Hand-holding a Linhof Technika (V and beyond)

[Marco Annaratone]

Is anybody out there still using a Linhof Technika hand-held, focusing with the rangefinder, composing through the viewfinder, playing with cams and lenses, etc etc? I'd like to know how practical it is, how painful it is to match cams and lenses (send both to the factory? True?), how accurate and/or bright the rangefinder is, etc

I am especially interested in how the latest models (from V and beyond) behave in this respect compared to, say, the III and IV. Has any progress being made in recent years in terms of ease of use?

Never used the camera, hence apologies for the very basic questions...

Thanks!

Cheers

[Mark Sampson]

See the work of Frank Petronio on this forum. Some, certainly not all, of his pictures were done that way.

[Joseph O'Neil]

Not a Linhof, but occasionally I will still hand hold my Crown Graphic. I always focus on the ground glass, never liked/trusted cams on any camera. Your mileage may vary.

another option - a monopod, especially one with a quick release plate. Works good for me.
joe

[Sevo]

They can be rigged up to highly useable handheld configurations, but few of the later models were still sold that way.

Having the rangefinder cam and lens matched usually is not neccessary - in most cases, the cam and lens will match closer than your average focusing precision in handheld situations, and a factory match is only mandatory if you want to use the rangefinder as a high-precision focusing aid in studio and macro work.

[Ed Richards]

Cannot speak for the III. The IV and V seem to be about the same, with two important tweaks. As I have read, and stand ready to be corrected by Bob, with the V the back position relative to the rangefinder was standardized so that you could exchange lenses and cams between Vs. Thus the cam for a V only has the lens number, while the cam for a IV has the lens number and the camera number. Had I known this when I bought my IV, I would have bought a V and saved some money on camming.

The V also has a lever to raise the lens. This might be useful because with a 90mm you cannot get to the wheel on a IV because it jammed against the side struts.

Handholding is a possible, but is hard to justify because you quickly lose the benefit of the LF over digital with camera movement. The rangefinder is great even for stuff that does not move - a lot of my Katrina stuff was done with the rangefinder because I needed to work quickly, and some was done handheld as I walked through areas that had been flooded. If you use the sports finder, you can even use shift with the rangefinder. It is also nice when you want to compose and not behind a dark cloth, say shooting kids or dodging criminals on a not so good street.

[Oren Grad]

Including grip, multifocus finder and a small lens, and with a film holder inserted, the weight of a late-model Technika set up for hand-held use is somewhere up around 4 kg. Which is to say: it's very, very heavy for something you're going to hold up to your eye. It's in a different league even from a 4x5 Crown or Speed Graphic.

Getting a lens properly cammed for a late-model (V or Master) Technika is simple: send it to the factory (or to Marflex, if you're in the US) to be cammed. The only hassles are shipping it and waiting for it to return. IMO there's not much point in spending $$$$ on a high-end camera like a Technika only to throw away some of its quality to try to save a few dollars on a mismatched cam. Unless your time isn't worth anything at all, it's not even clear you'd save much, by the time you hunt for a cam in the right focal length, possibly reset the infinity stops, and test the setup to make sure it is indeed close enough for your intended uses.

[Don Dudenbostel]

I purchased a new Master Technika 4x5 in 1974 along with six lenses and cams. In the thirty years I owned and shot it I only hand held it a dozen or so times. It's quite heavy and awkward at best. Most of the time I tripod mounted it and used the cammed lens/VF/RF combo to tweak focus and composition if working with models or subjects that moved. I found I got better hand held results with my Fuji RF 6x9 cameras or a Pentax 6x7. On the other hand I had a Technika 70 prior to the Master with 53, 100 and 180 lenses that was much easier to hand hold. The combined RF/VF was a big advantage in the 70.

[Frank Petronio]

I used a Tech V, with a Marflex-cammed 150mm, grip, and multi-focal finder, handheld with fine results so long as I had enough light to shoot wide-open at 1/60th-second or faster. Sometimes 1/30th would work. The Linhof's weight helps steady it, at least until your muscles fatigue. I think the Linhof rangefinder mechanism is the same from the III on, or at least changed very little, so it is more a matter of maintenance and cleaning (even the Master Technika can be over 20 years old and need cleaning).

I also used it on a tripod whenever I was doing a more static photo.

After a year of using the Tech, I rationalized selling it because I wanted the money (!) and because a Crown Graphic is a lot lighter. The Crown has worked for me, I've owned several now and favor the latest top rangefinder model. The Tech rangefinder is more accurate than the Crown... but there are a lot of other variables to handheld focusing and the Crown is perfectly usable. And it is much lighter and easier to handle and pack. And a mint Crown with a nice 150mm Xenar can be found for about 10% of the price of a nice used Technika with the same lens.

On both cameras I found the wire frame finder easier to use the optical finders. The Linhof Multi-focal finder is a nice piece of gear but not really an advantage other than it is so... beautiful LOL. The Linhof ergonomic grip is wonderfully designed and made, and I liked using it, but it can add a lot of bulk.

If I were buying another Technika, which I would do while keeping the Crown, I'd just get a nice Technika IV and send it to Marflex for a CLA and custom lens camming. I don't mind pulling the front standard out to access the rise knob -- the knob doesn't break like the lever the later Techs use, and I think the front standard of the IV is a little more solid.

A cleaned and adjusted Tech IV is going to be better than a sloppy Master Tech IMHO.

[Roger Vadim]

A bit OT, but I shoot regulary handheld with my old Speed Graphic, and the RF is pretty accurate. the 127mm Ektar which came with the Camera is a quite good piece of glass, and translates to a 35mm in 135, which looks rather "street photography" if you use it right... focus is a bit of a hit and miss above F8, but that's more got to do with the subjects moving slightly.
Its really fun - becaus I'm often to lazy to schlepp a tripod around

[otzi]

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.