Should I buy a Linhof?

[Darin Boville]

O.K., I'm thinking of selling my Chaminoix and buying a Linhof IV or V.

I like the Cham--it is great, I think--but not really aimed at my needs. I need portability but not the ultra-light aspect. I don't backpack with it. I'd rather have the ability to keep one lens mounted and don't mind gaining weight to have a metal camera. Wouldn't mind the potential for handheld 4x5, either.

Why Linhof? Because I used to have a Toyo 45AII and I really liked it. I'm told the Technika is sort of the same thing only better. (True?)

I know the Linhofs vary within models and it all gets so confusing all too quickly.

If I'm looking at IV and V models what should I beware of? I'm only interested in clean units so that may avoid a lot of potential problems but what of the plastic knobs I read about somewhere?

Also, any guesstimates what I should pay for a nice IV or V? Are repair prices reasonable should I need it?

Linhof newbie questions, I know.

--Darin

[Brian Ellis]

If you want a metal camera Technikas are great choices. They don't vary that much within models except for the Technika III and you aren't thinking of a III. The IV and the V are basically the same camera except that the front rise mechanism is at the front of the V and is at the back of the IV - more convenient in front. And of course the leatherette is a different color. But otherwise they're pretty much the same and I don't know of significant variations within either model.

Technikas are very well made, I've owned a V and a Master. No problems that I've ever heard of with "plastic knobs." That may refer to the four knobs used to open and close the back but I don't know of any problems with them. Guesstimate for price would be $1,000 range for a IV and $1500 range for a V, assuming excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition. You could check completed sales on ebay and probably find some that have sold recently. Repair prices are expensive when done by Marflex, the U.S. authorized repair center, but worth it in my experience.

Better than a Toyo 45AII? I don't know, I've never owned the Toyo. But I've played around with them and they seem like very nice cameras. You'll have to check the specs and see how they compare with a Technika and which would better suit your needs. The bellows on the Technika is about 2 1/2 - 3 inches longer than the Toyo and that could be important because it allows you to use a normal 300mm lens which you can't do on the Toyo without a "top hat" extender or some similar accessory.

If you're seriously thinking of hand-held then you'll need to make sure the rangefinder works and ideally the camera should come with a lens and the original cam for that lens. You might be able to get a cam cut by Marflex for one of your lenses but that's expensive - $250 when I checked quite a few years ago.

[Frank Petronio]

Like Brian said, the Toyo is no slouch, the Linhof is mainly about pride of ownership at a certain point... it has an Old-World quality that is impossible to replicate with stamped metal and plastic.

I've owned both and I'd get a IV next time around, if there is a next time. I'd look for a un-corroded but well used beater and send it off to Marflex for a CLA and a new bellows. Plus repair or replace the focusing hood, add or adjust a fresnel, and the $$$ camming of your favorite lens(es).

The bellows are thin, long, and flexible but that also means they won't last 50 years without needing replacement, even the early Master Technika bellows can be too old by now. Somebody has to do it, either get a camera that needs them and pay less or find a camera with a >10 year old replacement.

Some abusers will gum or grit things up on the track or movements but those are buyer-beware type abuses -- usually some external rust-oxidation-rotten leather is a sign of interior crapiness. But even then, the missing teeth can be smoothed over and made to work OK.

The latch that holds the camera closed is easy to break on all of these and is expensive to replace, so be careful of it!

On the V the front rise lever is prone to strip its gear teeth and the older ones with the white plastic tip are broken more often than the later or replacement ones with the metal tip. I prefer the IV's simple rise but it is harder with the front standard retracted when you're using a wide angle lens. You end up pulling the front out, making the rise, then pushing the front standard back into position. And so on....

Otherwise, the only other big difference is that the V and later models use standardized cams that can be interchanged with other V or later Techs. In theory at least, since a round trip to Marflex is still a good idea with any lens you want cammed to any Technika.

The IV seems to sell from $700 to $1000 and the V from $900 to $1400, although you see plenty of overly ambitious hopefuls asking for more. Of course a new bellows, CLA, multi-finder, grip, and an already cammed lens all add to the attractiveness of the deal. If a recently CLA V with the later zoom finder and ergo grip came up under $1800 I'd jump on it; likewise a similar CLA IV with the older finder and grip might have tipping point of around $1300. (Although the older finders aren't that great imho - the wire frame finder is actually a lot more useful).

One mod that Marflex or someone a bit handy can do is to replace the original leather-sided focusing hood with the more durable Graflex Graphic folding metal hood. Note that you will lose about 1/4" of your screen view doing this. Also you may give the Linhof guy a conniption. For that matter, if you are handy and only use short lenses, you can use the indestructible Graphic bellows as a cheap replacement. Note it is thicker and on 12" long, negating one of the main advantages of a Technika -- it holds longer lenses steadier than any other folder.

Cameraleather.com has replacement black leather covering for about $50 and it really looks so much nicer than the old beige covering, even though it is only cosmetic. Once I stripped a beater to bare aluminum and told people it was from a NASA Apollo mission, I fooled a few and sold the camera for $40K.

That's a joke. Really NASA used a Toyo but they left it on the Moon for the Aliens to admire.

[Lachlan 717]

Why not go to 8x10 if weight isn't an issue? A Toyo 810M is relatively portable.

Or a Speed Graphic if you're thinking about handheld 4x5 and save the $$$. You also get the advantage of having a shutter within the camera, making older/barrel lenses usable as well?

Just a couple of questions that popped into my mind when I read your post... There's no doubt that a Linhof is a better camera than a SG, but that doesn't equate to making better images.

[Bob Salomon]

"Really NASA used a Toyo but they left it on the Moon for the Aliens to admire."

Not really. NASA used the Aero Technika for their 4x5 work on the Space Shuttle.

[Lachlan 717]

"Really NASA used a Toyo but they left it on the Moon for the Aliens to admire."

Not really. NASA used the Aero Technika for their 4x5 work on the Space Shuttle.

Bob,

Which crater on the moon did the Shuttle land in?

[Patrick Dixon]

There's a Technica V in the FS section of this forum at the moment.

[Bob Salomon]

Bob,

Which crater on the moon did the Shuttle land in?

Fortunately, considering the cost of a NASA modified Aero Technika they brought all of them up and back on the shuttle flights. Along with the Rollei 6008 systems that they also used on many Space Shuttle missions.

[Lachlan 717]

Fortunately, considering the cost of a NASA modified Aero Technika they brought all of them up and back on the shuttle flights. Along with the Rollei 6008 systems that they also used on many Space Shuttle missions.

I was trying to point out that Apollo went to the moon, not the Shuttle.

Perhaps Frank was referring to the Apollo missions... Or just having a laugh.

[Patrick Dixon]

Fortunately, considering the cost of a NASA modified Aero Technika they brought all of them up and back on the shuttle flights. Along with the Rollei 6008 systems that they also used on many Space Shuttle missions.

Even the Challenger and Columbia ones?