Arca Wwiss Vs Linhof

[cp]

i am looking for my first view camera, which is reasonable for hiking, my target will be arca swiss 45 discovery, but just now i find Linhof Karden E 4 5, also have rail,even longer(18inch),but smaller lensboard, and similar price r ange as discovery. so anybody has experience of that Linhof camera, and which will be your choice? N.B. from linhof site , just a brief description of Karden E, even not mentionin g the weight! thanks benz

[Thomas Vaehrmann]

Hi benz,

actually I owne the Kardan E, too. It's the low budget version of a studio-camera, still big and can't be folded to a compact size for hiking. Normaly when I shoot landscapes I use a Technika. If you are looking for a compact design and want monorail, in case of Linhof's you should consider the Technikardan which folds up to a similar size. To make your own decision you should compare the two cameras side by side. The Kardan is a simple and not so compact design, so I would opt for the Discovery.