used linhof Master Technika VS Toyo top end 4x5

[Jon Paul]

I would like input before I purchase a new camera. i am wondering if I should go with a used Linhof Master Technika or a new Toyo top end 4x5. Obviously the money is an issue. I am a landscape photographer and would like a bit more flexibility in lens choice than my Super Speed Graphic offers. I also need a reliable field camera.

Thanks,

Jon

[Michael Kadillak]

I went through this iteration several years ago and included several other 4x5 camera makers in my comparison of these to the Linhof Master. And then I had the opportunity to actually get out and shoot with the Master and that sealed the deal. For me I conluded that the Master Technika would have to have been really beat up and abused (with no other used alternatives available) before I would opt for any number of lesser priced new in the box alternatives including Toyo. And that is nothing against a Toyo as they are clearly very well made functional cameras that make many marvelous images all over the world. But they are simply not a Linhof. Lay out the specifications side by side and compare bellows, rise/fall, back movements and accessories available and you will see what I mean. The precision in the focus, fit, function and lock down is an absolute marvel. There is a clear reason that these cameras have maintained their basic design from the first ones that were built in 1903. They just work and they are the epitome of reliability. Yes, they are inherently expensive but that is a relative concept when you consider the tooling and the man hours necessary to build these cameras. Just my $0.02.

Good Luck!

[David A. Goldfarb]

Both very capable cameras (I assume you mean one of the folding Toyos). I think the main issue is whether you want the rangefinder. I like having the rangefinder as an option, so I can use the camera handheld or for more dynamic portraits than I can do with groundglass focusing.

Strictly for landscape, you can do without the rangefinder, but I'll occasionally use it to double check focus with a wide lens in low light. If you wanted a Technika only for landscape use, I would think a Tech 2000 would be a better option, giving you access to wider lenses without the wideangle attachment.

[Donal Taylor]

Michael, how much front fall does the Master Technika have before your drop the bed?

Also, are you able to use a 75mm on it okay?

thanks

[David A. Goldfarb]

I use a Tech V, which works pretty much like a MT, except for the wideangle flap.

There is no front fall on a Tech V or MT. You have to drop the bed or remove the accessory shoe and mount the camera upside down and apply front rise. I usually mount the camera upside down. There are focus knobs on both sides and the back rotates 360 degrees, so it's not as awkward as it might seem at first, and the bed becomes a nice lens shade.

You can use a 75mm lens in a recessed board on a Tech IV/V/MT with no additional accessories.

[tim atherton]

The Technika is nice and precision made, but if you don't really need the viewfinder, it's a lot of extra weight (so Maybe the Tech 2000 which you are unlikely to find used). Also, older bellows (a used Master Tech could be what, 20+ years old?) often need replacing. I had an early Master Tech for a while, and had to get new bellows for it.

The Toyo would be very functional, but for the same price as a new Toyo, if I was buying a metal field for outdoor/landscape use, I'd probably go a Canham DLC instead.

[Donal Taylor]

"There is no front fall on a Tech V or MT. You have to drop the bed or remove the accessory shoe and mount the camera upside down and apply front rise. I usually mount the camera upside down. There are focus knobs on both sides and the back rotates 360 degrees, so it's not as awkward as it might seem at first, and the bed becomes a nice lens shade."

Hmmm - that's convenient in a landscape camera...

Presumably this becomes even more awkward with 90mm to 65mm lenses, tucked inside the body by that stage?

[David A. Goldfarb]

No problem with a 90 or 75--you're still outside the body. You need to drop the bed one or two notches anyway with a 75 (so you have to raise the lens to get to the neutral position, so front fall isn't too hard), and whether you need to drop the bed anyway with a 90 depends on the particular lens. You need to drop one notch with a 90/6.8 Angulon, but not with a 90/8.0 Super-Angulon, for instance.

With a 65 to 55, you're inside the body using the wideangle attachment on a Tech V/MT and movements do get trickier.

[Scott Atkinson]

I've used both a lot and, yes, the Linhof is very well made, but I actually prefer the Toyo 45AII--simple, straightforward controls and nice, bright ground-glass viewing; no exasperating wide-angle shenanigans, "free-form" back adjustments, and extraneous rangefinder stuff. The only reason I'd opt for the Linhof, user-wise, is if I needed over 12 inches of bellows extension...the 4" Toyo extension back is a pain. But maybe that's just me...

[Garry Teeple]

Other than turning the Linhof upside down, you can get and off center drilled lensboard. Only problem is everytime you put it on you have to remember to use some rise up to center it. One thing I didn't like on the Toyo was the lens tilt. I prefer the on axis tilt.