkably, with this Asahi Pentax Bellows II and lens, only one adapter was needed for achieving incredible close-up photographs.
Enjoy.
