Hand-holding the Technika

[Arne Norris]

I would love to hear from technika users who are using their cameras to do occasional hand-held work using the rangefinder and multifocus viewfinder with cammed lenses.

I've also heard that many people use the rangefinder to help adjust focus with a film holder in place on a tripod, and/or use the viewfinder to help with framing when on a tripod.

I've heard all about how heavy the camera is and so forth, but it seems like the Technika offers some interesting possibilites.

Any real world experience?

[David A. Goldfarb]

I do it fairly regularly. If you search on "handheld" you should turn up a few threads on the topic.

[Frank Petronio]

most of my recent work is handheld, between 1/30 - 1/125s at f/5.6 to f/11 range, and it usually is very sharp and focused. The only thing that gets me is the up close pictures... closer than the RF is accurate to. But it is good for about 6 feet to infinity.

The weight of the Technika helps steady it. Being strong helps too, because unlike a landscapist, sometimes I will shoot 12 sheets of one spot for a portrait. Your arm will feel that!

[David A. Goldfarb]

The near focus accuracy of the rangefinder depends in part on the focal length of the lens. Off the top of my head, I think the 135mm and 150mm are actually accurate to about 3.5 feet, even though the focusing scale doesn't go that close, and the viewfinder is only corrected to about 6.5 feet for 150mm, so you have to guess a bit on parallax error. The 210mm and 360mm only go to about 5 or 6 feet.

This all presumes, of course, that you remember to focus. One of the mistakes I used to make at first with the separate viewfinder and rangefinder was that I'd look through the viewfinder, and everything would be in focus, and I'd forget to check the rangefinder. Then I'd look at my proofs and feel like Joe in the army training film, and I'd carefully check the rangefinder against the groundglass to confirm that it wasn't the camera. As long as you actually use the rangefinder and everything is properly calibrated, it's pretty accurate.

[Dirk Rösler]

Handheld LF is great, and I don't even have a Technika or viewfinder :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/megaperls/tags/handheldlf/

[Bill_1856]

It's not just that its quite heavy, but it's also very clumsy. The "Anatomical Grip" only makes it even more unbalanced. A Crown/Speed Graphic is far better for hand-holding.
On the tripod I do use the multi-focus viewfinder to 'scope out the best focal length and composition before viewing the ground glass, and afterwards check focus with the rangefinder (it's better than a loupe, as long as you're not using any lens/back movements.)

[Ole Tjugen]

A 4x5" Technika is far lighter than a 5x7" one, yet I use a 4x5" Speed Graphic for hand held shots. :)

[Frank Petronio]

I love the anatomical grip myself, I think it is a joy to behold and one of the nicest photo gadgets ever... I even mounted an old one on a Crown Graphic. YMMV

Per close focusing, you probably can focus closer than 6 feet w the Tech but I have dozens of slightly out of focus portraits from closer, when you shoot wide open the depth of field is very shallow and it is really difficult to maintain your perfect distance between focus and framing, at least with active models. But I keep working on it and practice makes perfect.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I also like the ergo grip. If the angle is adjusted properly, it takes off some of the wrist strain. The weight of the camera is supported with the heel of my right hand face up under the bed, rather than with the grip, so the fact that it sticks out from the camera body (which would make the camera feel heavier if you were supporting the weight with the grip) doesn't matter.

I also use a neckstrap, so that I'm not supporting the weight of the camera with my hands when I'm not actually making a photograph.

[Ernest Purdum]

Do you already have the camera? If not, you might consider a Graflex D SLR or similar, Adams Minex, Soho. To my mind these are much nicer to use handheld.

[claudiocambon]

Love it, love it, love it, for all of the reasons mentioned above.

[Frank Petronio]

the other thing is to use Grafmatics and self-cocking Prontor shutter -- it almost feels like a motor drive ;-)

[C.R. Herpich]

I can handhold my Tech IV (150mm lens and anatomical grip) and shoot at speeds as slow as 1/30 sec. with perfect sharpness. The wieght of the camera is actually a positive in handholding as movement must overcome the inertia of the camera.

[Arne Norris]

Thanks for all of the feedback so far.

I'm just in the process of finally buying a used MT after wanting one for 30 years.

I like the idea of possibly using the neck strap to help. I suppose it would come in handy to change film holders and so forth as well.

It's also interesting to note that the multifocus viewfinder is only paralax corrected to about 6 feet. These are specs you just don't see on the Linhof site or brochures.

I've been in touch with Martin at Marflex quite a bit. He gave me the factory recommended close focus limits for various focal length lenses. 150 and 180 lenses are supposed to go down to roughly 4 feet, a 90, 120 or 135 to 3 feet. The 210 to 5 feet. Martin also said he grinds the cam to go a bit closer than these specs as standard practice.

It may sound funny, but I've been using a Leica M4 for years, and lately found myself using on a tripod, sometimes with an external viewfinder when photographing people in darker situations. Although much heavier and clumsier, the Technika sounds great for hand held work. Linhof wouldn't have been making the rangefinder all of these years if it wasn't useful, don't you think?

[Jrewt]

I don't have a technika, but I like to hold hands with my wehman.. We are best friends.

ehem

[Arne Norris]

Does anyone anyone know if the Multifocus viewfinder has any diopter correction built into it? I'm referring to the current zoom type finders and not the older Universal type finders. Some viewfinders have a -0.5 diopter built into them.

Has anyone figured out how to add a diopter to the Linhof finder? I don't have really poor eye sight, only about -1 or so diopter, but having the correction helps.

[Bob Salomon]

No correction built-in or offered.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I use it with my glasses, and it seems to work.

[Frank Petronio]

You don't need to focus with the viewfinder and even though it is very good, it is never exactly the same as the frame.

[cobalt]

I would take Frank's suggestions...fantastic portrait photographer...