Hand-holding a Linhof Technika (V and beyond)

[Frank Petronio]

I am unable to successfully change a cam in a top-rangefinder Crown Graphic. I think it is impossible. Seriously, I just can not grasp it (physically and mentally).

I've never been able to adjust the side-mounted rangefinders to be "right on" either.

Changing cams on a Technika is super easy (and because the cams are much larger, I think they are more accurate).

[Bill_1856]

May I buy into this discussion? Given that the Crown is handy and light, could I seek opinion on the viability of cam changes in the field., or does one limit oneself, for practical considerations, to just one cammed lens for hand held work.

Crown cams can be easily changed in the field, but it's a little tricky and not an "on-the-run" process. Basically I've got to find a place to sit the camera down and work through the change, probably taking a couple of minutes if I don't drop either cam into the case.... The Super Graphic, OTOH, is a piece of cake, taking only seconds and can be done on the fly. The Technika is also a quicky.

[Scott Whitford]

Marco,

Yes, I use my Technika V handheld with the optional sidegrip.

Mine is cammed for a f=150mm lens and I find the rangefinder to be extremely accurate.

I initially used a Linhof sports finder to aid in composing, but after a while I found that I could compose accurately enough without it.

Here's how I do it:

After checking focus with the rangefinder, I drop the camera down to chest-level so that I can check the bubble level located on the top of the camera. Again, I compose by "intuition" (sounds weird but you'd be surprised how accurate you can be with experience) and brace the camera against my chest while releasing the shutter. By timing my breathing I find that I can shoot down to 1/30s with great results. As Frank mentioned, the mass of the camera makes it very stable for slower shutter speeds.

Scott

[David A. Goldfarb]

I do it fairly often, both with my Tech V 4x5" and Tech V 23b, which both have cammed lenses. The main attraction of a Technika, for me, is the ability to go between handheld shooting press-camera style, and to have view camera movements when I'm using a tripod. I like this particularly for travel, so my handheld and tripod shots on any given trip are made with the same lenses, film, and format and that gives them a kind of unity of form. Changing lenses and cams and adjusting the viewfinder isn't as quick as changing lenses on an SLR, but it's quick enough for most situations.

[Ed Richards]

"The main attraction of a Technika...

Is that it is a wonderful piece of gear - what a Leica would be if it were made in adult size.

[Marco Annaratone]

Thank you all! You've been very helpful. Great thread.
Cheers!

[Emil Ems]

Marco!

I use an old Technika III camera with 90 mm Angulon as a cheap and very useful 6x12 camera. For both vertical and horizontal pictures I can use the old style wire frame finder, which works perfectly. Its main advantage is that it works also with lens rise (for architecture photos).

The Technika III is preferable to later Technikas for hend held photography for two reasons: (a) it is lighter than later cameras and (b), when raising the lens in wide angle mode, the rangefinder is still accurate, whereas in models IV onward the rangefinder is not usable any more (in the later models the lense moves forward when raised).

Whatever model you use, I advise strongly against using the handgrips (on the left or right hand side). Instead, grasp the camera firmly with the left hand on the left forward rim and put your right hand under the lense sled. There is a cable release on the righthand front (seen from behind) of the lense sled, which you can release with a right hand finger. Both elbows should be pressed against your chest and the camera should rest on your chest. In this manner, I manage exposures of 1/25 sec without problems and with excellent sharpness.

I hope this helps

[Bob Salomon]

The rangefinder on the later cameras with properly cut cams works correctly with 72mm and longer lenses.

[gregstidham]

Marco,
I use a Technika IV handheld with a side grip, viewfinder, and a cammed 150mm Sironar-N that was cammed by Martin at Marflex. I think it is the best large format camera I have ever owned and I love it.

I don't think my Technika is really all that heavy for what it does and how well it does it. I also own a Crown Graphic, but I use the Technika more often because it is such a pleasure to use. Frank has had much more long days using a handheld, so I would seriously consider his words.

I am in the San Francisco area, so if you want to see one in person, let me know. I might be out using it.

Greg

[David A. Goldfarb]

I usually wouldn't use the rangefinder in combination with camera movements, because I would want to see the effect on the groundglass. I suppose there might be some situation where you would want to use front rise with a wide lens that requires dropping the bed and be able to check focus with the rangefinder, but it's not something that comes up often.

Maybe if you wanted to take a handheld photo of a building using a wire frame finder for framing with front rise, but with a wide lens, that's usually going to be close to infinity anyway, so it's scale focusable, and I'd usually use a tripod for that kind of shot, so I could frame more accurately and focus on the groundglass.