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moltogordo
1-Feb-2016, 02:57
I have a very nice Linhof 45S, but was having a lot of trouble with occasional light leaks from that poorly designed lack of space between the rail knobs and the loading mechanism if I put the groundglass and back on in a horizontal position. Just hardly any room at all to squeeze that film holder in, especially some of the older wooden ones, and I often did a bad job of it. Bob Salomon suggested to someone else who was having the same problem to keep an eye out for a spacer that fit between the camera and film back. Alas, after 6 months, no luck on Ebay or anywhere else.

So I went drastic. I simply gave up, and bought a Kardan Super Color, a similar camera, that had plenty of room in the questioned area. The fact that I got it, in almost mint shape, for $220 plus free shipping, made me a happy camper indeed.

However, here's where it get's interesting. My roomate, who is a radio/television expert and restorer, with a gift for about anything mechanical, looked at the original 45S and said, "Gord, most of this camera is symmetrical. If I flip this here, and turn the knuckles around backwards (the ones that raise the back standard up and down), you should have two Linhofs.

He did just that, and the tweak worked. And yes, I have two Linhofs, both working very well, thank you very much . . . . actually four, because I long ago adopted the Linhof Color (Technika on a stick) as my field camera, and have recently bought a second.

Has anybody else ever heard of or done this tweak before? I surely does work.

And am I alone in thinking that the modest little Linhof Color is the best bang for the buck for an outdoor landscape camera that you can find?

Bill_1856
1-Feb-2016, 08:12
And am I alone in thinking that the modest little Linhof Color is the best bang for the buck for an outdoor landscape camera that you can find?

Agreed: one of three including the Graphic View and Kodak Master(Calumet).