red filter material-for film wind on

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nik
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hi guys does anyone know of a source of replacement filter windows for the little hole in the back of selfix 16/20 or 12/20 cameras please. also is is possible to get replacement bellows for them?
cheers nik
 
Are you sure the 'little red window material' is actually missing? Sometimes it comes free and slides beneath the metal sliding hatch door and hides in there, just giving the impression it's vanished! I don't think the bellows on the 1950s Ensign cameras are particularly prone to 'age related' light leaks, unless they get damaged by something. I believe replacement bellows can be bought/made to order, but I'd think it would be more cost-effective to buy a 'good example' of the chosen camera in the first place, rather than to replace the bellows on a damaged one?
 
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Are you sure the 'little red window material' is actually missing? Sometimes it comes free and slides beneath the metal sliding hatch door and hides in there, just giving the impression it's vanished! I don't think the bellows on the 1950s Ensign cameras are particularly prone to 'age related' light leaks, unless they get damaged by something. I believe replacement bellows can be bought/made to order, but I'd think it would be more cost-effective to buy a 'good example' of the chosen camera in the first place, rather than to replace the bellows on a damaged one?
hi mate, thanks for your reply, yep defiantly missing on one of the two I've ended up with and while I agree its probably cheaper to buy a good version it always seems a shame to get rid of a camera that's otherwise good. tbh ive taken the red widow out of the 16/20 and put it in the 12/20 as the bellows seems fine on that one but the red plastic is a bit scratched anyway and would be good to replace on both
 
Too late to grab the red paper off the last of the Quality Street and put it between 2 bits of clear plastic as I did for one camera - you can still get Rubylith at an extortionate price from the States but some UK folks do sell red acetate on ebay. With panchromatic film the red does not do much good you really need to have the metal slide over as much as possible. A mini red LED torch is handy for seeing the numbers through the red window.
 
I can't help re bellows but for the red window, I made a repair by gluing a piece of red gel filter onto the inside of camera bodies that had lost their red windows.
The darker the better so long as you can still read the backing paper frame numbers.
Works a treat.
 
For bellows, I've not used them but have met people who recommend http://www.custombellows.co.uk

I doubt it's a cheap option though, as @Mr Badger said it could be cheaper to get a "good" copy of the camera

Last year I hd them make me some replacement bellows for a 5x4 camera at around £ 100.
Small bellows would certainly far more costly than the value of the camera.
 

I reckon it will do the job providing you can see through it and that it is of course dark enough to keep the light from fogging the film.

Should you find that it isn't sufficient at blocking the light, then perhaps add a second layer to deepen the shade of red.
I never had to do that but it's a possible idea.

Also be aware of glues, some plastics don't marry well with certain solvents!
 
Whether it causes light leaks to appear on the film (usually top and bottom, either side of the backing paper) will depend on the ISO of the film and how bright the daylight it when you open the sliding window to wind on... or forget to close it again afterwards! What you may get away with at 100 ISO, you may well not do with 800 ISO. Best to avoid direct sunlight or bright daylight falling on the window, even the original factory fitted ones can cause issues in bright conditions. Shading the camera under a jacket or coat while winding on can help in bright light.
 
cheers guys, ive just had the 1st roll back from dev on the 16/20 and interestingly it had light leaks on the 1st 3 shots top and bottom but the rest of the film was fine it seems for now the bellows repair is ok but I will have to see what the next roll looks like. I had spotted the red window was loose so have move and glued that into the 12/20 as the bellows is great in that one. I will put a homemade red filter in the 16/20 and see how it go.s. I have to say the 16/20 lens seems really nice-will post a couple of test shots to show, not artistic but no pp done apart from number plate removal and resize. both hand held


000069340011 copy.jpg000069340013 copy.jpg
 
I love my 16/20, cracking little camera with a brilliant lens.
 
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