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Thread: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

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    Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    Does anyone have any experience with the chinese helical focusing devise from ebay for Linhof Technika IV,V.Is the hole properly positioned off the center.It is compartible with Grandagon-N 65ml f 4/5. Michael Dymersky.

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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Dymersky View Post
    Does anyone have any experience with the chinese helical focusing devise from ebay for Linhof Technika IV,V.Is the hole properly positioned off the center.It is compartible with Grandagon-N 65ml f 4/5. Michael Dymersky.
    I've received mine today, and while the device is quite well made, the lens hole is positioned way too high. You get a lot of unwanted rise with it.

  3. #3

    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    If it's anything like Chinese toothpaste, fish, etc., I would stay away!

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    Rafael Garcia's Avatar
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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    What is the device this post refers to? I've searched eBay and not found it.

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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    Ebay# 140120417684

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    IanG's Avatar
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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    Michel, I just looked at the item your asking about and then read "sparq's" comments.

    My Wista/Linhof lens boards were drilled off-centre, or more correctly higher than the vertical centre, by the UK importer, this gives the appearance of the lenses sitting too high, but is in fact the correct position.

    So to answer your original question the positioning appears to be correct. My 75mm f8 Super Angulon sits in a similar focussing mount, and the 65mm f4.5 Grandagon while possibly slightly larger should be no problem. But this is on a 6x17 camera.

    However there is a more likely problem on a 5x4. I use a 65mm Super Angulon on a recessed board which gives me greater flexibility for movements, using a helical focussing mount will bring the lens forward, meaning the front standard will need to be closer to the lens plane.

    It is normal to use a recessed board for wide angles on a Linhof, in fact my first 90mm f6.8 "Linhof" Angulon came fitted to a Linhof recessd board.

    Maybe you need to have a re-think.

    Ian

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    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    Sparq (or anyone else who knows)--what lenses have you used with this helical and on what camera?

    I was thinking of trying a 47mm with one of these on my Technika, but if the hole is positioned too high, it won't work, because there would be no way to change the position with camera movements on a Technika, and the lens should just cover the format.

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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    I've got one right in front of me. It has a Grandagon-N 75 f/4.5 in it, and that lens looks like it's placed exactly where my Grandagon-N 90 f/6.8 sits in it's Linhof recessed board. (The Linhof board is tan and the deepest one I could get.)

    With the 75, I place the lens on the internal rail in my Technika IV. There is of course no shifts or rise with this arraingement, but I find it less of a pain to use the 75 on the helical mount than when I had the 75 in the deep Linhof board that I mentioned above - to use it then on the recessed board, I had to slide the front track on the Technika back, drop the front, tilt the front standard back vertical, and then slide the front standard half off the back of the front tracks... At least with the helical, I don't get the standard moving around when I try to cock the shutter like it did when the front standard was half off the front track.

    As far as quality of the helical, it had some excess grease on it which I wiped off, and the bearings in the helical seems a little rough. Not as smooth as it could be, but it is very usable, especially for the price.

    I plan on getting a 65 or 58mm someday, and I'll get a helical for it. Or I'll just save up and get a Technika 3000...

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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    I'll try to make some comparative pictures of a flat lens board and the device. I can't see how the hole position could be possibly correct with a Technika IV - the lens center is clearly off the center of the GG. I mounted a Nikkor 4/65 on the board; but I have not taken any pictures with this combo, yet.

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    Re: Experience with chinese helical focusing devise.

    Here are few pictures of the device with Nikkor 4/65. See how high the lens center is when mounted on Technika IV.

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