Compare Linhof 3D MICRO with Arca D4?

[Andrew ren]

anyone tried them?

http://www.linhof.de/news-1_e.html

http://digitaljournalofphotography.b...m-pan-and.html

noticed the new plate came with the arca, it's NEW!

Andrew

[jeroldharter]

The Arca looks great but I did not see specs. Probably too small for large format?

The Linhof is more comparable to the Arca Cube and its knockoff, the Photo Clam Multiplex.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Hello from France
I was at the photokina 9 days ago and I could manipulate both heads.

The Linhof head that ressembles the Arca Cube was fitted with a proprietary Linhof plate.
Its price is about half the price of the Arca Swiss cube C1. the amplitude of tilt however is smaller. So consider it more like a levelling head with a large amplitude


Regarding the d4 and d4m Arca Swiss heads you can have whichever clamp you prefer
The model as shown has the new kind of small plates, the width corresponds to Arca Swiss rails that you can clamp without any intermediate part
Classical Arca Swiss plates are of course still on catalogue and supported, one of the heads, I think it was one of the d4, was fitted with the last model of classical clamp, with two dovetails, one for the classic plates and one for the new narrower plates.
You have the choice between the classical screw lock, which automatically compensates for small variations in plate width, or the flip-lock(TM) model, for which you need to fine-tune to the model of plates you are using, since different manufacturers have plates of slightly different widths.

So no problem at all, it is an open system

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Here is a picture of the d4 at the photokina
This one is fitted with the dual-dovetail clamp and classical screw-lock
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/...321a4c05_b.jpg
The classical clamp bears the two dovetails and has been re-designed with rounded corners in order to be more compact.

[Andrew ren]

Emmanuel,

very interesting. looks like the d4 has a larger base than that of z1 and p1(?). will fit nicely on a J100.

the linhof looks nice too, a little bit smaller(?)

both units priced @ 500-700$US, but not been confirmed yet.

Cheers

Andrew

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Actually the d4 on the image is mounted on a separate base plate for display. No J100 required

And yes, the new linhof head is smaller, we really enjoyed a friendly demonstration at the Linhof booth.
The new Linhof head features an interesting self-locking quick-releases plate : you just put the camera & plate on top of the head and the camera locks by its own weight.
Too bad that I did not dare to take a picture during the demonstration.
BTW at Linhof I could see and touch for the first time the "gold-plated' 550mm Schneider lens mounted on a 8x10" Linhof monorail.

[Bob Salomon]

Emmanuel,

very interesting. looks like the d4 has a larger base than that of z1 and p1(?). will fit nicely on a J100.

the linhof looks nice too, a little bit smaller(?)

both units priced @ 500-700$US, but not been confirmed yet.

Cheers

Andrew

Andrew,

The Linhof head will be well over that price and will be available in March per the latest factory information as of Photokina. It will also have an accessory right angle plate available for extra movement to 90°. The price that you quoted would not be possible for the Linhof.

[Bob Salomon]

Actually the d4 on the image is mounted on a separate base plate for display. No J100 required

And yes, the new linhof head is smaller, we really enjoyed a friendly demonstration at the Linhof booth.
The new Linhof head features an interesting self-locking quick-releases plate : you just put the camera & plate on top of the head and the camera locks by its own weight.
Too bad that I did not dare to take a picture during the demonstration.
BTW at Linhof I could see and touch for the first time the "gold-plated' 550mm Schneider lens mounted on a 8x10" Linhof monorail.

Emmanuel.
The head has a built-in Quick-Fix Linhof quick release system. The Quick-Fix system has been available for several years (decades actually) and is available in two sizes. The new 3-D head uses the larger of the two sizes.

If you want pictures of the new head I can upload them to our ftp site. Just let us know.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Thank you, Bob for the information about the Lihof Quick-Fix system.
I think many readers of this forum would like to have a picture of the new Linhof 3D head available.

I do not know in English what would be a generic term for the kind of device used in the Arca Swiss cube and the new Linhof head.
Optical engineers would say something like "crossed goniometer stages" but this is not very useable in photography...
In French we say : "berceau", but I do not think that "cradle" is the proper word...

[Bob Salomon]

Thank you, Bob for the information about the Lihof Quick-Fix system.
I think many readers of this forum would like to have a picture of the new Linhof 3D head available.

I do not know in English what would be a generic term for the kind of device used in the Arca Swiss cube and the new Linhof head.
Optical engineers would say something like "crossed goniometer stages" but this is not very useable in photography...
In French we say : "berceau", but I do not think that "cradle" is the proper word...

Linhof calls it:

A levelling segment with a second levelling segment mounted above it and turned 90° to the bottom one. Each tilts 14° with a precision knob drive. There is a panoramic plate mounted above the axis of movement for Pexact individual exposures for panoramic imaging".

The accessory angled adapter allows the camera to be positioned 90° to the top plate of the 3-D head to allow for off-set camera positions from the top of the head. Even when both stages are tilted to the maximum 14° each.

Capacity of the head is rated at 10 kg. The head weighs 850 g and the angled plate weighs 300 g. The angled plate is an accessory.